MINI REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cancer Cell Biology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1601975
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Cancer Therapeutics: Targeting Oncogenic Proteins for Drug DiscoveryView all articles
Rethinking MYC Inhibition: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Overcome Cancer's Master Regulator
Provisionally accepted
- 1Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, China
- 2Qingdao Preschool Techers’ School, qingdao, China
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MYC, a master regulator in oncogenesis, has long been deemed "undruggable" due to its intrinsically disordered structure. However, recent advances are overturning this view, with direct inhibitors like Omomyc (OMO-103) and PROTAC-based degraders such as WBC100 showing promising clinical progress. Complementary strategies-including BET and CDK9 inhibitors, RNA-based therapeutics, nanobodies, and engineered proteases-are expanding the therapeutic landscape. Despite challenges in specificity, toxicity, and delivery, these innovations underscore MYC's emerging druggability. Moreover, combination therapies integrating MYC inhibitors with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy demonstrate synergistic potential. This article advocates for a multi-dimensional, biomarker-guided approach to MYC targeting, emphasizing rational drug combinations and continued innovation to overcome resistance and improve outcomes in MYC-driven cancers.
Keywords: MYC inhibition, cancer therapy, Direct MYC Targeting, Indirect MYC Targeting, Combination therapies
Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yu, Liu, Yuan, Sun and Su. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jing Yu, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.