NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium has completed the sequencing of the first multiple myeloma whole genomes, which researchers will use to identify potential targets for treatments.
The Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative was started by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and is being conducted in collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The initiative is a comprehensive genomic analysis program aimed at gaining knowledge about the disease's biology in an effort to speed up the progress for treatments.
Data from the initiative will "play an important role in developing better treatment options for individuals who derive little benefit from existing therapies and may ultimately help provide multiple myeloma patients with the most appropriate treatment for his or her disease," MMRF CSO Louise Perkins said in a statement.
The MMRC, which has a total of 15 member institutions, has now begun analyzing data from the project, and additional genomes are being sequenced, MMRF said.
The Norwalk, Conn.-based foundation also is developing a portal to make the data from the myeloma genomics program available to researchers.