Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Inc.

A person's immune system is a critical defense against the development of cancer. The immune system can detect and destroy abnormal cells, including cancer cells. As people age, the immune system weakens, which can lead to the development of cancer, including multiple myeloma. To fully understand myeloma disease biology, we need deep knowledge of not only the genetics of myeloma, but also myeloma patient immunity. Specifically, we need to understand how a myeloma patient's immune system can change during the development of their disease and how it is affected by therapy. To drive this understanding the MMRF is developing an immune-focused database (the MMRF Immune Atlas) describing the myeloma patient immune system from disease development, through diagnosis and their treatment journey. 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.

All the data we generate through a variety of research programs including CoMMpass and CureCloud will ultimately be stored and shared with other researchers through the MMRFs Virtual Lab. We know that driving scientific advances for patients happens more quickly when we work togetherthats why weve invested in a data architecture, analytics, and sharing platform to enable better collaboration with our data in Virtual Lab.

We are pleased to announce $14 million supporting new myeloma research projects. The topic of focus is optimizing first-line therapy for high-risk newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (HR-NDMM) Each grant will support multicenter translational research projects for 3 years. The output of these preclinical research programs will be cogent clinical hypotheses ready for rapid clinical trial deployment.

The MMRF is pleased to announce a new Clinical Translational Research Program, the MMRF Myeloma Omics Initiative. Successful applicants will receive access to state-of-the-art -omics platforms and analytics resources to analyze bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from patients enrolled in high-value clinical studies in multiple myeloma and precursor conditions. Applicants must be actively conducting, or have completed, high-value clinical trials in multiple myeloma or precursor conditions and have access to viable biosamples and sample derivatives from treated patients.

The MMRF believes that we can make more research progress and achieve better outcomes for patients if the researchers and care teams for myeloma patients are more representative of the patients they serve. The MMRF Scholars Program provides financial support for qualified Black and African American researchers and clinicians (MD and/or PhD or equivalent degree(s)) currently active, or interested in pursuing a career, in the field of multiple myeloma. Awardees will be provided with up to $400,000 of financial support over 4 years ($100,000/year) plus 10% indirect costs (total award $440,000) to support their career development as researchers in multiple myeloma from post-doctoral to first tenure-track position.

The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) is a network of leading myeloma treatment centers that conduct early-stage clinical trials to evaluate novel treatment strategies for patients. This collaborative research model has conducted close to 100 Phase I and Phase II clinical trials, enrolling over a thousand patients to date. The MMRC continues to successfully foster the development of novel therapies and champion rigorous research and clinical trials. Current MMRC clinical trials that have the potential to make significant contributions for myeloma treatment include: MyDRUG, a groundbreaking clinical trial program that is testing multiple new treatments for patients with high-risk multiple myeloma.

Navigating a new diagnosis and variety of treatment options can be complex. The MMRF Patient Navigation Center enables multiple myeloma patients and caregivers to connect with patient navigators for information and support. Patients can connect with a patient navigator via phone, email, or online web form.

There are times when patients have questions during their journey with myeloma that only another patient or caregiver can answer. The MMRF Myeloma Mentors program provides patients and caregivers the opportunity to connect with trained mentors. These mentors are fellow patients and caregivers who share personal insights to help inform, activate, empower, and support the multiple myeloma community.

The MMRF's venture philanthropy subsidiary, the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), is the first and only mission driven venture philanthropy fund focused on myeloma. It identifies and invests in the most promising biotechnology companies with innovative clinical assets and technologies that could be transformative for myeloma patients. The development of better and more personalized treatments for myeloma largely depends on biotechnology companies. Investments in these companies through the MIF provide the financial and strategic support to drive a stable, sustainable pipeline for the development of new therapies. The MIF also works closely with its portfolio companies to help them advance their myeloma programs and improve their probability of success.

The MMRF Research Fellow Award Program is an initiative that supports early career researchers at the post-doctorate, medical fellow or junior faculty levels currently active or interested in research in multiple myeloma. The MMRF will provide $150,000 in research funding over two years to successful applicants who seek to learn more about the biology of multiple myeloma, and identify new approaches to monitor for and treat the disease.

MyDRUG is a groundbreaking clinical trial program that is testing multiple new treatments for patients with high-risk multiple myeloma. It is evaluating treatments that are targeted against specific genomic alterations within the myeloma cells. The scientific hypothesis for the MyDRUG clinical trial came out of our CoMMpass Study, which has generated the largest myeloma genomics database openly accessible to researchers across the globe.