On December 3, 2020 The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reported a pioneering research collaboration in smoldering myeloma (SMM), a precursor disease to multiple myeloma (Press release, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, DEC 3, 2020, View Source [SID1234572143]). Combining the strengths of the MMRF, a leader in multiple myeloma data generation, and Dana-Farber, a leader in SMM research, the initiative aims to revolutionize how SMM patients are treated. The ultimate goal is to identify markers of high-risk SMM and develop new treatment strategies that could delay or prevent progression to active multiple myeloma.
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"Recent research efforts driven by the MMRF and our partners have identified potential genomic and immune markers that may drive myeloma risk and progression," said Daniel Auclair, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the MMRF. "This collaboration with Dana-Farber will accelerate and enhance our knowledge of risk factors, allowing us to more precisely identify those patients at higher risk of progression to active disease, and laying the groundwork for future transformative, and possibly curative, clinical trials."
Through this MMRF-funded initiative, 500 SMM patients enrolled in Dana-Farber’s PROMISE or PCROWD studies will now have the opportunity to join the MMRF CureCloud study (View Source) and donate their blood samples and medical records. Dana-Farber initiated the PCROWD (View Source) and PROMISE (View Source) studies to actively screen for and study patients with myeloma precursor diseases to help define how disease progression occurs and develop therapies to prevent it. CureCloud is a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-patient research initiative to create a massive hub of genomic and clinical data in myeloma that includes a first-of-its-kind in-home genomic test using a liquid biopsy (blood sample), producing results that are returned directly to patients and their physicians.
Participating patients will have their myeloma DNA sequenced in the CureCloud’s MM-70 genomic sequencing test and share data from their electronic health records (EHR). Dr. Auclair will present the MM-70 liquid biopsy assay at this year’s virtual American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. These data will be linked with each patient’s whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data, circulating tumor cell data, and single-cell RNA sequencing data from both tumor and immune cells, forming the most complete picture of SMM ever assembled. All patient data will be de-identified and securely stored in the CureCloud database.
Currently, the rate of progression from SMM to multiple myeloma is 10% per year, but some patients have a higher risk of rapid progression based on risk factors such as the presence of certain genomic abnormalities. While the current standard of care for SMM is to "watch and wait" until patients progress before providing treatment, recent clinical trials show that treating high-risk SMM patients can result in an increased time to progression from SMM to active multiple myeloma, giving patients more time before developing symptoms.
"This revolutionary collaboration with the MMRF will enable us to build the most comprehensive data set for smoldering multiple myeloma," said Irene Ghobrial, MD, Director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program at Dana-Farber and a Principal Investigator of the PROMISE and PCROWD studies. "Additionally, patients who participate will receive their genomic test results, which may be helpful in determining their risk of progression to active myeloma and identifying future clinical trials."
The MMRF has led research efforts to identify genomic and immune markers of high-risk multiple myeloma via their CoMMpass Study, a longitudinal observational study which follows over 1,100 myeloma patients from diagnosis over at least eight years of their disease course, gathering molecular, immune, and clinical data. This study, which is among the largest genomics data sets of any cancer, has led to more than 100 peer-reviewed abstracts and publications. The MMRF and Dana-Farber have led more recent efforts in the area of myeloma prevention in collaboration with the Perelman Family Foundation and several leading myeloma academic centers, resulting in discoveries around genomic markers of risk in precursor conditions such as SMM and MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance), as well as potentially even earlier genomic predictors such as CHIP (Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential).