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The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of the first MMRF Collaborative Program Grant which is funding $1.5 million over 3 years to three centers of excellence in myeloma research: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, and Moffitt Cancer Center. The winning grant, entitled "Development of Novel Target-based Therapies for Multiple Myeloma," encompasses three inter-related projects and one unifying core. The focus will be to identify new therapies and to rapidly move promising leads from the bench to the bedside for evaluation in clinical trials at all three institutions. This innovative program couples basic science and clinical research expertise that has immediate clinical relevance for patients.
Researchers:
Researchers:
Kenneth C. Anderson, MD,
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
William Dalton, MD, PhD,
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Institute
Robert Kyle, MD,
Mayo Clinic
Nikhil C. Munshi, MD,
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Vincent Rajkumar, MD,
Mayo Clinic
Stephen Russell, MD, PhD,
Mayo Clinic
Grant Summary
Project 1
The first project involves characterizing the cell pathways involved in myeloma cell growth, survival, and migration in the bone marrow environment in order to identify novel molecular targets for therapy. This project is centered at Dana-Farber Cancer Insitute. Dr. Anderson will head this project and will also serve as the Principal Investigator for the entire program, directing and coordinating all preclinical and clinical studies.
Project 2
The second project is centered at the Moffitt Cancer Institute, where Dr. Dalton will head the project. It is investigating how myeloma cells become resistant to therapy, with the goal of designing strategies to prevent or overcome drug resistance. There is a particular emphasis on the role of myeloma cell interaction with the environment in the development of resistance.
Project 3
The third project is evaluating the role of angiogenesis in disease progression. This project is centered at the Mayo Clinic and will involve the work of Drs. Kyle, Rajkumar, and Russell. According to Dr. Rajkumar, the goal is to identify targets that are involved with increased angiogenesis in myeloma, as well as targets that are related to angiogenesis but which promote myeloma cell growth more directly. Then, they will use these targets to develop new therapeutics. As an example, Dr. Russell has developed a therapy that involves the use of a modified measles virus to target myeloma cells and the blood vessels critical for myeloma cell growth.
The Unifying Molecular Profiling Core: A Fourth Component
In addition to funding the three individual research projects, the grant is unique in that it will also support a central core laboratory to perform gene analysis for the entire program. Dr. Munshi will be heading the core laboratory which will be central to the new research being conducted. The lab will first look at the genetic and molecular mechanism of action of the new drugs in the laboratory. Then when the drugs are tested in clinical trials, they will determine whether their anti-myeloma effect in patients is the same as what was seen in the lab. Ultimately, this will allow the identification of specific targets for new treatments that will be more efficacious and better tolerated.
The figure below shows how all components of the program work together.
The figure below shows how all components of the program work together.
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Grant Recipients
• 2001 Collaborative Grant
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