Heart Cancer Paradox

Unlike most tissues, the adult heart contains cardiomyocytes, specialized cells that are terminally differentiated and incapable of
cell division. This limits a key pathway for cancer formation, as terminally differentiated cells rarely become cancerous themselves.

But there’s more to the story.

Heart cells are densely packed with mitochondria, often five to eight thousand per cell. While mitochondria are essential for energy production, they also carry risk. Their instability can trigger mutations, oxidative stress, and even cell death.

To manage this risk, the heart evolved an unusually strict mitochondrial quality control system. Rather than allow damaged cells to persist, mitochondria either repair dysfunction or trigger programmed cell death to prevent malignant transformation.

But what happens when that control fails?

At ICM Therapeutics, we have uncovered a druggable pathway that taps into a previously unrecognized electrical survival mechanism. Our compounds restore mitochondrial control in diseases where it has broken down.

By modulating electron flow in dysfunctional mitochondria, we can:
• Overcome treatment resistance in cancer and chronic disease
• Activate defense programs that eliminate damaged cells
• Restore mitochondrial quality control and cellular health

This is not just a new drug. It is a platform for a new way to treat disease by restoring control at the source.