The research group including Dr. Kenta Moriwaki from the Department of Biochemistry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, discovered a glycan structure that regulates cancer cell death by tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), a molecule that plays a role in the tumor immune surveillance mechanism. This finding is expected to lead to the development of methods for predicting the therapeutic efficacy of TRAIL receptor molecular-targeted therapy and cancer immunotherapy.
This is the first study to demonstrate that the Lewis sugar chain added to glycolipids on the surface of cancer cells promotes TRAIL-induced cell death and that the susceptibility of cancer cells to TRAIL-induced death can be predicted by measuring the amount of Lewis sugar chains. This study is expected to aid in the development of new cancer treatment strategies based on the prediction of the therapeutic effects of TRAIL receptor molecular-targeted drugs and cancer immunotherapy.
This research was conducted in collaboration with Professors Eiji Miyoshi and Keiichi Ozono, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Professor Masahiro Inoue, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Dr. Yasuhide Miyamoto, Osaka International Cancer Center Research Institute, and Dr. Hiroyuki Kaji, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.