MMRF Research Programs Drives New Breakthroughs in Multiple Myeloma Research
13 September 2019 - 4:55PM
Business Wire
24 abstracts to be presented at the
International Myeloma Workshop include new hypotheses derived from
CoMMpass Study data and information from the CureCloud registry
pilot
Today, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced
the presentation of twenty-four research abstracts at the 17th
International Myeloma Workshop in Boston. Eighteen of the research
abstracts use data from the MMRF CoMMpass Study℠—the largest
genomic data set of any cancer and one of the most highly published
studies in multiple myeloma. The other six abstracts include data
from MMRC trials, the MMRF Answer Fund, and the MMRF Immunotherapy
Initiative. Several of these are highlighted below.
MMRF CoMMpass Study
New data from the CoMMpass Study include the following:
- Important new insights into the instability and heterogeneity
of the multiple myeloma genome and implications for outcome and
resistance.
- Greater understanding of the biology of high-risk disease and
early relapse.
- Novel findings regarding use of genomic markers for prediction
of risk and response to specific therapies, including Clonal
Heterogeneity of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP).
- Promising new targets for drug development, such as
MAGEA3.
MMRF Answer Fund
Constantine Mitsiades, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will present an abstract made possible
by the MMRF Answer Fund, an initiative focused on addressing
critical questions about high-risk multiple myeloma. MMRF funding
enabled Dr. Mitsiades to apply functional genomics to explore
CoMMpass data. His work identified a subset of genes essential for
myeloma cell survival, identifying potential new targets for future
therapies.
MMRF CureCloud
MMRF Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Auclair, PhD is presenting
the first poster on the CureCloud patient registry. This
direct-to-patient registry allows patients to contribute their data
to a centralized data hub that generates, aggregates and visualizes
their data to accelerate the delivery of precision medicine and
cures. The poster describes the results from the pilot program,
which includes data captured from 65 multiple myeloma patients.
MMRF Work in Smoldering Multiple
Myeloma
Hearn Jay Cho, MD, PhD, the recently appointed MMRF Chief
Medical Officer, and his colleagues at Mount Sinai in New York
analyzed samples from the MMRC tissue bank to better understand
predictors of progression from smoldering to active myeloma. Dr.
Cho’s team confirmed that disease progression results from multiple
pathways and complex interactions between tumor cells and the
immune microenvironment. Understanding these interactions are
critical to developing therapies that will delay and ultimately
prevent disease progression.
“At the MMRF, our goal is to build collaborative models where
clinicians, researchers and patients work together to accelerate
the development of more effective, precision-based treatments,”
said Paul Giusti, President and CEO at the MMRF. “All of the work
presented here at the International Myeloma Workshop reflects this
focus and we’re proud to see the impact of our work with our
world-class partners benefiting the patient community.”
About the MMRF CoMMpass Study℠
The MMRF CoMMpass Study is a longitudinal study of patients with
newly diagnosed active multiple myeloma. The goal is to map the
genomic profile of each patient to clinical outcomes to develop a
more complete understanding of patient responses to treatments. A
cornerstone of the MMRF’s Personalized Medicine Initiative, the
study is collecting and analyzing tissue samples, clinical data and
genetic information from 1,000 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
patients for at least eight years. The CoMMpass Study was made
possible by a $40M investment by the MMRF.
The MMRF CoMMpass Study opened in July of 2011 and now includes
1,143 patients from 76 centers in the United States, Canada and
European Union. Data from the MMRF CoMMpass Study is made available
to researchers via the MMRF’s Researcher Gateway, an online,
open-access portal designed to make key genomic and clinical data
available for additional study. The MMRF CoMMpass Study is being
supported through a public-private partnership of patient donors
and industry partners, including Takeda Oncology, Amgen,
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Janssen
Diagnostics.
Please visit
www.themmrf.org/research-partners/the-commpass-study to learn
more.
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the
second most common blood cancer. An estimated 32,110 adults in the
United States will be diagnosed with MM in 2019 and an estimated
12,960 people are predicted to die from the disease.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research
Foundation (MMRF)
A pioneer in precision medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research
Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for all multiple myeloma
patients by relentlessly pursuing innovations that accelerate the
development of precision treatments for cancer. Founded in 1998 by
Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen
Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF has created
the business model around cancer—from data to analytics to the
clinic. The MMRF identifies barriers and then finds the solutions
to overcome them, bringing in the best partners and aligning
incentives in the industry to drive better outcomes for patients.
Since its inception, the organization has collected thousands of
samples and tissues, opened nearly 100 trials, helped bring 11
FDA-approved therapies to market, and built CoMMpass, the single
largest genomic dataset for any cancer. Today, the MMRF is building
on its legacy in genomics and is expanding into immune-oncology, as
the combination of these two fields will be critical to making
precision medicine possible for all patients. The MMRF has raised
nearly $500 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to
research and related programs. To learn more, visit
www.themmrf.org.
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Media Anne Quinn Young, MPH Chief Marketing and
Development Officer Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
203-536-8691 quinnyounga@themmrf.org