Ann: NHMRC Grant Awarded to Collaborators, page-8

The collaboration announced today will “further develop (novel reagents that specifically target Myc plus Bcl-2) and evaluate their ability to preclinically treat blood cancer”.

The following points are drawn from an article about current challenges and novel treatment strategies in double hit lymphomas which was authored by researchers from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research* and published earlier this year.

• High-grade B-cell lymphomas with recurrent chromosomal break points resulting in activation of two or more oncogenes are known as ‘double hit lymphoma’ (DHL).
• The most commonly seen DHL is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in which both MYC and BCL2 are overexpressed.
• BCL2⁺/MYC⁺ DHL accounts for 60–90% of all DHL.
• The combined effect of overexpression of MYC (increased proliferation) and BCL2 (reduced apoptosis) results in the ‘perfect storm’ of oncogenesis resulting in aggressive difficult to treat malignancies.
• Prognosis for BCL2⁺/MYC⁺ DHL is poor. One study demonstrated 2-year survival of 23% in MYC⁺/BCL2⁺, compared with 65% in MYC⁺/BCL2^-, 81% in MYC^-/BCL2⁺ and 84% in MYC^-/BCL2^- lymphomas [Niitsu et al. 2009].
• Targeting both BCL2 and MYC in DHL is considered one of the “Holy Grails” of cancer.

I wonder if there might be plans for further collaborations to combine PYC’s iMYC+FPP with other existing or novel drugs which target alternative cancer pathways. For example, one suggestion I have seen  for a novel cancer therapy is to combine a MYC-targeting agent with an anti-miRNA Oligonucleotide.

*Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research receives research funding and milestone payments from AbbVie and Genentech, which have collaborated to develop venetoclax, a BCL2 inhibitor based on research by scientists at the Institute.  Venetoclax was approved by the FDA in April this year for the treatment of people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with 17p deletion who have received at least one prior treatment. AbbVie and Genentech have the potential to test venetoclax in combination with a large roster of approved and experimental anti-cancer agents. A spokesperson for Genentech said the company was looking at the science to see what the best combinations will be.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4713886/

http://www.wehi.edu.au/news/australian-protein-discovery-leads-tablet-melts-away-blood-cancer

https://hotcopper.com.au/threads/ne...491505/page-137?post_id=16644006#.WETyIPl96Uk