On December 4, 2020 The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) reported that advances resulting from its investments in immunotherapy, clinical trials, and in prevention will be presented at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Press release, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, DEC 4, 2020, View Source [SID1234572178]). Held virtually this year, ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) will feature 32 presentations describing MMRF-supported programs to benefit patients.

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These programs include the development of novel non-invasive diagnostic tests, uncovering of novel biology through the development of new immune profiling pipelines, and discovery of markers of drug resistance and disease progression. Twenty-five presentations include data from the CoMMpass StudySM, one of the largest genomic datasets of any cancer and the source of more than 100 myeloma scientific publications.

"The research presented at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) exemplifies the MMRF’s commitment to driving discoveries that benefit the entire myeloma community," said Dr. Hearn Jay Cho, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of the MMRF. "Through our research and clinical portfolios, the MMRF is accelerating breakthroughs in immune therapies, diagnostics and prevention that have the power to save lives. This investment includes developing and improving access to better and more precise therapies for those living with myeloma, as we move ever closer to achieving our mission of a cure for every patient."

MMRF ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) highlights include:

3 abstracts describing results from Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) clinical studies (#1397, 2241, 3231)
The first detailed report (#1327) on the development of the next generation liquid biopsy used in the first-in-kind, at-home genomic sequencing test as part of the MMRF CureCloud patient registry effort
4 oral presentations of novel insights on genomic risk assessment and drug resistance in myeloma using the CoMMpass dataset:
The impact of MRD negativity on progression free survival of patients enrolled in Forte/CoMMpass (#491)
Novel epigenetic changes involved in disease progression and drug resistance (#59)
Defining the impact of chromosomal abnormalities to help identify markers that may enhance personalized treatments (#60)
Discovery of markers that may help predict resistance to standard Velcade-based induction therapy (#727)
4 abstracts (#1322, 1357, 2266, 3163) that describe cutting-edge analyses from the MMRF Immune Profiling Research Network, a collaborative effort with 5 leading academic medical centers (Beth Israel Deaconess, Washington University St. Louis, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Emory University, and Mayo Clinic). The goal is to map the immune landscape of myeloma and bring much needed standards to the field to drive more precise immunotherapy treatments, using patient samples from the CoMMpass Study (View Source)
2 oral presentations on discovery of markers found in myeloma cells (#602) and in the tumor microenvironment (#485) that may help predict progression from myeloma precursor conditions to active myeloma, work supported by the Perelman Family Foundation and the MMRF Prevention Project (View Source)
For complete data on MMRF and MMRC abstracts being presented at the 62nd ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting please contact Mary DeRome at [email protected].

About the MMRF CoMMpass StudySM
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 1,150 patients from 76 sites 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 (View Source), 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. Additional collaborating research partners include the Translational Genomics Research Institute, Van Andel Research Institute and GNS Healthcare. Please visit www.themmrf.org/research-partners/the-commpass-study to learn more about the study.