February 5, 2021
Keio University School of Medicine
National Cancer Center
A research group led by Assistant Professor Toru Hiromi of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, and Mari Masuda, principal investigator at the Division of Cell Signaling and Collaborative Research Laboratory, National Cancer Center Research Institute, has discovered a molecular target for a new treatment for osteosarcoma, a malignant tumor that primarily occurs in the bones around the femur (thigh) and knee joint in children and adolescents. Through animal experiments using mice, this research group has revealed that the protein kinase TNIK (TRAF2 and NCK-interacting protein kinase) is frequently activated in osteosarcoma, and that TNIK inhibitors not only suppress the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells but also convert tumor cells into adipocytes (fat cells).
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the American journal "JCI Insight" on January 5, 2021 (U.S. Eastern Time).
Please see below for the full press release.