Study to improve diagnosis and outcomes for blood cancer Multiple Myeloma receives $1.7million MRFF funding
Adjunct Professor Andrew Spencer
Adjunct Professor Andrew Spencer from Alfred Health and the School of Translational Medicine has been awarded a $1.7 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) 2023 Genomics Health Futures Mission grant to lead a team that will harness the circulating genome to improve diagnosis and outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma, through the Genomic Liquid biopsy Analysis for Myeloma (GLAM) study.
The team includes researchers from Monash University and clinicians from Alfred Health, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. Consumer representatives from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Myeloma Australia are also involved.
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common haematological cancer and is incurable. The new GLAM study will address two critical knowledge gaps in improving treatment options for patients.
First, the existing evidence demonstrates that a quarter of newly diagnosed MM patients will experience early disease relapse and die in a median of two years from diagnosis. These patients are not accurately identified by available risk stratification models and receive the same treatment as better prognosis patients. Utilising their suite of validated ctDNA assays and building on compelling preliminary data, the team will characterise genomic drivers of adverse disease biology in newly diagnosed patients to identify biomarkers of high risk and provide biological insights to inform rational and more targeted therapies.
Second, while patients with the MM antecedent disorder smoldering MM (SMM) can be identified, none of the currently available prediction models enables the accurate identification of patients who will or will not progress to active MM. It is therefore impossible to develop rationally-informed preventative therapeutic trials in SMM to mitigate the risk of MM. Since the team has recently identified the first blood-based (ctDNA) genomic biomarker of transition of SMM to MM, the GLAM study will further explore this process and other genomic SMM risk factors again utilising their ctDNA assays.
Adjunct Professor Spencer said that the team’s access to approximately 600 fully annotated liquid biopsies from newly diagnosed MM and SMM patients via the Myeloma & Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) linked M1000 biobank would also underpin the study. “Both of these globally unique proposed lines of investigation are transformative and will enable both personalised treatments for truly high-risk newly diagnosed MM and preventative strategies in SMM patients who will go on to develop MM,” he said. “The GLAM study will leverage a decade-long body of work linking real-world data (MRDR), prospective biobanking (M1000) and the team’s world-leading liquid biopsy genomics capabilities.”
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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