Project description
A novel cancer therapy penetrates cancer cell nuclei to reach their Achilles heel
Cancer is a complex family of diseases characterised by uncontrolled division and thus multiplication of abnormal cells. Although there are many differences, homing in on similarities could provide therapeutic targets for many types of cancer. MYC is a proto-oncogene, a normal gene that can contribute to cancer development when mutated. It appears to play a role in most types of human tumours. Peptomyc is a company that develops cell-penetrating peptides targeting the Myc oncoprotein coded by MYC for cancer treatment. OMO-103, its Myc inhibitor, has shown tremendous promise in killing lung cancer cells. EU funding of the MYCure project is supporting the company in securing partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to bring this potentially revolutionary cancer therapy to patients.
Objective
Cancer is a global challenge with 9 millions (M) deaths annually and new cases projected to rise by 70% in the 20 years, and there is a clear and pressing need for more effective therapies. In the EU, lung cancer is the most common cancer in men and the third most common in women, with 2 M new cases in 2018 accounting for ~20% of all cancer deaths. Despite considerable recent advances in lung cancer treatment, current treatments are still too often ineffective or highly toxic. Peptomyc is a unique biotech SME that is revolutionizing cancer treatment with its ground-breaking innovative cancer therapies inhibiting Myc. Our patented product OMO-103 is able to penetrate the nuclei, attack Myc and kill cancer cells. In contrast, most current therapies attack redundant cell surface receptors or proteins that can be compensated by tumours, which then evolve resistance. Our company combines scientific excellence with sound business acumen: our scientific leadership in Myc inhibition builds on 20 years of world-class scientific record, and in just 3 years after the foundation, we closed 2 rounds of equity investments with Venture Capitals. Peptomyc aims at licensing its technology to pharmaceutical companies. Financing through this SME Instrument project will enable us to take to the market our first product, OMO-103 by completing clinical trials and reach a licensing agreement with a pharmaceutical company for full scale production and commercialization. Our results so far show that OMO-103 is: Safer (no toxicity), More efficient (no resistance observed), and More effective (increased survival in lung cancer models). With MYCure, we will take to market our first-in-class Myc inhibitor OMO-103 to treat non-small cell lung cancer, for which the global market is expected to reach 14 bn € by 2023, a total addressable market of which OMO-103 is poised to gain considerable share of up to 15% by 2029 thanks to a sound business plan developed under the SME Instrument.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
08035 BARCELONA
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.