MYC as a therapeutic target for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer: preclinical investigations with the novel MYC inhibitor, MYCi975

Background MYC is one of the most frequently altered driver genes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The aim of this study was to evaluate targeting MYC for the treatment of TNBC. Methods The anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of the recently discovered MYC inhibitor, MYCi975 were investigated in a panel of 14 breast cancer cell lines representing the main molecular forms of breast cancer. Results IC50 values for growth inhibition by MYCi975 varied from 2.49 to 7.73 µM. Response was inversely related to endogenous MYC levels as measured by western blotting ( p = 0.047, r = − 0.5385) or ELISA ( p = 0.001, r = − 0.767), i.e., response to MYCi975 decreased as endogenous MYC levels increased. MYCi975 also induced variable levels of apoptosis across the panel of cell lines, ranging from no detectable induction to 80% induction. Inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis were greater in TNBC than in non-TNBC cell lines ( p = 0.041 and p = 0.001, respectively). Finally, combined treatment with MYCi975 and either paclitaxel or doxorubicin resulted in enhanced cell growth inhibition. Discussion Our findings open the possibility of targeting MYC for the treatment of TNBC. Based on our results, we suggest that trials use a combination of MYCi975 and either docetaxel or doxorubicin and include MYC as a putative therapy predictive biomarker.