Associate Professor Osamu Kikuchi
We are at the forefront of pioneering research and development in new molecular targeted therapies and immunotherapies that focus on the vulnerabilities arising from genetic alterations in cancer cells (such as KRAS, TP53, etc.). Our mission is to develop effective and safe treatments tailored to individual patients, with the aim of curing intractable cancers, such as unresectable gastrointestinal cancers.
Research and Education
The genetic changes that drive cellular carcinogenesis are diverse and complex. However, recent advances in comprehensive genetic analysis have shed light on their frequency, mechanisms of action, and significance. Our laboratory is dedicated to developing treatments that have a significant impact on cancer cells with minimizing effects on normal cells. We focus on developing therapies that specifically target genetic alterations found in cancer cells.
In particular, we investigate the functions of “oncogenes” such as KRAS and “tumor suppressor genes” like TP53, exploring and validating the efficacy and safety of inhibitors targeting proteins associated with these genes. We conduct our research by using cancer and normal cells derived from humans and mice, combined with various gene editing and screening technologies.
Synthetic lethality targeting p53 mutation
Lab members
Recet Publications
- Nguyen Vu, T. H., Kikuchi, O., Ohashi, S., Saito, T., Ida, T., Nakai, Y., Cao, Y., Yamamoto, Y., Kondo, Y., Mitani, Y., Kataoka, S., Kondo, T., Katada, C., Yamada, A., Matsubara, J., & Muto, M. (2023). Combination therapy with WEE1 inhibition and trifluridine/tipiracil against esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Sci, 114(12), 4664-4676. https://doi.org/10.1111/cas.15966
- Jo, N., Hidaka, Y., Kikuchi, O., Fukahori, M., Sawada, T., Aoki, M., Yamamoto, M., Nagao, M., Morita, S., Nakajima, T., Muto, M., & Hamazaki, Y. (2023). Impaired CD4+ T cell response in older adults is associated with reduced immunogenicity and reactogenicity of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Nature Aging, 3(1), 82-92. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-022-00343-4
- Li, T., Kikuchi, O., Zhou, J., Wang, Y., Pokharel, B., Bastl, K., Gokhale, P., Knott, A., Zhang, Y., Doench, J. G., Ho, Z. V., Catenacci, D. V., & Bass, A. J. (2023). Developing SHP2-based combination therapy for KRAS-amplified cancer. JCI Insight, 8(3), e152714. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.152714
- Sethi, N. S., Kikuchi, O., Duronio, G. N., Stachler, M. D., McFarland, J. M., Ferrer-Luna, R., Zhang, Y., Bao, C., Bronson, R., Patil, D., Sanchez-Vega, F., Liu, J. B., Sicinska, E., Lazaro, J. B., Ligon, K. L., Beroukhim, R., & Bass, A. J. (2020). Early TP53 alterations engage environmental exposures to promote gastric premalignancy in an integrative mouse model. Nat Genet, 52(2), 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0574-9
- Nagaraja, A. K., Kikuchi, O., & Bass, A. J. (2019). Genomics and Targeted Therapies in Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Discov, 9(12), 1656-1672.
Laboratory
Associate Professor：Osamu Kikuchi
Program-specific Researcher: Bayarbat Tsevegjav