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Kazuto Tajiri

Bio: Kazuto Tajiri is an academic researcher from University of Toyama. The author has contributed to research in topics: Hepatocellular carcinoma & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 23, co-authored 96 publications receiving 1831 citations.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: ALBI grade is a useful and easy classification system for assessment of hepatic function for therapeutic decision making and prognosis based on ALBI grade/ALBI-T score was better than that based on liver damage/modified JIS score and Child-Pugh/JIS score.
Abstract: Aim/Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of 3 classifications for assessing liver function, the liver damage and Child-Pugh classifi

2,468 citations

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TL;DR: A unique method for detecting individual ASCs using microwell array chips is presented, which enables the analysis of live cells on a single-cell basis and offers a rapid, efficient and high-throughput system for identifying and recovering objective ASCs.
Abstract: Antigen-specific human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are key candidates for therapeutic agents. However, the availability of a suitable screening system for antigen-specific antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) is limited in humans. Here we present a unique method for detecting individual ASCs using microwell array chips, which enables the analysis of live cells on a single-cell basis and offers a rapid, efficient and high-throughput (up to 234,000 individual cells) system for identifying and recovering objective ASCs. We applied the system to detect and retrieve ASCs for hepatitis B virus and influenza viruses from human peripheral blood lymphocytes and produced human mAbs with virus-neutralizing activities within a week. Furthermore, we show that the system is useful for detecting ASCs for multiple antigens as well as for selection of ASCs secreting high-affinity antibodies on a chip. Our method can open the way for the generation of therapeutic antibodies for individual patients.

254 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: As DILI patients may show resolution of liver injury without discontinuation of the drug, it should be carefully evaluated whether the suspected drug should be discontinued immediately with adequate consideration of the importance of the medication.
Abstract: The spectrum of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is both diverse and complex. The first step in diagnosis is a suspicion of DILI based on careful consideration of recent comprehensive reports on the disease. There are some situations in which the suspicion of DILI is particularly strong. Exclusion of other possible etiologies according to the pattern of liver injury is essential for the diagnosis. In patients with suspected DILI, diagnostic scales, such as the Councils for International Organizations of Medical Sciences/Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (CIOMS/RUCAM) scale, may be helpful for the final diagnosis. Early management of DILI involves prompt withdrawal of the drug suspected of being responsible, according to serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (T-Bil). However, as DILI patients may show resolution of liver injury without discontinuation of the drug, it should be carefully evaluated whether the suspected drug should be discontinued immediately with adequate consideration of the importance of the medication.

160 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A highly integrated live‐cell microarray system for analyzing the cellular responses of individual cells using a microwell array chip that has 234,000 microwells each of which is just large enough to fit a single cell.
Abstract: Following genomics and proteomics, cytomics, a novel method of looking at life, has emerged for analyzing large populations of cells on a single-cell basis with multiple parameters in a quantitative manner. We have developed a highly integrated live-cell microarray system for analyzing the cellular responses of individual cells using a microwell array chip that has 234,000 microwells each of which is just large enough to fit a single cell. Compared with flow cytometry and microscope-based methods, our system can analyze the history of the cellular responses of a large number of cells. We have successfully applied the system to analyze human antigen-specific B-cells and produced human monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) against hepatitis B virus surface antigen. We have also constructed a mouse system to assess hepatitis B virus-neutralization activity and have demonstrated the neutralization activity of our antibodies. Our technology should expand the horizons of cell analysis as well as enable generation of human MoAb for antibody-based therapeutics and diagnosis for infectious diseases such as hepatitis viruses.

136 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Appropriate factors indicating newly developed lenvatinib treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u‐HCC) by investigating real‐world clinical features of patients are assessed.
Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIM We assessed suitable factors indicating newly developed lenvatinib (LEN) treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) by investigating real-world clinical features of patients. MATERIALS/METHODS One hundred fifty two u-HCC patients, who receive LEN treatment from March to December 2018, were enrolled. (Child-Pugh score [CPS] 5/6/7/8 = 76/61/13/2, modified albumin-bilirubin grade [mALBI] 1/2a/2b/3 = 53/35/60/4). Clinical features were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS Overall-response rate (ORR)/disease control rate (DCR) at 1 month after starting LEN were 38.7%/86.0%, respectively. Estimated median time to progression (TTP) was 7.0 months, while median survival time was not reached within the observation period. CPS (≥7) and past history of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) were not significant prognostic factors. mALBI ≥2b was an only significant prognostic factor (HR 4.632, 95%CI 1.649-13.02, P = 0.004) in Cox-hazard multivariate analysis. In patients with Child-Pugh A, c-index/Akaike's information criterion (AIC) of prognostic predictive value of mALBI were superior to CPS (0.682/135.6 vs 0.652/138.7), while those of stopping LEN also showed that mALBI was better (0.575/447.3 vs 0.562/447.8). Additional analysis of patients with good mALBI (1/2a) revealed that time to stopping LEN was significantly shorter in those with the adverse event (AE) of appetite loss (any grade) than those without (P = 0.006) and body mass index (BMI) was also lower in patients with that AE (20.3 ± 3.0 vs 23.6 ± 4.0kg/m2 , P < 0.001), while patients with a hand-foot skin reaction (any grade) showed good ORR/DCR (59.1%/86.4%) and longer TTP as compared to patients without (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION Good hepatic function (mALBI 1/2a) is the best indication for LEN, while potential appetite loss in association with low BMI should be kept in mind in such cases.

125 citations


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TL;DR: The preeminent antibody engineering technologies used in the development of therapeutic antibody drugs, such as humanization of monoclonal antibodies, phage display, the human antibody mouse, single B cell antibody technology, and affinity maturation are outlined.
Abstract: It has been more than three decades since the first monoclonal antibody was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) in 1986, and during this time, antibody engineering has dramatically evolved. Current antibody drugs have increasingly fewer adverse effects due to their high specificity. As a result, therapeutic antibodies have become the predominant class of new drugs developed in recent years. Over the past five years, antibodies have become the best-selling drugs in the pharmaceutical market, and in 2018, eight of the top ten bestselling drugs worldwide were biologics. The global therapeutic monoclonal antibody market was valued at approximately US$115.2 billion in 2018 and is expected to generate revenue of $150 billion by the end of 2019 and $300 billion by 2025. Thus, the market for therapeutic antibody drugs has experienced explosive growth as new drugs have been approved for treating various human diseases, including many cancers, autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases. As of December 2019, 79 therapeutic mAbs have been approved by the US FDA, but there is still significant growth potential. This review summarizes the latest market trends and outlines the preeminent antibody engineering technologies used in the development of therapeutic antibody drugs, such as humanization of monoclonal antibodies, phage display, the human antibody mouse, single B cell antibody technology, and affinity maturation. Finally, future applications and perspectives are also discussed.

1,025 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: The latest advances in hepatology were presented in oral and poster presentations, focused on treatments for viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, and recurrent viral disease following liver transplant.
Abstract: The latest advances in hepatology were presented in oral and poster presentations. In order to cover the varying subspecialties, the sessions were divided into various sections including 'Acute Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Support', 'Biliary Tract and Immunologic Liver Diseases', 'Cellular and Molecular Biology', 'Clinical and Experimental Hepatobiliary Surgery', 'Hepatotoxicity and Cell Death', 'Transport and Biliary Physiology', 'Viral Hepatitis', 'Evaluation and Treatment of Biliary Disease', 'Necrosis/Apoptosis', 'Portal Hypertension', 'Blood Flow and Vascular Disorders of Cirrhosis', 'Liver Transplantation', 'Fibrogenesis', 'Hepatocellular Carcinoma', 'Metabolism and Genetic Disease', and 'Public Policy, Epidemiology and Decision Analysis'. Drug therapy focused on treatments for viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, and recurrent viral disease following liver transplant. High dose interferon therapy or various combinations of interferon/ribavirin (ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc) therapy seem to offer the best current therapy for chronic HCV. PEGylated interferon (F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd) offers hope for treatment and histologic improvement in patients with chronic HCV. Following liver transplantation, combination interferon/ribavirin therapy may also find success, but caution with new potent immunosuppressant monoclonal antibodies is advised. For HBV, intramuscular H-BIG (NABI) appears to be effective and less costly than iv H-BIG administration following liver transplantation. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation may hold promise over conventional ethanol injection therapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma. Autoimmune hepatitis may respond to tacrolimus therapy whereas budesonide therapy did not provide any advantage to prednisone therapy. For primary biliary cirrhosis, eicosapentate and ursodeoxycholic acid may provide benefit to some patients while silymarin from milk thistle did not provide any additional benefit. In primary sclerosing cholangitis, high dose ursodeoxycholic acid may provide benefit. Ursodeoxycholic acid may also provide benefit for mothers with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy by decreasing pruritus, lowering laboratory values and allowing deliveries to occur closer to term.

977 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Forner et al. as mentioned in this paper discussed the critical insight and expert knowledge that are required to make clinical decisions for individual patients, considering all of the parameters that must be considered to deliver personalised clinical management.

774 citations