Closing in on Myc inhibition: a marathon sprint finish?

Published today in the Journal of Cell Biology, a Perspective article* co-authored by VHIO’s Laura Soucek and Jonathan R. Whitfield revisit the long and often rocky road in bringing a Myc inhibitor closer to the clinic. Alongside other faithful ‘believers’, researchers and experts belonging to the Myc inhibition world, the last leg of this challenging yet rewarding journey might be on the horizon.

“We have come a long way to get to this point, with many twists and unexpected turns. A voyage which we have been fortunate to navigate alongside many other expert teams, investigators at biotech and pharmaceutical companies. For around two decades, the Myc research community has sought to bring a Myc inhibitor to the clinic to potentially revolutionize cancer treatment and become applicable to multiple tumor types,” noted Jonathan R. Whitfield, Senior Investigator of Laura Soucek’s Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group at VHIO, and co-author of this review.

In thisPerspective, the authors share their personal views and hopes for the future, as well as celebrate the scientific breakthroughs and multiple strategies that have been developed so far to target Myc. They salute the extraordinary efforts of all the researchers focused on developing treatment for a target long deemed ‘undruggable’. The final haul towards a first Myc inhibitor in the clinic? Based on this present review, inhibiting one of the most wanted targets in cancer therapy could finally be within reach.

“For the sceptics, this assertion might raise a few eyebrows. But if, for example, our Omomyc cell-penetrating mini-protein, designed and developed by my own Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group and Peptomyc S.L team, can deliver on the same promise in patients as it did in mouse models, we will hopefully succeed in making our Omomyc mini-protein (OMO-103) the first ever clinically viable and direct inhibitor of Myc,” concluded Laura Soucek, an ICREA Research Professor, co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VHIO-born spin-off Peptomyc S.L.

Reference:

Jonathan R. Whitfield, Laura Soucek; The long journey to bring a Myc inhibitor to the clinic. J Cell Biol 2 August 2021; 220 (8): e202103090. doi: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202103090