NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the University of Michigan announced today that they have partnered to provide multiple myeloma patients with access to their genomic information to help guide their treatments.
Over the course of the two-year Molecular Profiling Initiative (MPI), the partners aim to perform clinical-grade genomic sequencing on bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from 500 relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients free of charge. The data will then be evaluated for alterations in 1,700 cancer-related genes.
Patients can provide samples at a number of sites including the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute; Baylor University Medical Center; the City of Hope; the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center; Hackensack University Medical Center; the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center; Mount Sinai Hospital; The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Princess Margaret Medical Centre; Virginia Cancer Specialists; and Washington University Medical Center. Additional sites will be added in the next few months.
"Precision medicine is rapidly becoming a reality for myeloma patients," Daniel Auclair, senior vice president of research at MMRF, said in a statement. "Efforts like the MPI are essential to identify new treatment options, especially for relapsing individuals, and advance a new generation of tailored therapeutics."