Telomelysinの紹介
Hello everyone, SCIENSPOT is a podcast that shines a spotlight on the latest scientific
technology from Japan. Your host is REN from SCIEN-TALK.
Today I have some news from the world of medicine. Imagine a virus that doesn't make
you sick, but instead hurts down and dissolves the cancer cells.
On December 15, 2025, a Japanese biotech company, Oncologist BioPharma, originating from Okayama
University, filed for approval of a new cancer drug called Telomelysin. This research was
led by Professor Fujiwara and Associate Professor Kuroda at Okayama University. If approved,
this will be the world's first oncolytic virus therapy specifically for esophageal
cancer.
Esophageal cancer is difficult to treat. Standard surgery is very invasive and stressful for
the body. Many elderly patients or those with heart or lung problems simply cannot
undergo such major surgery. For these patients, registration therapy is often used, but the
cancer frequently comes back. The goal of this new drug is to provide a cure without
surgery.
So how does Telomelysin work? It's a genetically modified adenovirus, basically a modified
cold virus, but it has a special trick. This research utilizes a specific enzyme called
telomerase. Cancer cells telomerase to become immortal and keep dividing. Normal cells do
not usually have this enzyme active. The team inserted a genetic switch called the H-third
promoter into the virus. Think of it as a lock and key system. When the virus enters
a normal cell, there is no key. So the virus does nothing. It sleeps. But when it enters
a cancer cell, the key is present. The virus wakes up, replicates 10,000 to a million times
テロメライシンの臨床試験
and physically bursts the cancer cells from the inside. This is called oncolysis.
And the clinical trial results is that in phase 2 clinical trial involved 37 patients
with esophageal cancer who were unsuitable for standard surgery or chemotherapy. Doctors
injected telomelysin directly into the tumor using an endoscope while the patients
underwent radiation therapy. The results were impressive. The local complete response
rate, meaning the cancer completely disappeared from the site, reached 50% after 18 months.
Comparing this to historical data where radiation alone only cleared the cancer in about 20 to
30% of cases, this is a significant improvement. Why is it so effective with radiation? The
virus not only kills the cell but also prevents the cancer cell from repairing its DNA after
being hit by radiation. It stops the cancer from healing itself. To sum up, telomelysin
represents a new era of gentle cancer treatment. By combining Japanese academic innovation
with biotechnology, we are seeing a virus that turns from a foe into a friend in the
fight against cancer. Approval is expected around mid-2026. This could be a lifesaver
for many patients who have run out of options.
ポッドキャストの締めくくり
So that's all for today's science pod. This is our last episode of 2025. Thank you all
so much for listening this year. As you know, this is a pretty niche podcast dedicated to
introducing Japanese research. My English is still a work in progress but I hope you've
found value in the content. I'm never quite sure if I'm getting my point across perfectly
but I really enjoy sharing these stories. I hope I was able to convey the nuances of
the news. Going forward, I wanted to keep expanding my interest and continue learning.
Thank you for a great year and I wish you all a happy new year.
