Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
We believe that the immune system in patients with a precursor condition to multiple myeloma (a cancer in the bone marrow) allows the disease to progress (worsen) into more serious disease. Our project aims to find immune biomarkers that predict disease progression and identify patients who will likely progress early to treat the most at-risk patients before they become symptomatic. These markers may include changes in the number or type of immune cells or changes in the way those cells work. We will also examine how patients’ immune systems change in response to a new treatment that targets immune cells. We will use DNA and RNA sequencing and spatial imaging to investigate single cells from the bone marrow. We will gain a detailed picture of how the immune system supports or fights the tumor. This work will support the development of new treatments that may slow or stop disease progression.
