• The BBVA Foundation backs research aimed at preclinically validating recently reported findings that established Omomyc as a potential weapon against cancer. Omomyc inhibits Myc – a protein causing cells to proliferate out of control in most, if not all, tumor types.
• The recipients of the five BBVA Foundation Grants which support innovative proposals in biomedicine at basic, translational or clinical level, were officially announced yesterday. Indicating the high level competition, this year´s Call attracted a total of 324 different proposals.
Barcelona, 09 October 2015.- Laura Soucek, Principal Investigator of VHIO´s Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group and ICREA Professor, has just been announced as one of the five BBVA Foundation Grant recipients for her group´s research exploring the Validation of an innovative anti-Myc therapy in glioblastoma.
Selection criteria centered on the novelty of each proposal, the potential to further advance insights into biomedical research, as well as the potential application to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.
Amounting to 150.000 EUR across two years, the Grant will enable Laura and her team to validate the Omomyc peptide as an anti-Myc therapy in mice through the transplantation of tumor samples from patients with glioblastoma. Their research will also aim at achieving a better understanding of the molecular machinery that renders Myc inhibition with Omomyc particularly effective in glioblastoma.
Laura´s group has focused on establishing the therapeutic relevance of the Myc inhibitor Omomyc, that they themselves designed. Myc is a protein that plays an important role in the regulation of gene transcription and is implicated in the development and maintenance of most cancer types. Furthermore, the majority of glioblastomas – primary tumors of the central nervous system – express elevated levels of Myc. Up until now, Laura and her team have studied Omomyc in transgenic mouse models and were able to establish Omomyc as an effective therapy across many tumor types, with minimum side effects.
Omomyc´s ability to penetrate cells coupled with its possible intranasal drug delivery, place it as a potential breakthrough anti-cancer therapy, particularly in glioblastoma.
###
For more information:
Amanda Wren · Director of Communications, the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) · Tel. +34 695 207 886 awren@vhio.net
