Section of Experimental Animals

Yoshikatsu Koga, Kimie Iijima, Taeko Aruga, Aki Kawaida, Daisuke Suga

Introduction

The basic and translational research undertaken in the Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center (EPOC) and the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE) is aimed toward future clinical use. To develop anti-cancer drugs based on a novel concept or a novel imaging technology, animal experiments are necessary. The Section of Experimental Animals supports the animal experiments conducted in the EPOC and the NCCHE.

Our team and what we do

• Health management of experimental animals and maintenance of animal laboratories.
  - Animal-breeding rooms: specific pathogen-free (SPF) rooms (eight rooms for mice and one room for rats), conventional rooms (one room for mice, one room for rats, hamsters, and rabbits, and one room for pigs), and P2 animal laboratory.

• Approval of animal experiments and gene recombinant experiments in accordance with the regulations.
  - In 2016, 47 studies involving animal experiments and 36 studies with gene recombinant experiments were approved by the Committee of Experimental Animals and Gene Recombination.

Education

All researchers and doctors who use the animal facilities are required to attend a lecture on animal experiments according to the Guideline of Animal Experiments every year. In 2016, 141 researchers or doctors attended the educational lecture.

Future prospects

The Section of Experimental Animals will support animal experiments conducted in the EPOC and the NCCHE.

List of papers published in 2016

Journal

1.Sugaya A, Hyodo I, Koga Y, Yamamoto Y, Takashima H, Sato R, Tsumura R, Furuya F, Yasunaga M, Harada M, Tanaka R, Matsumura Y. Utility of epirubicin-incorporating micelles tagged with anti-tissue factor antibody clone with no anticoagulant effect. Cancer Sci, 107:335-340, 2016

2.Fujiwara Y, Furuta M, Manabe S, Koga Y, Yasunaga M, Matsumura Y. Imaging mass spectrometry for the precise design of antibody-drug conjugates. Sci Rep, 6:24954, 2016

3.Kudo M, Yamamoto Y, Koga Y, Hamaguchi T, Akimoto T, Yasunaga M, Matsumura Y. Effect of combined treatment with micelle-incorporated cisplatin (NC-6004) and S-1 on human gastric cancer xenografts. Mol Clin Oncol, 5:817-822, 2016