What is the MYC gene? How are genetic changes in the MYC family of genes associated with cancer? Can MYC be a target for anti-cancer drugs?

The MYC gene is a family of genes that make proteins that regulate cell growth, cell death, and other cellular functions. The MYC gene is involved in many cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, and relapsed multiple myeloma.

Let's learn a bit more about the MYC gene. What is the MYC gene? There is a gene that's very important for controlling the way cells grow, which is called MYC. And it's, quite a common gene in cancers to, go awry. So to be expressed when it shouldn't be expressed, meaning that cells grow very, very quickly. And it's a gene that's quite commonly seen in, some of the brain cancers, but it's also seen in lymphoma.

In myeloma, it's not quite so common until the has, relapsed a few times, and then it can actually be very common. And those cells can grow incredibly quickly. And it gets expressed because there is a translocation. So a bit of chromosome eight goes onto a bit of chromosome 14. And those two things bring in those two things together means this gene goes up. And one of the reasons it's important is because we know that patients who have that problem, that cells grow incredibly quickly and often don't respond to many of our current treatments. And so we're very keen on trying to look at ways of decreasing the expression of MYC and killing those cells off.

Are there any therapies that can be used to overcome the MYC gene? Over the years we've tried lots of different ways to target MYC. Clearly some of the ways have been using traditional chemotherapy agents because we know that, they are very good at killing off cells that grow very quickly. But they cause lots of side effects. And so now what many of the studies are trying to do is to use this epigenetic therapy. And so rather than, which is where we try to stop the MYC gene and therefore the protein being expressed. Now, they're quite new therapies. And we don't 100% have, proof that they're going to work in the clinic, but they're a new way of trying to make sure that the gene doesn't get expressed. Therefore, the cell can't grow. The BET domain inhibitors.

To learn more about epigenetics, check out the HealthTree University lesson on epigenetics in the Basic Genetics and Tumor Biology course. MYC, MYC is everything. MYC is called the Universal Amplifier. It's a is a, you know, one of the oldest known oncogenes. And its function is to amplify whatever a cell is doing. And, often in a cancer cell that means proliferation. I think in myeloma it amplifies other things as well. Such as the ability to, to make, and secrete a lot of antibody. But it's really a, it's, it's a fundamental, gene in, in all the cell biology and all of cancer biology, unfortunately, it's not a gene that we can typically, target with the drug because it's located down in the nucleus. It's not an enzyme, but the kind of it is.

And so, I think we can however, maybe turn off the signals that turn it on. And one of the ways we do that is with, drugs like Revlimid, which, inhibit the gene called Ikaros. Ikaros is a critical component that turns on MYC in myeloma patients.

Is there a test that can tell if the MYC gene is turned on in a patient? The way to do it, the way I do it in my laboratory, is with next generation sequencing. You can identify that these changes. And, we're looking to see if that correlates with, response to therapy. Next generation sequencing. NGS is beginning to transform myeloma care, bringing advanced genetic insights to the clinic. Want to learn more? Check out the HealthTree University lesson on NGS in the Cytogenetics Testing in Myeloma course. To track your genetic profile, sign up for a HealthTree account. Once your medical records are connected, you can view your genetic profile by clicking the Track My Disease button on your dashboard. You can also find personalized treatment options and relevant clinical trials based on your profile. Click the link in the description to join today.