Annual Report 2020

Section of Experimental Animals

Yoshikatsu Koga, Kimie Iijima, Taeko Aruga, Rie Takeshita, Mutsumi Iwabuchi

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. In addition to cell line derived xenograft (CDX) models in which human cancer cells are transplanted into immunodeficient mice, also spontaneous cancer models using genetically modified mice and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models using human cancer tissue that are reproduced the cancer microenvironment, are used in the animal facility of the EPOC. Development of novel surgical and endoscopic instruments using experimental pigs is also conducted in the animal facility. The Section of Experimental Animals supports the animal experiments conducted in the EPOC and the NCCHE.

The 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 and rabbits, and one room for pigs), and a P2 animal laboratory.
• Approval of animal experiments and gene recombinant experiments in accordance with the regulations.
  In FY2020, 53 studies involving animal experiments and 34 studies with gene recombinant experiments were approved by the Committee of Experimental Animals and Gene Recombination.

Education

 All researchers and clinicians who use the animal facilities are required to attend a lecture on animal experiments according to the Guideline of Animal Experiments every year. In FY2020, 173 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 2020

Journal

1. Tsumura R, Koga Y, Hamada A, Kuwata T, Sasaki H, Doi T, Aikawa K, Ohashi A, Katano I, Ikarashi Y, Ito M, Ochiai A. Report of the use of patient-derived xenograft models in the development of anticancer drugs in Japan. Cancer Sci, 111:3386-3394, 2020