Peptomyc and the EIC Accelerator: Drugging Cancer's MYC Gene

Peptomyc, a Barcelona spin-off of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology and the Catalan research institution ICREA, co-founded by Laura Soucek and Marie-Eve Beaulieu, develops OMO-103, a cell-penetrating mini-protein based on Omomyc that blocks MYC, a protein that drives about 70% of cancers and has long been considered impossible to drug. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's June 2023 cut-off with blended finance of "€2.5M as a grant, and €2.5M as equity", according to Peptomyc. The grant funded MYCureX, a €3.56 million project from July 2023 to December 2025 to run a Phase 1b trial of OMO-103 with standard chemotherapy in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer, develop a companion diagnostic and scale up manufacturing, according to CORDIS.

The final report says recruitment was "completed with 26 patients enrolled and treated across six Spanish sites" by June 2025, that a 2024 safety review supported continuing with an adapted regimen "to reduce infusion-related reactions", and that an AI model for predicting which patients respond reached a proof of concept, according to the CORDIS reporting page. Final database lock and integrated analyses are listed as post-grant work. The report says Peptomyc "could reach a licensing deal by 2026"; none has been announced.

Where Peptomyc Stands Now

In March 2026 Peptomyc closed a €5 million equity round led by Alta Life Sciences and Aurora Science, with the EIC Fund and Laudecum as new investors and CDTI Innovación following on, to complete its ongoing trials, prepare manufacturing for later-stage development and support "ongoing discussions with potential pharmaceutical partners", according to Peptomyc. In July 2025 business developer Jesús Martín García became chief executive, with co-founder Laura Soucek moving to chief scientific officer, according to Peptomyc. A pre-surgery study in pancreatic cancer began in January 2026 and an investigator-led Phase 2 in osteosarcoma is recruiting, according to ClinicalTrials.gov.

The Technology: A Mini-Protein Against an Undruggable Target

MYC has no pocket for a conventional drug to bind and sits in the cell nucleus. OMO-103 is a small protein designed to enter cells and disable MYC. In its first-in-human trial in advanced solid tumours, published in Nature Medicine, it was safe and showed target engagement; the report cites one metastatic pancreatic cancer patient with a 49% tumour reduction and more than six months of disease stabilisation. The Phase 1b tests whether it can be combined safely with standard chemotherapy.

That first-in-human trial was also EU-funded. In the EIC SME Instrument Phase 2 cut-off of 3 April 2019, Peptomyc was selected, grant only, for MYCure, a project to take OMO-103 to market, according to the European Commission's list of selected companies. CORDIS records an EU contribution of €2,219,553.52 towards a €6.22 million project that ran from June 2019 to December 2022, according to CORDIS. Its final report says Peptomyc produced GMP batches of OMO-103, completed the safety studies, received approval for the trial in Spain and Germany in March 2021 and concluded the Phase 1 with a recommended Phase 2 dose; the results were published in Nature Medicine in 2024. The project's last aim, a licensing or co-development agreement with a pharmaceutical company, has not been announced.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The award funded the Phase 1b trial, a companion diagnostic and manufacturing scale-up. Peptomyc ran the trial to completion of enrolment and built the diagnostic to proof of concept, and the combination needed a dosing adjustment for infusion reactions. The efficacy results, which would drive any licensing deal, have not been published, and the regulated diagnostic is still years away.

1. Phase 1b enrolmentDelivered26 patients, June 2025.
2. Combination safetyDeliveredWith adapted regimen.
3. Companion diagnosticProof of conceptValidation post-grant.
4. Licensing dealNot announcedTalks ongoing.

The Money

The EU grant covered 70% of the project. According to Peptomyc, the EIC Fund took part in the 2026 round; whether this was the equity side of the blended award is not stated. Peptomyc's financial statements were not reviewed for this article.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers, and a drug that hits MYC could matter across many tumour types. A board member calls OMO-103 "the first and only direct MYC inhibitor that has demonstrated a favorable safety profile in clinical trials". The EIC grant paid for the combination trial; the payoff depends on its results.

The Verdict

Peptomyc and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.