Emory University, University of Chicago and Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York Join Forces With Existing MMRC Members to Accelerate Drug Development for Multiple Myeloma
NEW CANAAN, Conn., September 8, 2005 - The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) announced today that three additional world-renowned cancer centers -- Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute, University of Chicago and Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York of Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York -- have joined the MMRC, the only non-profit research model of its kind that brings together leading academic institutions to accelerate drug development in multiple myeloma and improve patient outcomes.
"We are thrilled that these three institutions have joined the consortium," said Kathy Giusti, founder and chief executive officer, Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium. "By facilitating collaboration among these top academic cancer centers, we hope to spearhead drugs from the bench to the bedside as quickly as possible for patients with myeloma."
Joining forces with founding MMRC Member Institutions - Dana Farber Cancer Institute, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Mayo Clinic and University Health Network (Princess Margaret Hospital) - researchers from the new member institutions will conduct innovative research in the most promising areas of myeloma research: genomics, target and compound validation and clinical trials.
"Our researchers will now be able to collaborate with other centers of excellence and share critical information that will help accelerate drug discovery," said Sagar Lonial, MD, assistant professor at Emory's Winship Cancer Institute. "We are excited to be part of a team that is working towards building a pipeline of therapeutic drugs to treat myeloma patients."
The MMRC also sets itself apart with its state-of-the art tissue bank, the only repository of its kind, which provides researchers with the critical mass of high-quality myeloma tissue needed to advance research efforts. With more than 300 tissue samples accrued to date under stringent Good Laboratory Practices, the MMRC Tissue Bank serves as an important resource in enabling researchers to initiate strong pre-clinical validation efforts - a critical step in developing effective, targeted therapies for myeloma.
"A scarcity of high-quality tissue poses one of the greatest obstacles in developing new therapies for patients who urgently need them," said Rafael Fonseca, MD, consultant and associate professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic, and director of the MMRC Tissue Bank. "Access to these tissue samples will not only allow us to identify and validate optimal targets faster, but will allow us to complete clinical trials faster."
Novel Research Projects
The MMRC is now conducting several research efforts that are truly on the cutting edge of scientific novelty and significance. These research efforts include a pre-clinical effort to validate key targets in myeloma; a pre- clinical study, in collaboration with a biotech partner, to validate antibodies that may represent promising therapeutic options in myeloma; and, a Phase I trial and correlative sciences study, initiated in collaboration with Chiron Corporation, of an FGFR3 inhibitor.
"This consortium is providing a new level of collaboration which hasn't been possible before," said Todd Zimmerman, MD, assistant professor, University of Chicago. "We are breaking new ground and setting the stage for the rest of the cancer community to follow our innovative model."
About Multiple Myeloma
The second most common hematologic (blood) cancer, multiple myeloma, which affects the plasma cell, represents one percent of all cancer diagnoses and two percent of all cancer deaths. Approximately 46,000 people in the United States are living with multiple myeloma and an estimated 14,600 new cases are diagnosed each year. Although the peak age of onset of multiple myeloma is 65 to 70 years of age, recent statistics suggest that incidence is increasing and at an earlier age.
"Despite recent advances in treating myeloma, the five-year survival rate for multiple myeloma is only 32 percent," said Sundar Jagannath, MD, chief, Multiple Myeloma Program, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York. "The members of the MMRC anticipate that by working together, we can improve survival in myeloma."
About the MMRC
The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) is a 509a3 non-profit organization that integrates leading academic institutions to accelerate drug development in multiple myeloma. The organization was founded by Kathy Giusti, the founder and president of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, which is an early investor in the MMRC. The MMRC was created to rapidly address critical challenges in accelerating drug development and explore opportunities in the most promising areas of myeloma research. The MMRC is the only consortium to join academic institutions through membership agreements, customized IT systems and an integrated tissue bank. For more information, please visit www.themmrc.org.
