Targeting Prostate and Breast Cancer with ODM-207: A Promising BET Inhibitor

The study explores the role of BET family proteins in cancer and the potential of a new inhibitor, ODM-207, in treating prostate and breast cancer. BET proteins are known to regulate genes that promote cell growth and survival in various cancers. The research investigates ODM-207's impact on cell lines from prostate and breast cancer, demonstrating its antitumor capabilities both in the lab and in animal models.

ODM-207 was found to have a significant antiproliferative effect on multiple types of cancer cells. It was particularly effective against prostate cancer cells that express the androgen receptor, such as VCaP and 22Rv1, by reducing the expression of c-Myc without affecting the wild-type androgen receptor. In a prostate cancer model with both full-length and splice variant V7 receptors, ODM-207 showed high efficacy in tumor suppression at doses that were well tolerated, outperforming enzalutamide.

In contrast, the inhibitor's effect on the estrogen-dependent breast cancer cell line MCF-7 was different, causing tumor growth inhibition but leading to a decrease in ERα levels while c-Myc levels were already low. This indicates that the impact of BET inhibition can vary depending on the cancer type.

Furthermore, ODM-207 induced potent antiproliferative effects in patient-derived breast cancer cells, leading to cell-cycle arrest and cellular senescence.

The findings suggest that ODM-207, with its favorable pharmacological properties and demonstrated antitumor activity, could be a promising therapeutic agent for prostate and breast cancer treatment. The research was presented at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research by Mari Björkman and colleagues.