At the 98th Annual Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria held at Bayero University Kano, Professor Sarki Abba Abdulkadir delivered a captivating presentation on his groundbreaking work in cancer drug discovery — and the crucial role pharmacists played in that journey.
Professor Sarki Abba Abdulkadir’s presentation, titled “Partners in Discovery: How Pharmacists Shaped My Journey Towards Novel Cancer Drugs,” drew a full audience on the third day of the 98th PSN Annual Conference in Kano. His talk combined the passion of a scientist with the precision of a pharmacologist, chronicling how innovation and partnership turned a once “undruggable” target into a promising therapeutic frontier.
The Global Cancer Challenge
Professor Abdulkadir began by highlighting the scale of the cancer burden: in 2020, cancer caused 19.3 million new cases and 10 million deaths globally. The toll is especially severe in low- and middle-income countries, where limited access to early detection and treatment drives higher mortality rates. With global cases projected to rise to 28.4 million annually by 2040, he emphasized the urgent need for new treatment strategies.
“Advances in genomics and drug discovery,” he said, “are giving us the tools to create therapies that can finally make a difference.”
The MYC Puzzle
Central to Abdulkadir’s research is the MYC family of proteins — transcription factors that act as key drivers in the development of many cancers, including Burkitt’s Lymphoma. He recalled first encountering the MYC gene as a medical student at Ahmadu Bello University, when studying the molecular basis of Burkitt’s lymphoma, common in malaria-endemic regions.
Despite MYC’s importance, no approved drugs exist to inhibit it. “MYC is an intrinsically disordered protein,” he explained, “meaning it has no fixed shape for a drug to bind to.” Coupled with the risk of toxicity to normal cells, these challenges led scientists and pharmaceutical companies to label MYC “undruggable.”
“People believed it was impossible — and when scientists say something is undruggable, industry follows that belief,” he told the audience.
Building a Multidisciplinary Team
Determined to challenge convention, Professor Abdulkadir formed a cross-disciplinary team that included medicinal chemists, pharmacists, and computational biologists. Among them were Dr. Gary Schiltz (medicinal chemist), Dr. Huiying Han (pharmacist and cancer biology fellow), Mihai Truica (MD/PhD student), and Dr. Rama Mishra (computational chemist). Together, they launched an ambitious project to identify MYC inhibitors through modern drug design.
Harnessing Computational Modelling
The group pioneered a computational modelling strategy — screening over 32 million compounds in silico to predict which could selectively bind MYC without affecting its partner protein, MAX. Promising candidates were tested in immune-competent mouse models carrying MYC-driven tumors. This approach helped the team rapidly pinpoint compounds with good pharmacokinetic profiles and tolerable safety margins.
After two years of research and institutional negotiations, their strategy yielded success. “It took two years to convince our institution to adopt this approach,” Abdulkadir said. “But that persistence changed everything.”
The Breakthrough: VOR–001
The team’s efforts culminated in the discovery of VOR–001, a small molecule that disrupts MYC/MAX interaction and enhances MYC degradation. Among several analogs with similar biological activity, VOR–001 was selected for further development due to its potency and pharmacological profile.
Laboratory results showed that VOR–001 achieved tumor growth inhibition of 70–100% and tumor regression rates of up to 92% in animal models. The drug also demonstrated remarkable pharmacokinetic stability and oral bioavailability exceeding 80%, with no significant cardiac or liver toxicity observed in preclinical testing.
“VOR–001 has an excellent pharmacokinetic and safety profile — it’s proof that what was once called ‘undruggable’ can indeed be drugged,” Abdulkadir stated.
Patient-Centric Approach
In describing his team’s clinical development process, Abdulkadir emphasized a patient-first philosophy. Their indication selection strategy prioritizes cancers with MYC amplification or overexpression, balanced against unmet medical needs, feasibility, and competitive landscape. “Our focus,” he said, “is to choose patients and tumor types where our therapy can have the greatest and safest impact.”
Pharmacists as Partners in Discovery
Throughout his presentation, Abdulkadir celebrated the role of pharmacists as co-innovators in drug discovery. From formulation and pharmacokinetics to safety testing and clinical translation, he stressed that pharmacists provide the essential link between research and patient care.
“Pharmacists are partners in discovery — not just dispensers, but creators of the medicines that change lives,” he said.
From Research to Innovation
Beyond academia, Abdulkadir has translated his findings into biotechnology ventures. He is the founder and stockholder of Vortex Therapeutics, LLC and Degromics Bio, LLC, both focused on next-generation MYC inhibitors and PROTAC degraders. His patents include small molecule MYC inhibitors, DOT1L degraders, and biomarker technologies for predicting response to MYC-targeted therapy — illustrating how innovation can bridge from research bench to clinical application.
A Message of Hope and Collaboration
In closing, Abdulkadir reflected on how his journey — driven by curiosity, collaboration, and courage — was shaped by partnerships across scientific disciplines. His message resonated with the conference theme of collaboration in pharmacy and healthcare innovation.
“Every breakthrough in medicine begins with a question,” he concluded. “Pharmacists help us find the answers.”
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