日時：	December 15, 2023/10:30-11:30
場所：	医生物学研究所 医生研1号館 134室 The 1st. Bldg. of LiME, Room 134
演者：	川内⼤輔 国⽴精神・神経医療研究センター, 研究室⻑
演題：	Understanding of (epi)genetic mechanisms underlying brain tumor formation using genetically engineered animal models

講演要旨

Brain tumors represent a critical challenge in pediatric oncology due to their high
mortality rates. Despite this, the rarity of these cancers has resulted in a lower
prioritization for therapeutic development within pharmaceutical industries, necessitating
a concerted effort to identify medical seeds in collaboration with academic institutions.
While recent cancer genome decoding projects have been successful in identifying
characteristic (epi)genomic alterations in tumors, there remains an insufficient exploration
into the downstream cancer signaling pathways. Brain tumors interact with a variety of
cellular components within the brain, complicating their progression; thus, the evaluation
of gene mutations involved in cancer and the subsequent functional analysis necessitate
the use of brain tumor mouse models.
Our research has harnessed the synergy of genome editing technologies and in vivo
gene introduction techniques to develop spontaneous tumor models and human patientderived
xenograft models. This approach has enabled us to delve into the cancer signaling
prompted by these mutations and identify potential therapeutic targets. In our current
work, I first aim to present our latest findings on medulloblastomas via understanding of
cancer epigenomes and to discuss the challenges that lie ahead in translating these
discoveries into (pre)clinical trials. Of interest, during these studies, we confirm potential
contribution of brain microenvironment to tumorigenesis. Therefore, as the second topic,
I would share the data from our recent collaborative work on cancer neuroscience, in
which we have studied contributions of the neurons projecting tumor cells to glioma
progression.
In this seminar, I would seek to propel the conversation forward, setting the stage
for innovative treatments that could shift the paradigm of brain tumor therapeutics.

 

Contact: Lab. of Developmental Systems Eiraku Mototsugu,Prof. (eiraku＊infront.kyoto-u.ac.jp)

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