Research Projects

Animal models are essential not only for basic cancer research but also for translational research （TR） fields. We willingly contribute to establish useful animal models including genetically engineered mice （GEM） for basic cancer research, PDX models for TR, and to analyze their molecular details.

To explore intrinsic and environmental carcinogenic factors and clarify their molecular mechanisms in human, we establish and improve genetically-modified animal carcinogenesis models and analyze their phenotypes under the conditions of environmental factor loaded. For example, heterozygous p53 knockout mice of BALB/c background, in which Prkdc is diminished in mammary tissue, was found to develop mammary carcinomas with and without hormone receptor expression, and we analyze the effects of a high-fat diet to carcinogenesis. As for the TR field, we established unique PDX models, e.g., an EGFR-mutation-harboring lung adenocarcinoma model, which was found to be highly metastatic to the lung, and rare cancers including soft tissue tumors.

We contribute to organize annual training sessions for researchers and technical experts on animal experiments. In addition, technical trainees are received for skill acquirement on animal experiment and mouse phenotype analysis.