The woman who wants (and will try) to end cancer

The woman who wants (and will try) to end cancer

Laura Soucek does not stop receiving awards for Peptomyc, a 'spinoff' that seeks a global cure against cancer. In a year begins the trials of the treatment he devised by "intuition" while still studying

    Laura Soucek (Rome, 1973) is an Italian-trained biologist trained in the USA who has been working in Spain since 2011. Her entrepreneurial drive is almost as great as her goal: a global cure against non-toxic cancer. Science fiction? For her, no. The solidity of his project, materialized in his company Peptomyc , deserved the support of the European Institute for Innovation (EIT) and the public prize of the event held this year. Now, about to start clinical trials, faces the hour of truth terrified but with hope.

- Could you describe your research project?

- Since I was a Biology student, I decided to focus on cancer research. The reason is obvious: I do not know anyone who has not known this disease directly or through their loved ones and who does not dream of being able to end it. Science seemed to me the most effective tool to do it. When I was a student I read about a protein called Myc, which is found in all cells, but which is specifically necessary for cancer cells to survive and resist treatments. I thought about inhibiting it. They told me that I was crazy, that Myc could not be attacked, because it is a protein that is hidden in the nucleus of cells, a compartment that is very difficult to penetrate with drugs, and for fear of the side effects that inhibit it could have in the normal cells.

- She has both positions at the same time: principal investigator in VHIO and ICREA and general director of her company Peptomyc. As it does?

-The two things go together and complement each other. For me, the two races are part of the same objective and do not involve any conflict. Carrying both papers is a significant workload, but I am very excited.

-What has been the transition from the field of research to that of the company? Why did he make that leap?

-Deciding from being an entrepreneur was a big change compared to a scientific career. I had to learn business, market research, profits and losses, risks and intellectual property, all aspects very far from my career in Biology. It meant getting out of my comfort zone and exploring a new world. But, from the beginning, I understood that it was the best and most effective way to translate what I had been doing in the laboratory a long time ago into something tangible and practical for cancer patients. It is simply the logical consequence of my path as a researcher, not a deviation.

-What is your main personal motivation?

- My purpose has always been to offer patients with cancer a more effective and, above all, less toxic therapy. I met too many people who decided not to be cured for fear of the side effects of the treatments. That is unacceptable. We are in the 21st century and we must offer them something better.

Autobiography

I was born in Italy, in Velletri, a town on the outskirts of Rome. I graduated in biological sciences at La Sapienza University, where I got my PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology. I went to the USA for my postdoc at UCSF (University California San Francisco) and there I stayed 10 years, first as a postdoc and then as an Assistant Researcher in the laboratory of Prof. Gerard Evan. In 2011 I entered the Vall d'Hebron Oncology Institute (VHIO) in Barcelona, ​​where I led my own research laboratory. Since 2014 I have been a professor at the Catalan Institute of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) and since 2015 a professor associated with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). In 2014, together with Marie-Eve Beaulieu, I founded the Peptomyc spin-off.

-What defines you as an innovator?

-Yes, I like to think big or, as they say in English, 'out of the box', out of the box. I am very curious and I like to learn. In general, there are few things that seem impossible to me, and most of them perhaps are impossible today, but they will be possible tomorrow or in the not too distant future. That is my attitude.

-In his videos he talks about finding, not the personalized cure against cancer, but a "global" solution. It is very ambitious.

-Myc has an essential role in all types of cancer, because that means that, if we can finally inhibit it, we can treat most, if not all types of cancer, regardless of where they are, what mutations they carry or the cause that originated them That said, it's true that it looks like science fiction, but also getting on a plane and flying from Europe to America were in the 19th century.

-How do you rate the support of the European Institute for Innovation (EIT), which has just awarded it for its work.

-The EIT has supported us since the beginning of our project, when we were still looking for the first investments. We participated successfully in their Business Plan Aggregator, Catapult and Headstart programs and, in addition to receiving financial aid, we had the opportunity to join a European network of companies, investors and experts from the sector, who have supported us with mentoring programs and personalized tips for each step of our development program.

-What other supports have you received?

-Marie-Eve Beauleiu and I founded Peptomyc with our personal savings (not many being scientific!) And the support of VHIO and ICREA . Since then we raised 2.2 million euros in public funds (from the Spanish government, the Generalitat de Catalunya and prestigious European programs such as Horizon 2020) and 5.2 million euros in private capital, thanks to Business Angels, Healthequity and our main investor Alta Life Sciences. We anticipate that we will need approximately 10 million more to complete phase I / II clinical trials before licensing the product to a pharmaceutical company that completes its commercialization.

- Will you see your research turned into real treatment?

-Our plan is to start clinical trials on patients in 2020 in at least two indications, lung and breast cancer. If all goes well, then we can expand the use of our peptides to more indications. This has been a long journey, which has led me to live in three different countries, to learn four languages ​​and make personal and family sacrifices, but at last we have reached the moment of truth: we will soon know if, when I started all this as a student I had the right intuition. That terrifies me and excites me at the same time.