The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have jointly announced a pioneering research collaboration in smoldering myeloma, a precursor disease to multiple myeloma. Combining the strengths of the MMRF, a leader in multiple myeloma data generation, and Dana-Farber, a leader in smoldering myeloma research, the initiative aims to revolutionize how patients with the disease are treated. The ultimate goal is to identify disease markers and to develop new treatment strategies that could delay or prevent progression to active multiple myeloma.
“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, PhD, 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 lay the groundwork for future transformative, and possibly curative, clinical trials.”
Daniel Auclair, PhD
Through this initiative, 500 patients with smoldering myeloma enrolled in Dana-Farber’s PROMISE or PCROWD studies will have the opportunity to join the MMRF CureCloud study and donate blood samples and medical records. CureCloud is a direct-to-patient research initiative to create a hub of genomic and clinical data in myeloma that includes an in-home genomic test using a liquid biopsy, 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. 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. All patient data will be de-identified and securely stored in the CureCloud database.
