Myeloma Patients: Landmark Study Validated as Unparalleled in Cancer Research

A HOLD FreeRelease 1 | eTurboNews | eTN
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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Today, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced that new insights related to novel targets, risk assessment, and precision medicine approaches generated through the use of the MMRF landmark CoMMpass Study will be presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. In total, ASH will feature 33 presentations developed through the work of more than 200 researchers from 180 institutions all using the CoMMpass data.

The MMRF initiated the CoMMpass Study more than ten years ago to address the need for a large, comprehensive, genomic and clinical data set that was publicly available to researchers to realize the potential of precision medicine. It has now become one of the largest longitudinal genomic datasets of any cancer and the source of more than 150 myeloma scientific publications and abstracts. The insights generated by CoMMpass have led to groundbreaking discoveries that have transformed the research community’s understanding of myeloma at a genomic level. The MMRF is now working with five institutions (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Emory University, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and Washington University, St. Louis) on a companion project called Immune Atlas that will complement the genomic and clinical data in CoMMpass with high dimensional immune profiling of the same patients, creating standards and generating robust immune data to further advance precision medicine. The initial findings from this effort are among the 33 abstracts.

“CoMMpass has exceeded our expectations as a wellspring for insightful research and to generate new hypotheses that we can test in the laboratory and at the bedside,” said Hearn Jay Cho MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, the MMRF. “CoMMpass continues to shape our research agenda, particularly in precision medicine clinical trials such as MyDRUG and MyCheckpoint, and this will only expand with the addition of Immune Atlas. We are also looking beyond CoMMpass by building our next major data set with the MMRF CureCloud.”

The MMRF CureCloud was launched in 2019 as a next generation data source capturing genomic sequencing data through blood samples of newly diagnosed myeloma patients and longitudinal clinical data shared by patients through their electronic medical records. The first abstracts derived from CureCloud are being presented at ASH representing the next game-changing longitudinal study in myeloma research. Unique to CureCloud is that it was specifically designed to not only power research, but also as an immediate and ongoing resource to clinicians and patients. Each CureCloud patient receives their personal genomic data report, learns about possible clinical trials, and will have ongoing access to new and evolving insights related to their disease. The database is designed to continuously identify insights from patients that will help other patients gain deeper understanding of possible treatment paths as more patients join the program.

“Our mission is to deliver a cure for each and every myeloma patient. We know that getting there will require access to data to progress the development of precision medicines. This is our ultimate focus as we share data with our research collaborators and patients every day,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO, the MMRF. “The data and insights we share are generating a deeper understanding of the biology of myeloma and helping to identify new targets and markers for risk and disease progression. They are also driving the discovery and delivery of more precise treatments for all patients as we pursue a world without myeloma.” 

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Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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