2 Japanese Universities Begin Clinical Trial to Treat Cervical Cancer with iPS Cells; New Therapy Has Potential to Help When Conventional Treatment is Ineffective

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:46 JST, February 8, 2025

A team of researchers from Juntendo University and the Institute of Science Tokyo has started a clinical trial for a new immunotherapy treatment for cervical cancer. The treatment combines induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and gene manipulation technology.

The 12 patients in the clinical trial are those whose cervical cancers have returned, suggesting their cancers are resistant to conventional treatment methods.

Juntendo University Prof. Miki Ando, an expert in hematology, heads the team. They first extract killer T cells, which are a type of immune cells, from healthy people and use them to produce iPS cells.

The team then uses gene editing technology to modify the genes of the iPS cells to prevent them from causing rejection symptoms, after which the iPS cells are turned back into killer T cells.

Through this process, a large number of killer T cells are produced and injected into the patients’ bodies in an effort to eliminate their cancer cells.

The clinical trial is scheduled to continue at Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo until the end of 2028. The team will primarily focus on confirming the safety of the new treatment method.

Cervical cancer kills about 3,000 women in Japan annually. If the disease progresses or recurs, conventional treatment methods such as surgery and radiation therapy become less effective.

The team said cancer patients have a low number of killer T cells, usually too few to eliminate recurring or treatment-resistant cancers.