A recent study from Northwestern Medicine, published in Science Advances, in July 2025, suggests a new way to improve treatment for aggressive cancers driven by the MYC oncogene, which is involved in over half of human cancers, including prostate cancer.
Researchers found that combining a MYC inhibitor drug called MYCi975, developed at Northwestern, with metformin, a common diabetes medication, could make cancer cells more vulnerable by disrupting their energy supply.

The study used a genome-wide CRISPR screen in prostate cancer cell lines to identify genes that, when disabled, increased sensitivity to MYCi975. Unexpectedly, genes related to mitochondrial complex I, which helps cells produce energy, emerged as key targets.
When MYCi975 was used, cancer cells tried to compensate by boosting these genes, but adding metformin blocked this process, causing the cells to collapse under metabolic stress.

The findings indicate that tumors with low levels of these mitochondrial genes may respond better to this combination, potentially serving as a marker for doctors to select patients most likely to benefit. The approach was tested in preclinical models, showing promise, but further studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness in humans. This combination strategy could offer a new path for treating MYC-driven cancers, though clinical trials will be essential to determine its real-world impact.

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