Sanford Burnham Prebys researchers identify MYC cancer control hub

Research teams led by Dr. Anindya Bagchi at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have published two back-to-back studies in the journal Genes & Development that identify a regulatory hub for the MYC gene. The MYC gene is a master regulator of cell growth and metabolism, and its deregulation is implicated in more than half of all human cancer cases, driving aggressive and treatment-resistant tumors.

Historically, the MYC protein has been classified as ‘undruggable’ because it lacks the binding pockets required for traditional small-molecule drugs. The new research focuses on the PVT1 locus, a region adjacent to MYC on human chromosome 8q24. The studies reveal that PVT1 acts as an active regulatory hub that encodes two novel proteins essential for enabling MYC activity in cancer cells.