Spotlight on New Therapeutic Opportunities for MYC-Driven Cancers

Abstract

MYC can be considered to be one of the most pressing and important targets for the development of novel anti-cancer therapies. This is due to its frequent dysregulation in tumors and due to the wide-ranging impact this dysregulation has on gene expression and cellular behavior. As a result, there have been numerous attempts to target MYC over the last few decades, both directly and indirectly, with mixed results. This article reviews the biology of MYC in the context of cancers and drug development. It discusses strategies aimed at targeting MYC directly, including those aimed at reducing its expression and blocking its function. In addition, the impact of MYC dysregulation on cellular biology is outlined, and how understanding this can underpin the development of approaches aimed at molecules and pathways regulated by MYC. In particular, the review focuses on the role that MYC plays in the regulation of metabolism, and the therapeutic avenues offered by inhibiting the metabolic pathways that are essential for the survival of MYC-transformed cells.

Keywords:

• MYC
• cancer
• inhibitor
• metabolism
• target
• therapeutics

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grant G-002148 from Barts Charity (JCR) and Core Service Grant at Barts Cancer Institute (Core Award C16420/A18066). The figures were created in Biorender.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.