Title of Presentation

“Future Perspective of Cancer Immunotherapy”

Cancer Immunotherapy paved a new avenue that significantly changed the conventional wisdom of cancer treatment. However, to bring this revolutionary approach to the next level, it is essential to improve the treatment efficacy and develop reliable prognostic biomarkers for the critical evaluation of the treatment.

Previously, we have shown that the rapid proliferation of T lymphocytes is essential to fight against cancer cells. In order to boost the process, we developed a novel combination therapy using small molecules that enhance mitochondrial function and energize the T lymphocytes. Based on the success of combination therapy in the mouse model, we extended our study to the patient level and completed the phase I trial.

In this presentation, I will discuss the prospect of cancer immunotherapy, focusing on fighter T cell boosting small molecules.

Profile

Web Site URL

https://www.ccii.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/

A brief Biography(As of August 1, 2021)

Mar 1971	Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
Sep 1971	Fellow, Carnegie Institution of Washington (Department of Embryology)
Jul 1973	Visiting Fellow and Associate, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH Bethesda
Nov 1974	Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo (Department of Physiological Chemistry and Nutrition)
Dec 1979	Professor, School of Medicine, Osaka University (Department of Genetics)
Mar 1984	Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University (Department of Medical Chemistry)
Apr 1995	Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University (Molecular Biology)
Oct 1996-Sep 2004	Dean, Faculty of Medicine/Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
Apr 2005	Specially-Appointed Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University (Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine)
Jun 2006-Jan 2012	Executive Member, Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office
Apr 2012-Apr 2017	Chairman, Board of Directors, Shizuoka Prefectural University Corporation
Jul 2015-Present	President, Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe (The official foundation name in Japanese was changed in April 2018.)
May 2017	Distinguished Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study
Apr 2018-Present	Deputy Director-General and Distinguished Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study
Apr 2020-Present	Director, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University

Details of selected Awards and Honors

1996	The Imperial Prize and the Japan Academy Prize
2000	Person of Cultural Merit
2005	Member of the Japan Academy
2012	Robert Koch Prize
2013	Order of Culture, Japan
2014	Tang Prize, Biopharmaceutical Science Award
2016	Kyoto Prize
2018	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
2019	Fellow, The American Association for Cancer Research
2019	Honorary Member, The Physiological Society
2019	Honorary Member, The Royal Academy of Medicine of Spain

A list of selected Publications

Organization of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes and allelic deletion model.  Honjo, T. and Kataoka, T.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75 2140-2144 (1978)

Deletion of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes from expressed allelic chromosome. Yaoita, Y. and Honjo, T.  Nature 286 850-853 (1980)

Induced expression of PD-1, a novel member of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily, upon programmed cell death. Ishida, Y., Agata, Y., Shibahara, K., and Honjo, T.  EMBO J. 11,  3887-3895  (1992)

Development of lupus-like autoimmune diseases by disruption of the PD-1 gene encoding an ITIM motif-carrying immunoreceptor. Nishimura, H., Nose, M., Hiai, H., Minato, N. and Honjo, T. Immunity 11 141-151 (1999)

Class switch recombination and hypermutation require activation- induced cytidine deaminase (AID), a potential RNA editing enzyme. Muramatsu, M., Kinoshita, K., Fagarasan, S., Yamada, S., Shinkai, Y. and Honjo, T.  Cell 102 553-563 (2000)

Tanaka, Y., Nakatani, K., Hara, M., Matsumori, A., Sasayama, S., Mizoguchi, A., Hiai, H., Minato, N. and Honjo, T.  Science 291 319-322 (2001)

Involvement of PD-L1 on tumor cells in the escape from host immune system and tumor immunotherapy by PD-L1 blockade. Iwai, Y., Ishida, M., Tanaka, Y., Okazaki, T., Honjo, T. and Minato, N. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99 12293-12297 (2002)

PD-1 blockade inhibits hematogenous spread of poorly immunogenic tumor cells by enhanced recruitment of effector T cells. Iwai, Y., Terawaki, S. and Honjo, T. Immunol. 17 133-144 (2005)

Decrease in topoisomerase I is responsible for AID-dependent somatic hypermutation. Kobayashi, M., Sabouri, Z., Sabouri, S., Kitawaki, Y., Pommier, Y., Abe, T., Kiyonari, H. and Honjo, T.  Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108 19305-19310 (2011)

Mitochondrial activation chemicals synergize with surface receptor PD-1 blockade for T cell-dependent antitumor activity. Chamoto, K., Chowdhury, P. S., Kumar, A., Sonomura, K., Matsuda, F., Fagarasan, S. and Honjo, T. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., January 31;114(5) E761-E770, 2017 (2017)