The focus upon preclinical assets - while hugely relevant - can...

The focus upon preclinical assets - while hugely relevant - can nonetheless be overemphasised. Preclinical assets are a dime a dozen without a clinically and commercially validated target. Better still, would be a target which is relevant in 7-out-0f-10 cancers but which is otherwise thought to be undruggable.

Hopkins notes in the Boulder Peptide Symposium presentation that "peptides are conferred with a natural advantage for targeting PPI's in the intracellular space".

Further, Hopkins notes that Myc is a perfect play for protein-protein interactions. The question is why?

We might find some answers by studying the work of Laura Soucek and her team. There is a body of work on the mechanism of action for OmoMyc which provides clues on targeting Myc for drug development. It appears that OmoMyc destroys some protein interactions while keeping others intact which appears to switch Myc from a pro-oncogenic to tumor suppressive state.

Myc is one of the Grand Challenges which has defeated all comers over several decades. To borrow from Churchill its a 'riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key'.

Indeed perhaps there is a key and if Phylogica hold the key to a clinically and commercially validated target then the wait for pre-clinical candidates will be all worthwhile.