The present invention relates to the field of the treatment of
cancer. In this study, the inventors found that VDAC2 is heterogeneously expressed in MM cells. VDAC2
protein expression correlated with BAK but not with BAX
protein levels. Transient silencing of VDAC2, but not VDAC1 or VDAC3, sensitized MM cells to intrinsic mitochondrial
apoptosis signals, alongside with the induction of pre-activated BAK and the increase of global, MCL1 and BCL2 mitochondrial priming. They also found a that a VDAC2 compound, efesevin recapitulated the
sensitization effect of VDAC2 knock-down on BH3 mimetics apoptotic response. This novel VDAC2 modulator sensitized MM cells to BH3 mimetics targeting MCL1 (S63845) or BCL2 (
Venetoclax) without modifying BAK or BAX
protein expression. The efficiency of the VDAC2 modulator was directly correlated with the levels of VDAC2 protein. To better understand the VDAC2 / BAK interplay, The inventors generated VDAC2 KO myeloma cells. VDAC2 KO cells exhibited an important decrease of BAK
protein expression while BAX remained unchanged. Accordingly, VDAC2 KO cells completely lost their mitochondrial priming. Interestingly, they also found that BAK KO myeloma cells displayed decreased levels of VDAC2. The reciprocal regulation between VDAC2 and BAK was dependent on both the
proteasome and
lysosome degradation pathways. Thus, the present invention relates to a combination of a VDAC2 modulator and a BH3- mimetics compound for use in the treatment of a
cancer in a subject in need thereof.