SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences today announced the creation of the Myeloma Genome Project, a collaborative initiative aimed at compiling the largest dataset of high-quality genomic and clinical data to identify distinct molecular disease segments within multiple myeloma to advance diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of multiple myeloma patients. The initiative seeks to develop clinically relevant tests. Details of the project and initial characterization and preliminary analyses of newly diagnosed myeloma patient data were presented today by Brian Walker, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif.
“The Myeloma Genome Project is a really exciting initiative that may change the way we manage myeloma patients,” said Gareth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Myeloma Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Current technologies have discovered five major translocation groups within myeloma patients and these mutations have demonstrated varying effects on prognosis. The Myeloma Genome Project is also looking at minor translocation and mutational groups that are often poorly described due to small sample numbers in limited data sets. The group has established a set of 2,161 patients for which whole exome sequencing (WES; n=1,436), whole genome sequencing (WGS; n=708), targeted panel sequencing (n=993) and expression data from RNA-sequencing and gene expression arrays (n=1,497) were available. The data were collected from the Myeloma XI trial (UK), Intergroupe Francophone du Myeloma/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Myeloma Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
“Understanding the various subgroups within multiple myeloma that exhibit distinct pathogenesis and clinical behavior is critical when looking to advance new therapies, particularly when considering a targeted approach,” said Rob Hershberg, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Celgene. “We look forward to the insights that this collaboration will provide for research and for patients.”
“The Myeloma Genome Project expects to lead the way towards developing personalized and targeted therapy to improve patient outcomes in myeloma,” said Nikhil Munshi, M.D., Director of Basic and Correlative Science at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Myeloma Genome Project has begun to integrate these diverse, large genomic data sets and is identifying genetic information that may inform clinical targets for therapy. While analyses are not completed, the current efforts clearly demonstrate the feasibility of this approach and the project leaders plan to expand collaboration to include additional investigators and institutions and present updates at future medical and scientific meetings including publications in peer-reviewed journals.
About Celgene
Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is an integrated global biopharmaceutical company engaged primarily in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases through next-generation solutions in protein homeostasis, immuno-oncology, epigenetics, immunology and neuro-inflammation. For more information, please visit www.celgene.com. Follow Celgene on Social Media: @Celgene, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
From achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care.
Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston’s Longwood Medical Area.
Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique, 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute’s work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world.
About the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is Arkansas’ only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in Arkansas. UAMS physicians and other professionals provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS regional centers throughout the state. The UAMS Myeloma Institute is the most comprehensive center in the world for research and clinical care related to multiple myeloma and related diseases, such as Castleman Disease and Waldenstrom Macroglobulemia. The institute’s team of scientists and clinicians has pioneered many advances that have become standards of care, leading to improved survival rates. The UAMS Myeloma Institute is known for its “bench to bedside” approach, continually translating advances in the laboratory into breakthrough clinical treatments.
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