NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced three research abstracts to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago, IL. The abstracts focus on the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium MyDRUG™ Master Protocol, electronic medical record (EHR) data collection for a new MMRF myeloma patient registry, and examination of patient knowledge gaps surrounding optimizing their decision-making and outcomes.
Presented at the poster session on Monday June 3, “The Myeloma-Developing Regimens Using Genomics (MyDRUG) Master Protocol” describes the first platform trial for myeloma patients, which includes five targeted arms, each of which is based on a specific genomic alteration, and one arm for patients with none of the five mutations, to deliver targeted treatments to high-risk myeloma patients. Several of these alterations were identified or validated through the MMRF CoMMpass™ Study. MMRF Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Auclair, PhD, is the lead author.
Please visit https://themmrf.org/mydrug/ to learn more about the trial.
The second abstract investigates lessons learned in the course of EHR data collection during the pilot phase of an MMRF direct-to-patient multiple myeloma registry. MMRF Chief Data Officer Steven Labkoff, MD and Dr. Auclair, are among the authors who examined the challenges of consented patient record retrieval.
The data identifies unpredictable challenges associated with release of records that could prove a barrier to research efforts and highlights the need to establish best practices in release and retrieval of medical records for real world data research.
The third abstract highlights research conducted with patients across five different cancers that were brought together through the Harvard Business School Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator (HBS KPMA). The authors, including MMRF Founder and Chief Mission Officer Kathy Giusti and Chief Marketing and Development Officer Anne Quinn Young, MPH, found consistent knowledge gaps across the five cancers in:
- Selecting a knowledgeable care team and facility
- Understanding their specific cancer sub-type and genomic information
- Participating in clinical trials
About Myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common blood cancer. An estimated 32,110 adults (18,130 men and 13,980 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with MM in 2019 and an estimated 12,960 people are predicted to die from the disease. The five-year survival rate for MM is approximately 50.7%, versus 31% in 1999.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
A pioneer in precision medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for multiple myeloma by relentlessly pursuing innovation that accelerates the development of next-generation treatments to extend the lives of patients. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF is a world-recognized leader in cancer research, launching over 80 clinical trials and leading to 10 FDA-approved drugs. Together with its partners, the MMRF has created the only end-to-end solution in precision medicine. With this, the MMRF, a pioneer in precision medicine, continues to disrupt the industry today, building CoMMpass Study, the single largest genomic dataset for any cancer, and launching MyDRUG, the first platform trial in multiple myeloma. Since its inception, the organization has collected over 4,000 samples and tissues in its database, which is shared among 25 academic institutions. The MMRF has raised over $400 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) is a 509 (a) (3) non-profit organization that integrates leading academic institutions to accelerate drug development in multiple myeloma. It is led from the MMRC offices in Norwalk, Conn., and comprises 25 member institutions: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville, Rochester and Scottsdale), Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Dallas, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, City of Hope, Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, Levine Cancer Institute, The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, Ohio State University, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, University Health Network (Princess Margaret Hospital), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, UT Southwestern, Virginia Cancer Specialists and Washington University in St. Louis.
