Masato Yamamoto

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Credentials

MD, PhD

Research Summary

Cancer gene therapy with Adenovirus Vector Conditionally replicative adenovirus for the treatment of cancer Non-invasive in vivo molecular imaging Gene therapy of gastrointestinal diseases, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and multiple myeloma Cancer gene-therapy and virotherapy Our goal is to develop clinically usable gene-/viro-therapy modalities for solid tumors, e.g. GI cancers including pancreatic cancer. Our group has been developing cancer therapeutics with adenovirus as gene delivery tool. Current gene therapy modalities for cancer have not achieved the expected therapeutic efficiency due to disease related obstacles. Our lab is developing advanced version of adenovirus vectors and oncolytic adenoviruses by employing virological advance. We perform extensive vector engineering and produce the viruses/vectors to overcome the issues impeding clinical realization of this kind of therapeutics. Recent advances include 1) Development of adenovirus targeting ligand library and its application to the targeted delivery upon systemic administration, 2) Theranostics enables tumor imaging and tumor selective radiotherapy employing sodium-iodine symporter, 3) Combination viro-therapy with INF-alpha expressing oncolytic adenovirus and chemoradiation, 4) Development of cancer stem cell targeted oncolytic adenovirus.