Annual Report 2021

Experimental Animals Section

Yoshikatsu Koga, Kimie Iijima, Taeko Aruga, Rie Takeshita, Mutsumi Iwabuchi, Rikako Kamada, Xuetao Wei

Introduction

 The basic and translational research undertaken in the Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center (EPOC) and 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, spontaneous cancer models using genetically modified mice and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models using human cancer tissue that reproduce the cancer microenvironment are also 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 FY2021, 50 studies involving animal experiments and 32 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 Guidelines on Animal Experiments every year. In FY2021, 191 researchers or clinicians 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 2021

Journal

1. Takashima K, Koga Y, Anzai T, Migita K, Yamaguchi T, Ishikawa A, Sakashita S, Yasunaga M, Yano T. Evaluation of Fluorescence Intensity and Antitumor Effect Using Real-Time Imaging in Photoimmunotherapy. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 15:2022

2. Takashima H, Koga Y, Manabe S, Ohnuki K, Tsumura R, Anzai T, Iwata N, Wang Y, Yokokita T, Komori Y, Mori D, Usuda S, Haba H, Fujii H, Matsumura Y, Yasunaga M. Radioimmunotherapy with an 211 At-labeled anti-tissue factor antibody protected by sodium ascorbate. Cancer science, 112:1975-1986, 2021

3. Manabe S, Takashima H, Ohnuki K, Koga Y, Tsumura R, Iwata N, Wang Y, Yokokita T, Komori Y, Usuda S, Mori D, Haba H, Fujii H, Yasunaga M, Matsumura Y. Stabilization of an 211At-Labeled Antibody with Sodium Ascorbate. ACS omega, 6:14887-14895, 2021

4. Sekiguchi M, Kakugawa Y, Ikematsu H, Hotta K, Konda K, Tanaka Y, Takamaru H, Yamada M, Sakamoto T, Saito Y, Imai K, Ito S, Koga Y, Iwasaki M, Murakami Y, Matsuda T. Risk Stratification Score Improves Sensitivity for Advanced Colorectal Neoplasia in Colorectal Cancer Screening: The Oshima Study Workgroup. Clinical and translational gastroenterology, 12:e00319, 2021