Tumor marker–guided precision BNCT for CA19-9–positive cancers: a new paradigm in molecularly targeted chemoradiation therapy
Malignancies with elevated CA19-9 expression, such as pancreatic, biliary, and ovarian cancers, are associated with poor prognosis and limited response to current therapies. This study presents a tumor marker-guided strategy for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) by leveraging CA19-9 glycan biology to enable selective tumor targeting via fucose-BSH, a novel boron compound. Through transcriptomic data mining and preclinical validation, fucose-BSH demonstrated LAT1-independent boron delivery, potent BNCT-mediated cytotoxicity, and tumor-specific accumulation in CA19-9-positive models. These findings support a precision chemoradiation approach that addresses a critical gap in BNCT applicability, offering a clinically actionable pathway for patient stratification and therapeutic development in CA19-9-expressing cancers.
Authors
- Takeshi Takarada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2363-7704)
- Kazuyoshi Gotoh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1042-8492)
- Yoshinori Sakurai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9404-4255)
- Noriyuki Kanehira
- Hiroyuki Michiue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9215-4888)
- Tatsunori Osone
- Kunitoshi Shigeyasu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1266-2875)
- Akira Morihara
- Tomoyuki Tajima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9078-7577)
- Mizuki Kitamatsu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8643-8238)
- Takuya Fujimoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2161-9526)
- Toshiyoshi Fujiwara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5377-6051)
- Fuminori Teraishi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5133-2644)
- Natsuko Kondo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0895-4581)
- Yutaka Takaguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7623-4725)
- Keiko Kamei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8846-7120)
- Minoru Suzuki
- Taiga Fujita
- Narikazu Nagahisa
Institutions
- Okayama University of Science (JP)
- Okayama University (JP)
- Kyoto University (JP)
- Okayama University Hospital (JP)
- University of Toyama (JP)
- Kindai University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Translational Medicine
- Published
- 2025-12-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-025-07349-7
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Boron Compounds in Chemistry
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.36
Funders
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science