Here's how Omomyc, the new anti-cancer drug, works

It cost him over twenty years of work. But the biologist Laura Soucek, Vall d'Hebron Oncology Institute (VHIO), finally has a drug capable of inactivating the protein MYC in the nucleus of cancer cells that fulfills all the conditions to be able to start testing people. In mice with Cancer of the lung, the experimental drug Omomyc treated the disease more effectively and fewer side effects than other treatments. Soucek expects Omomyc to be effective in improving the treatment of most cancers.

This hope is based on the fact that Omomyc inactivates the MYC protein, one of the key keys that governs cell multiplication. In healthy tissues, MYC facilitates the correct multiplication of cells. But in cancer, MYC is hyperactive, leading to an uncontrolled multiplication of cells.

To promote cell multiplication, MYC must be attached to the DNA in the nucleus of the cells. Once attached to DNA, it activates a large number of genes involved in cell division. But MYC needs help to examine the DNA. Specifically, you must join another protein called MAX.

Cellular decontrol

The MYC protein, one of the main keys that governs cell multiplication, becomes uncontrollable in cancer

This is only when MYC and MAX are together that they can be attached to the DNA using a fragment of MYC and another of MAX as hooks.

The Omomyc drug makes sure to bind like a piece of lego to the same part of the MYC protein that MAX binds to. This blocks the points of union between MYC and MAX. From that moment, MYC can no longer fix itself on the DNA because it lacks one of the hooks it needed to do it. And by preventing the union between MYC and DNA, the drug Omomyc prevents cancer cells from continuing to proliferate.

Clinical tests

It is planned to start testing on people in 2020 after the drug has been effective and safe for animal testing.

according to results presented in the journal Translational medicine science
it has been shown that the drug is able to access the interior of cells, block MYC activity and improve the treatment of lung cancer mice without appreciable side effects.

"The next step will be treatment in patients," says Laura Soucek. The start of clinical trials is scheduled next year at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital.