Norwalk, Conn., September 25, 2024 – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced today new data from two posters and two oral presentations to be shared at the 21st International Myeloma Society (IMS) Annual Meeting, being held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, September 25-28, 2024.
“Since its inception, the MMRF has been powering research and fueling breakthroughs and discoveries that enable us to improve how we treat multiple myeloma,” said George Mulligan, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the MMRF. “The breadth of our data shared at the IMS meeting reinforce the value of our integrated clinical and translational capabilities. Our unbiased, patient-centric approach allows us to focus on the most important research to improve patient survival. We are pleased that two MMRF abstracts have been selected for presentation in the 2nd abstract session on Wednesday and will be described by MMRF’s Senior Scientist, Dr. Chaitanya “Chuck” Acharya.”
Data presented by the MMRF highlights recent progress in our decades of work to improve outcomes and ultimately cure multiple myeloma.
The first talk by Dr. Acharya will describe immune data from 263 patients enrolled in the MMRF CoMMpassSM Study, highlighting features of immune malfunction in newly diagnosed myeloma. This highly collaborative multi-center project, called an “Immune Atlas” of myeloma, provides unique insights into disease development and treatment outcomes. The other oral presentation provides an update on the MMRF’s MyDRUGSM clinical trial. In this innovative precision medicine trial, the MMRF partnered with eight different biopharma companies to test targeted therapies in specific, tumor mutation-defined groups of patients. Research on associated patient bone marrow samples revealed the effects of the drug on both the tumor and immune cells. Together these presentations highlight MMRF’s unique leadership across important, highly collaborative research studies that bridge clinical and translational specialties.
Other scientific data being shared include:
MMRF Oral Presentation Details
Title: A single-cell atlas of bone marrow immune microenvironment characterizes dysregulation associated with multiple myeloma outcomes
Date & Time: September 25, 2024, 11:30 a.m. BRT (Abstract Session 2)
Presenter: Chaitanya Acharya, Ph.D., PSM, Senior Scientist, Translational Research, MMRF
Title: Single-cell analyses of bone marrow immune microenvironment in RRMM subjects treated with MEK1/2 inhibitors reveal IRF1-mediated IFN/PDL1 signaling axes
Date & Time: September 25, 2024, 12:18 p.m. BRT (Abstract Session 2)
Presenter: Chaitanya Acharya, Ph.D., PSM, Senior Scientist, Translational Research, MMRF
MMRF Poster Details
Title: T-cell receptor repertoire analysis of blood and bone marrow samples from multiple myeloma patients
Date & Time: September 25, 2024, 12:30 p.m. BRT
Presenter: Chaitanya Acharya, Ph.D., PSM, Senior Scientist, Translational Research, MMRF
Title: Empowering multiple myeloma patients impact of MMRF® education programs and results of patient outcomes
Date & Time: September 27, 2024, 12:00 p.m. BRT
Presenter: Anne Quinn Young, MPH, Chief Mission Officer, MMRF
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that develops in bone marrow. It is the second most common blood cancer in the U.S., with 35,750 new cases and 12,590 deaths estimated to occur this year. New targeted agents and therapies have resulted in better outcomes, but most multiple myeloma patients eventually relapse.
About CoMMpassSM
The MMRF CoMMpassSM Study is a collaboration with 76 clinical centers and 1,100 patients with active multiple myeloma, who enrolled at diagnosis and were followed for at least eight years. The study maps patients’ tumor genomic profile to clinical outcomes with the goal of developing a more complete understanding of both disease biology and the patient’s response to treatments. With its inclusion in more than 200 published or presented studies, CoMMpass represents the largest longitudinal genomic dataset in multiple myeloma and has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have transformed how researchers understand the biology of the disease. The MMRF continues to support the use of this resource and makes the CoMMpass data available to other researchers globally.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, leverage data to identify optimal and more personalized treatment approaches, and empower myeloma patients and the broader community with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has raised over $600 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
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Media Contact:
Adam Silverstein
Scient PR
SAN FRANCISCO, Cali., August 26, 2024 — Opna Bio announced that it has dosed the first patient with OPN-6602, a potent and selective EP300/CBP bromodomain inhibitor, in a Phase 1 clinical study in multiple myeloma. The first patient was dosed at The START Center for Cancer Research in Grand Rapids, Michigan with Dr. Andrew Sochacki, principal investigator, leading the study team.
OPN-6602 is an oral, small molecule inhibitor of the E1A binding protein (EP300) and CREB-binding protein (CBP). Through EP300/CBP inhibition, OPN-6602 down regulates expression of IRF4 and MYC, two transcription factors that drive growth of multiple myeloma cells. Preclinical data presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) 2024 Annual Meeting showed that OPN-6602 significantly reduced tumor growth as a single agent (71% tumor growth inhibition) in the OPM-2 human multiple myeloma cell xenograft model as well as increased anti-tumor activity (>100% tumor growth inhibition) in combination studies. For more information, please visit opnabio.com.
Norwalk, Conn., August 19, 2024 – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced today a new publication on the CoMMpass SM study in Nature Genetics that defines distinct subtypes and identifies high-risk genetic markers of multiple myeloma. These CoMMpass data represent the largest and most complete clinical and molecular dataset in multiple myeloma.
“Despite efforts to understand the molecular basis of multiple myeloma, predicting patient outcomes and identifying high-risk patients has remained a challenge,” said Sagar Lonial, M.D., FACP, lead author and Chief Medical Officer at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and Professor and Chair, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. “This research is another example of how CoMMpass – by offering an unparalleled genomic map of multiple myeloma – answers key questions about the disease and enables us to improve how we treat patients.”
The CoMMpass study united 76 clinical sites across four countries, enrolling 1,143 multiple myeloma patients and studying them for at least eight years after diagnosis. CoMMpass is one of few studies to enroll patients that reflect the United States population, with a self-reported ancestry of 80.6% Caucasian and 17.5% Black; this enables important research into causes of the significantly increased incidence of myeloma in the Black community.
“We recognized the critical need for comprehensive longitudinal data to truly understand the natural history of multiple myeloma, especially in a real-world setting where such data is scarce,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO of MMRF. “As an organization that’s spent more than 25 years fiercely committed to changing the trajectory of multiple myeloma, we were the only ones positioned to build a truly collaborative initiative that could unite the multiple myeloma community and deliver the scale necessary to produce these types of scientific findings. We’re grateful to the clinical investigators at all the sites, and especially the patients who helped us accelerate this important research.”
The collaborative research, led by investigators from MMRF, Emory University, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), comprehensively describes the subtypes of multiple myeloma, identifying a high-risk patient population that is associated with a median survival of less than two years versus the average survival rate that exceeds eight years. Of those with additional genomic data at disease progression, just over 25% transitioned to a rapid growth high-risk category and then had worse outcomes, with a median survival of only 88 days.
“The data show that advanced molecular diagnostics, using whole genome and RNA sequencing, were found to be better predictors of disease behavior than current staging systems,” said Jonathan Keats, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Director of Bioinformatics and Collaborative Sequencing Center at TGen, and a senior author on the paper. “With a better understanding of the primary molecular features driving different subtypes of multiple myeloma and the identification of high-risk patients at both diagnosis and progression, we have an understanding of targets and pathways that will inform efforts to optimize the treatment of all multiple myeloma patients.”
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the U.S., with 35,750 new cases and 12,590 deaths estimated to occur this year. New targeted agents and therapies have resulted in better outcomes, but most multiple myeloma patients eventually relapse.
About CoMMpassSM
The MMRF CoMMpass study is a collaboration with clinical centers and patients with active multiple myeloma, who enrolled at diagnosis and were followed for at least eight years. The study maps patients’ tumor genomic profile to clinical outcomes with the goal of developing a more complete understanding of both disease biology and the patient’s response to treatments. With its inclusion in more than 200 published or presented studies, CoMMpass represents the largest longitudinal genomic dataset in multiple myeloma and has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have transformed how researchers understand the biology of the disease. The MMRF continues to support the use of this resource and makes the CoMMpass data available to other researchers globally.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, leverage data to identify optimal and more personalized treatment approaches, and empower myeloma patients and the broader community with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $600 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
Media Contact:
Adam Silverstein
Scient PR
LOS ANGELES, Cali., August 6, 2024 — Nammi Therapeutics, Inc. (Nammi) announces a $1M investment commitment by the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) in a $30M Series B financing round prior to the planned start of a first-in-human Phase 1 study of their lead program, QXL138AM, in patients with locally advanced unresectable and/or metastatic solid tumors and multiple myeloma.
QXL138AM is a Masked Immunocytokine (MIC) comprised of a masked interferon alpha (IFNa) fused to an antibody that targets the CD138 protein on the surface of the tumor cells. Once QXL138AM binds to the tumor cell, proteases on the cell surface cleave the mask off of the IFNa allowing it to bind its receptor. Activation of the IFNa receptor complex induces direct killing of tumor cells in addition to activating innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity. Preclinical data has demonstrated significant anti-tumor efficacy across more than 10 tumor types, including multiple myeloma where complete regression at doses as low as 0.1 mg/kg have been observed. Nammi has secured Orphan Drug Designation in multiple myeloma from the FDA based on the strength of this data.
“While the multiple myeloma field has greatly benefitted from development of bispecific and cell therapies, there unfortunately remains a significant need for novel therapeutics such as QXL138AM,” said David Stover, Ph.D., President and CEO of Nammi. “We are very excited to partner with MIF and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and leverage their expertise to accelerate the development of QXL138AM. Together, we will work to realize the potential of this therapy to improve the lives of patients with multiple myeloma.”
With this investment by MIF, Nammi anticipates the $30M Series B financing round will be fully subscribed upon its closing when the first patient has been treated with QXL138AM.
“Nammi’s innovative technology and its application in multiple myeloma is an important step for the myeloma patient community,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. “Advancing new therapeutic options for patients is the most critical task-at-hand, so we are thrilled to support Nammi’s Phase-1 trial to learn the potential of this exciting new immunotherapy approach.”
About Nammi Therapeutics, Inc.
Nammi Therapeutics, Inc. is an immuno-oncology company based in Los Angeles that is developing platforms and products that selectively activate anti-tumor immunity within the tumor microenvironment while minimizing systemic activation. By reducing systemic activation of the immune system, Nammi expects to improve safety and enhance the ability to combine multiple immune modulators. In addition to the MIC platform, Nammi has also developed a nanoparticle platform to deliver Immune Modulating Prodrugs (IMPs) using their Nammisome technology. Multiple Nammisome clinical candidates have also been selected for development. For more information visit www.nammirx.com or email [email protected].
About the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF)
The Myeloma Investment Fund is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to drive the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit www.myelomainvestmentfund.org
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, leverage data to identify optimal and more personalized treatment approaches and empower myeloma patients and the broader community with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $600 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org
For MMRF or MIF media inquiries, please contact: Anna Otis, Manager, Brand Marketing, [email protected]
NORWALK, Conn., July 29, 2024 — The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s (MMRF) venture philanthropy subsidiary, today announced an investment in Envisagenics, a biotechnology company at the forefront of RNA splicing technology.
“The potential of its innovative RNA-based platform and A.I.-fueled technology could pave the way for promising new treatments for the myeloma community,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, Envisagenics is discovering and developing novel RNA-based therapeutics to address critical unmet need in multiple myeloma.
“In multiple myeloma, aberrant RNA splicing leads to the production of disease-specific epitopes that can be used as drug targets, allowing for targeted elimination of cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. At Enivsagenics, we are leveraging our SpliceCore platform, which combines a proprietary database of 14 million splicing events with A.I. and machine learning to identify multiple myeloma-specific targets to develop novel immunotherapies,” said Maria Luisa Pineda, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Envisagenics. “We are pleased to welcome the Myeloma Investment Fund and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation as investors. Their extensive network and scientific expertise will enable us to accelerate the discovery and development of novel treatments specifically tailored to multiple myeloma and other cancers.”
About the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF)
The Myeloma Investment Fund is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to drive the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit www.myelomainvestmentfund.org
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, leverage data to identify optimal and more personalized treatment approaches and empower myeloma patients and the broader community with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $600 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org
For MMRF or MIF media inquiries, please contact: Anna Otis, Manager, Brand Marketing, [email protected]
WATERTOWN, Mass., July 11, 2024 — Dynamic Cell Therapies (DCT) announces an investment of $1M from the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), the venture philanthropy subsidiary of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), to accelerate the development of novel CAR T-cell technologies for patients with multiple myeloma. DCT is developing technology platforms that will allow CAR T-cells to attack unique and differentiated tumor targets that will allow for durable responses to treatment, and DCT’s propriety CAR T-cells have demonstrated superiority to FDA-approved CAR T-cells in animal models. These technology platforms will improve the safety and efficacy of CAR T-cell therapies and have immediate application for patients with hematological cancers, including multiple myeloma. Supported by this recent investment, DCT is on track to advance a product into patients within the next two years.
“Despite current successes in treating patients with CAR T-cells, many patients with multiple myeloma still relapse after therapy,” said Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of DCT. “The support of the MMRF & the Myeloma Investment Fund provides key expertise that will enable us to hasten the development of novel and best-in-class CAR T-cell therapies for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.”
“At the MMRF, we are deeply committed to advancing novel treatments intended to improve patient outcomes and get us closer to cures. We are energized by DCT’s cutting-edge cell therapy approach as a potentially transformative answer to patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF).
About the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF)
The Myeloma Investment Fund is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to drive the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit www.myelomainvestmentfund.org
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, leverage data to identify optimal and more personalized treatment approaches and empower myeloma patients and the broader community with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $600 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org
For MMRF or MIF media inquiries, please contact: Anna Otis, Manager, Brand Marketing, [email protected]
About Dynamic Cell Therapies, Inc. (DCT)
Dynamic Cell Therapies (DCT) is a pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company engineering CAR T-cells to address unmet medical needs for patients with cancers and autoimmune diseases. DCT has licensed technology from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, including redirectable CAR T-cell and private cytokine signaling technologies. Redirectable CAR T-cells can maximize tumor cell killing and minimize toxicity. Private cytokine signaling can enhance memory populations, which increases CAR T-cells’ persistence and durable responses. DCT is developing these technologies separately and in combination to optimize control of CAR T-cell identity and activity. To learn more, visit www.dynamiccelltherapies.com.
For any DCT inquiries, please contact: Alex Rabby, Chief Business Officer, [email protected]
Norwalk, Conn., December 7, 2023 – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced today that data from its landmark CoMMpass Study and Immune Atlas fueled 12 oral presentations to be presented at the 65th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego from December 9-12. In total, 34 different presentations use MMRF data. These advances represent important and continued innovation in multiple myeloma research.
“Our investment in the generation, analysis, and sharing of robust research and clinical data is fundamental to our relentless effort to drive progress in multiple myeloma treatment and ultimately a cure for each and every patient,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO at the MMRF. “For over a decade, CoMMpass data has been analyzed by more than 300 researchers worldwide, making it one of the most highly published datasets in myeloma.”
Among the 34 CoMMpass abstracts to be highlighted at ASH are findings related to predictive biomarkers, disease progression, therapeutic resistance, risk assessment, genetic profiling to interpret the outcomes of early intervention for high-risk smoldering myeloma, and precision medicine.
One oral presentation from the Immune Atlas team reports on the results of single-cell RNA sequencing of bone marrow cell samples from 263 multiple myeloma patients enrolled at time of diagnosis in the CoMMpass Study. Using single cell transcriptomics, researchers captured the TIME (tumor immune microenvironment) and correlated specific immune cell populations and phenotypes with relapse risk and poor prognostic outcomes. These results suggest that immune subpopulations may be an essential novel aspect for improving current risk stratification models. These single-cell data are also part of a prognostic analysis of myeloma subtypes reported in a second oral presentation, in which collaborators at Genentech develop more refined subtypes using this Immune Atlas data, with improved characterization of early relapse.
“The Immune Atlas data have shown how immune function provides additional information beyond tumor subtyping, refining our understanding of risk and potentially advancing prognostication and strategies for clinical trials,” said George Mulligan, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the MMRF. “We will continue to push the envelope of innovative science in our urgent pursuit of better clinical strategies and more effective treatments for each and every patient with multiple myeloma.”
The CoMMpass Study is an ongoing study of patients with active multiple myeloma, who enrolled at diagnosis and are being followed for eight years. The study maps patients’ tumor genomic profile to clinical outcomes with the goal of developing a more complete understanding of both disease biology and the patient’s response to treatments. With its inclusion in more than 300 published or presented studies, CoMMpass represents the largest longitudinal genomic dataset in multiple myeloma and has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have transformed how researchers understand the biology of the disease. The MMRF makes the CoMMpass data available to researchers globally and updates results at regular intervals.
The MMRF Immune Atlas is a collaboration to study the immune system in multiple myeloma and establish a “gold standard” immune profiling platform for use in multiple myeloma research studies. This information, from hundreds of patients, will be combined with the existing genomic and clinical data from our CoMMpass Study to develop a more comprehensive picture of myeloma disease biology. These resulting insights will be helpful in guiding optimal therapy for myeloma patients.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, leverage data to identify optimal and more personalized treatment approaches and empower myeloma patients and the broader community with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $500 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
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C.J. Volpe
Director, PR and Communications
203-652-0453
[email protected]
Norwalk, Conn., November 30, 2023 — The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced today the first recipients of its Scholars Program to improve equity in myeloma research and overall outcomes by increasing workforce diversity.
Awardees Eden Biltibo, MD, MS, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Joselle Cook, MBBS, Assistant Professor at Mayo Clinic Rochester, will each be awarded up to $100,000 per year for four years to support their career development to first-tenure track positions. The Scholars Program is an annual initiative from the MMRF, with support from Pfizer and GSK, to provide grant funding for Black researchers and clinicians (MD and/or PhD) who are currently active or interested in pursuing a research and/or clinical career in the field of myeloma.
“Multiple myeloma is a disease that disproportionately affects Black people and we are committed to ensuring that researchers and clinicians within the field more closely represent this patient population,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO at the MMRF. “Dr. Biltibo and Dr. Cook’s work will add tremendous value to our field to advance understanding and treatment of myeloma across diverse patient communities.”
Black patients make up 20 percent of the approximately 35,000 people diagnosed with myeloma annually in the United States. Despite the high incidence of myeloma in the Black community, most Black patients are diagnosed later when compared to other patient populations, and increases in survival rates for Black patients have not kept pace with improved survival rates seen in other patient populations. Black patients are also underrepresented in the research and clinical studies that are driving new treatments, accounting for only 5 percent of clinical trial participants in the United States. In addition, Black researchers and clinicians are significantly underrepresented in hematology-oncology, comprising less than 4 percent of oncology fellows and only 3 percent of medical oncologists in the United States. Through initiatives like the Scholars Program, the MMRF is committed to improving diversity and inclusion in the research and clinical fields to drive health equity for all patient groups with myeloma.
Dr. Biltibo’s proposal entitled, “Identifying Effective and Cost-Conscious Maintenance Daratumumab Dosing,” focuses on equitable, utilization of immunotherapeutics in multiple myeloma and improving racial diversity of clinical trial participants in the same field. She will lead a single-arm phase II, non-inferiority clinical trial that will compare the 2-year MRD-negativity rate of subcutaneous 8-weekly DARZALEX® (daratumumab) and daily REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) maintenance therapy with 4-weekly DARZALEX® (daratumumab) and daily REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) maintenance therapy using a historical treatment cohort from the GRIFFIN trial.
Dr. Cook’s proposal entitled, “Prevalence of MGUS Among Unique Populations of Black People,” will determine the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a precursor disease to multiple myeloma, among East African people in Minnesota and an Afro-Caribbean population in Trinidad. She will lead a team that will use modern tools such as mass spectrometry to identify the presence of monoclonal protein. For those with positive MGUS tests, genome wide association studies and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis will be performed to determine ancestral origins and correlate with the prevalence of SNPs known to be associated with higher prevalence of certain IgH translocations.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the US. It develops in the bone marrow and can spread throughout the body. In 2023, multiple myeloma is expected to be diagnosed in more than 35,000 Americans and take the lives of 12,000. Despite advances, most patients relapse and there is still no cure. Multiple myeloma is twice as common in the Black community compared to other ethnicities and the outcomes for Black patients are generally worse than that of white patients.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, use data to drive optimal and more personalized treatment approaches, and empower myeloma patients with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has committed over $500 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
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C.J. Volpe, Director, PR and Communications
203-652-0453
[email protected]
Norwalk, Conn., November 15, 2023 — The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s (MMRF) venture philanthropy subsidiary, today announced an investment in Reverb Therapeutics to explore the potential of its antibody-based Amplifier™ platform for the treatment of multiple myeloma with endogenous cytokines that naturally occur within the body.
Reverb is a seed-stage oncology company with a highly differentiated platform approach to cytokine therapy. Its Amplifier™ platform uses antibodies to localize endogenous cytokines to immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and overcome toxicity issues of exogenously delivered cytokines. Instead of using heavily engineered exogenous cytokines to treat diseases, which present challenges such as systemic toxicity and immunogenicity, Reverb’s antibodies redirect endogenous cytokines already in the body to cells of interest. With this round of funding, the MIF joins Reverb’s founding and lead investor Amplitude Ventures to support the company’s initial debut of its platform for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma and other cancers.
“We look forward to our partnership with Reverb Therapeutics and the potential of its Amplifier platform as a treatment for multiple myeloma,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. “The MIF is committed to identifying and accelerating the most innovative treatment approaches for myeloma patients and we are excited by the potential of this novel approach to cytokine therapy.”
“We are excited about the power that the Myeloma Investment Fund brings to Reverb Therapeutics,” said David de Graaf, PhD, Founder and CEO of Reverb Therapeutics. “Having the scientific and clinical team at the MMRF available to an early-stage company is unique. We can translate their knowledge, focus, and dedication to improve the lives of multiple myeloma patients into impactful therapies such as our IL-15 programs.”
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About the Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to drive the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit www.myelomainvestmentfund.org
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, use data to drive optimal and more personalized treatment approaches, and empower myeloma patients with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has raised over $500 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
About Reverb Therapeutics
Based in Vancouver, Reverb Therapeutics is the leader in the development of treatments for cancer and other diseases using the body’s natural endogenous cytokines. Reverb’s Amplifier™ Antibody platform avoids the systemic toxicity normally associated with cytokine treatments by increasing cytokine levels only in targeted tissues. Elements of Amplifier antibodies are reusable, allowing Reverb to rapidly scale its pipeline across multiple disease areas. Learn more about opportunities to work with Reverb by contacting [email protected].
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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Media Contact:
C.J. Volpe, Director, PR and Communications
203-652-0453
[email protected]
Norwalk, Conn., November 2, 2023 — The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation® (MMRF®) announced today the recipients of three $7 million MMRF Myeloma Accelerator Challenge (MAC) Program Grants totaling $21 million. Each of these three-year multicenter translational projects aim to foster collaboration and advance compelling hypotheses that are ready for rapid testing in clinical trials, a critical step in the MMRF’s urgent pursuit of a cure for each and every myeloma patient.
“The MMRF makes significant strategic investments to generate robust molecular and clinical data and deliver translational research that drives better treatment options for patients,” said George Mulligan, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the MMRF. “These MAC Grants are a critical new part of this investment, and we are excited that the programs selected will bring together multiple centers to work in highly collaborative networks. Our strategic plan identifies specific research areas that need more attention and only through multi-center collaboration can we rapidly create a large set of patients and samples suitable for new research methods.”
The MAC Grants are focused on two critical areas of unmet need in myeloma and are part of the MMRF’s strategic priority to drive optimal treatment approaches for patients. The first is optimizing first-line therapy for high-risk newly diagnosed multiple myeloma because high-risk patients often relapse early and show inferior survival compared to standard-risk patients. The next is improving identification of high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (HR SMM); smoldering multiple myeloma is an early, asymptomatic stage that can progress to active multiple myeloma. For each research topic, the pooling of resources and samples across a network of institutions dramatically improves the ability to drive meaningful results.
“The pace of research needs to accelerate if we are to address the significant unmet needs in multiple myeloma, and the way forward will take collaboration and funding,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO at the MMRF. “Bringing together diverse teams through our MAC Grants that normally have many barriers to working together will bring greater focus and scale to these research priorities, yielding more timely and impactful insights for patients.”
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Sagar Lonial, MD, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, is leading a network of institutions including Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This team will develop an improved definition of high-risk SMM through the generation and analysis of new SMM patient data. These include use of cutting-edge technologies and a large, collaborative set of patient samples, with the goal of better defining which patients are suited for early intervention, which types of interventions can have the greatest impact, and which patients can safely be observed due to a low risk of disease progression.
Prof. Pieter Sonneveld, MD, PhD, Erasmus Medical Center, is leading a European network of institutions including Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, University of Turin, and the University of Salamanca. This team will investigate what makes less responsive, high-risk patients different from other patients with multiple myeloma. By combining different aspects of the disease, researchers will compile an integrated definition of high-risk multiple myeloma, a key step towards new treatments specifically designed for these patients.
Samir Parekh, MD, the Tisch Cancer Center at Mount Sinai, is leading a network of institutions including Albert Einstein Medical College, Hackensack University Medical Center, Stanford University Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, and Washington University of St. Louis. Using cutting-edge technologies, this team will analyze a large cohort of patient samples at the genomic and immune level to understand the critical events that drive high-risk multiple myeloma. The studies have the potential to identify new vulnerabilities that will be further studied using CRISPR gene editing in the laboratory.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the US. It develops in the bone marrow and can spread throughout the body. In 2023, multiple myeloma is expected to be diagnosed in more than 35,000 Americans and take the lives of 12,000. Despite advances, most patients relapse and there is still no cure. Multiple myeloma is twice as common in the Black community compared to other ethnicities and the outcomes for Black patients are generally worse than that of white patients.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is the largest nonprofit in the world solely focused on accelerating a cure for each and every multiple myeloma patient. We drive the development and delivery of next-generation therapies, use data to drive optimal and more personalized treatment approaches, and empower myeloma patients with information and resources to extend their lives. Central to our mission is our commitment to advancing health equity so that all myeloma patients can benefit from the scientific and clinical advances we pursue. Since our inception, the MMRF has raised over $500 million for research, opened nearly 100 clinical trials, and helped bring 15+ FDA-approved therapies to market, which have tripled the life expectancy of myeloma patients. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Media Contact:
C.J. Volpe, Director, PR and Communications
203-652-0453
[email protected]
