Molecular background
of Cell Cycle Profiling

Cancer cells proliferate perpetually. Normally the cell-proliferating potential is strictly controlled by a mechanism called the cell cycle. However, cells that have become cancerous are believed to develop some abnormality in their cell multiplication mechanism, and multiply indefinitely. By properly understanding the state of the cell cycle, we can obtain crucial information needed for treatment, such as the recurrence risk and drug sensitivity, which until now could not be assessed correctly.

Cell cycle profiling technology analyses the expression and activity of cell cycle-related proteins, known as the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). These are then used to characterize the cancer. We are pursuing the development of prediction systems for cancer recurrence and anti-cancer drug sensitivity, which use this technology.