Cancer is the leading cause of death in Japan, affecting one million people annually. Recent advances in medical technology, especially with the development of antibody drugs against immune check molecules such as PD-L1/PD-1, have changed cancer from an incurable disease to a curable disease. However, it still remains a major threat to human health, with an average five-year survival rate of around 60% and 370,000 deaths per year.
Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunity is an industry-academia collaboration project launched as a successor to the DSK project started in 2011, focusing on stromal cells infiltrating cancer tissues in collaboration with Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (formerly Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.). Based on this knowledge, we aim to develop and create original and innovative anti-cancer drugs and diagnostic/therapeutic methods.