UBC Faculty Research and Publications

Development of VPC-70619, a Small-Molecule N-Myc Inhibitor as a Potential Therapy for Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Ton, Anh-Tien; Foo, Jane; Singh, Kriti; Lee, Joseph; Kalyta, Anastasia; Morin, Helene; Perez, Carl; Ban, Fuqiang; Leblanc, Eric; Lallous, Nada; et al.

Abstract

The Myc family of transcription factors are involved in the development and progression of numerous cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). Under the pressure of androgen receptor (AR)-directed therapies resistance can occur, leading to the lethal form of PCa known as neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), characterized among other features by N-Myc overexpression. There are no clinically approved treatments for NEPC, translating into poor patient prognosis and survival. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop novel therapeutic avenues to treat NEPC patients. In this study, we investigate the N-Myc-Max DNA binding domain (DBD) as a potential target for small molecule inhibitors and utilize computer-aided drug design (CADD) approaches to discover prospective hits. Through further exploration and optimization, a compound, VPC-70619, was identified with notable anti-N-Myc potency and strong antiproliferative activity against numerous N-Myc expressing cell lines, including those representing NEPC.

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CC BY 4.0