On February 12, 2020 AmorChem II is reported the funding of a new university project centered on c-Myc, a proto-oncogene involved in more than 50% of human cancers (Press release, Amorchem, FEB 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234554236]). The venture capital fund has signed an agreement with Univalor, the Montreal Clinical Research Institute ("IRCM") and McGill University to support the innovative work of the teams of Dr. Tarik Möröy and Dr. Nicolas Moitessier .
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According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the second largest cause of death in the world. The dysregulation of the oncoprotein c-Myc is a characteristic found in many cancers, notably medulloblastoma, colon cancer and leukemias. However, c-Myc is difficult to target because it does not contain a domain that can easily be reached by a therapeutic molecule. To date, none of the strategies attempted to modulate this target has been clinically successful.
"We were attracted by the innovative approach proposed by the team, namely targeting Miz-1, a c-Myc cofactor essential for its ability to regulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis. This approach seemed very intriguing to us and offers the potential to add a small molecule strategy in immunotherapy, thanks to the increasingly understood role of c-Myc in the biology of T lymphocytes ", says Kevin McBride, partner and chief scientist at AmorChem.
"The participation in KNOCK OUT TM 2019 by Dr. Tarik Möröy and Dr. Nicolas Moitessier convinced us that their respective expertise in molecular biology as well as in medicinal and computational chemistry offer the ideal combination of know-how to overcome the difficulties presented by this target, "explains Inès Holzbaur, managing partner at AmorChem.
"Beyond c-Myc, the platform developed within the framework of the project offers AmorChem the unique opportunity to develop other drugs based on POZ domains by targeting other important targets", adds Elizabeth Douville, managing partner at AmorChem.
"The participation of McGill University in this kind of research with high commercial potential is a major issue for our University," said Sylvain Coulombe, Assistant Vice-Principal, Innovation and Partnerships, McGill University. "Our priority will always be to enable our world-class research to produce innovations that can save lives. This collaboration allows us to be more ready to achieve this goal. "
"The IRCM values collaboration and we are convinced of the benefits of bringing together the best experts around a project. We are therefore delighted to receive the support of AmorChem for this promising collaborative project which aims to develop new therapeutic strategies for the future, "said Max Fehlmann, President and Scientific Director of the IRCM.
"The promotion of university research is not an easy exercise. It requires the involvement of several partners who must work around a common vision of maturation and thus take concerted actions to de-risk innovations and create commercial value. The collaboration between the IRCM, McGill University, Univalor and AmorChem is a very good example of such a partnership. Funding from AmorChem will thus enable the potential of the new platform developed by the teams of Professors Möröy and Moitessier to be validated and its commercial value to be demonstrated, "says Luc Paquet, President and CEO of Univalor.