Myc, a transcription factor known to drive many cancers in humans, has been successfully and safely inhibited for the first time by researchers in Barcelona, Spain.
The research team at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology presented their unpublished work at a recent conference on molecular targets and cancer therapeutics. In their abstract, they explained that their Phase 1 clinical trial of a drug called OMO-103, that targets Myc, suggests it is well tolerated in humans and may be an effective cancer treatment.
'Myc is one of the "most wanted" targets in cancer because it plays a key role in driving and maintaining many common human cancers, such as breast, prostate, lung, and ovarian cancer,' explained Dr Elena Garralda, who led the clinical trial. 'To date, no drug that inhibits Myc has been approved for clinical use.'
The Phase 1 trial included 22 patients with various types of advanced solid tumours. OMO-103 was administered intravenously once a week at a range of six doses, with the monitoring of toxicity ending after three weeks.
Over 95 percent of adverse effects reported were minor to moderate infusion related reactions, such as fever and nausea, with only one severe reaction observed. Higher doses were associated with more adverse effects. This suggests that OMO-103 is safe to use in patients.
'A major goal of modern cancer research is to identify and specifically target the processes and pathways that go wrong in cancer cells. This precision medicine approach prevents the side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy which can also affect normal cells in our bodies,' said Professor Lawrence Young, virologist, and professor of molecular oncology at Warwick University who was not involved in the study.
The researchers also took biopsies of the tumours at the beginning and end of the treatment, to assess levels of Myc gene activity. They found changes in a receptor called CD47, which is a target of Myc, as well as anti-tumour immune response markers. These were most pronounced in patients whose cancer had remained stable, or whose tumours had even shrunk.
Professor Young added, 'These are very exciting results, but it is still early days. More extensive clinical trials are now required to fully determine whether the observed effects can be replicated in a larger cohort of cancer patients.'
The work was presented at the 34th EORTC-NCI-AACR symposium on molecular targets and cancer therapeutics in Barcelona.
Sources and References
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Successful trial results of drug to inhibit common-cancer-causing gene
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Early hope for halting cancer-causing gene
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Results revealed from phase I clinical trial of the first drug to successfully inhibit the MYC gene, which drives many common cancers
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Omomyc as the first MYC-targeted therapy to successfully complete a phase I clinical trial
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