CAR T therapy is becoming a hot area of early clinical trials for multiple myeloma patients, but most are personally customized for each patient. A company called Cellectis has developed an off-the-shelf CAR T that every patient can use. Instead of being an "autologous" CAR T treatment (where you use your own cells), this is also called an "allogeneic" CAR T, or a "donor"CAR T. Many of the current CAR T therapies are going after a target called b-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). This It is going after a different target called CS1/SLAMF7. Learn more about this new treatment (called UCARTCS1) from David Siegel, MD, PhD of Hackensack University / John Theurer Cancer Center and how it will be used in early myeloma clinical trials.  Thanks to our episode sponsor: Celgene Corporation

A new clinical trial is open combining low dose melphalan, a drug commonly used at high doses for stem cell transplant, and high dose intravenous Vitamin C. Learn more about how these two treatments work synergistically and why they have been combined in a clinical trial at the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa has unique experience with IV Vitamin C and Dr. Yogesh Jethava joins Myeloma Crowd Radio to share this fascinating open study now enrolling patients.  Dr. Yogesh Jethava is Associate Professor and Director of the Multiple Myeloma program as well as Associate Director of the Blood and Marrow Program at the University of Iowa. Prior to this appointment, he was director of the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Services Division of Hematology Oncology at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences or UAMS where he established the first fully functional allo transplant unit. There, he was Director and Attending Physician for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Subspecialty Clinic.   Dr. Jethava is an International Myeloma Working Group member and part of the EMBT malignancy working group and is a member of the Experimental Therapeutics groups and others. He reviews abstracts for publications like blood leukemia in the Blood Cancer Journal, and he is also working on studies that involves high dose vitamin C infusions for plasma cell disorders like myeloma.

A new monoclonal antibody called Isatuximab is advancing through clinical trials and is getting closer to FDA approval. This antibody targets CD38. Learn more from Dr. Ravi Vij of Washington University as he discusses the findings from recent clinical trials, how this drug will be used in the clinc and how it is different from other monoclonal antibodies previously approved. Dr. Vij was the senior author on the first Isatuximab paper published in Blood and has been involved in several clinical trials to date.  Dr. Ravi Vij is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Washington School of Medicine in the Bone Marrow Transplant section. He received his medical degree in India and did follow-up training and residency at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago and fellowships in Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Stem Cell Biology at Washington University. He’s a member of ASCO, ASH, the St. Louis Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He serves on numerous national committees including the Myeloma, Transplant, Leukemia Committees of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and the Steering Committee of the MMRC. His honors include the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Innovator Award in 2013 and the MMRC Center of Excellence Award. He’s the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications, as well as a book called Contemporary Management of Multiple Myeloma, and several book chapters. He served as a reviewer for several journals, including Blood, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Experimental Hematology, and Haematologica.

Major progress is being made in the field of multiple myeloma including a vast array of immunotherapy options. Learn about key findings from the recent ASH conference in addition to what we can look forward to in the coming year. Listen to myeloma expert Robert Z. Orlowski, MD, PhD of the MD Anderson Cancer Center as he reviews the up-and-coming choices for the clinic and those new treatments in clinical trials. Dr. Orlowski is Director of the Myeloma Section, Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Orlowski serves as Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and is a member of the NCI Steering Committee, the Multiple Myeloma Tissue Bank Steering Committee, the Computerized Provider Order Entry Steering Committee, BMT Committee, and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Orlowski is on the Editorial Board of Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Orlowski has received many awards over a number of years including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar in Clinical Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year Award, Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research from MD Anderson and has received a SPORE grant from the NIH. Find news and information from his daily newspaper, Myeloma Daily or find him on Twitter at @myeloma_doc. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology

Testing Your Individual Myeloma Tumor Against Available Myeloma Therapies Each myeloma patient's tumor is unique and can change over time. Dr. Rodriguez is using a new 3D organoid tumor modeling platform which allows the testing of over 50 myeloma treatment combinations against your specific tumor (including your bone marrow microenvironment) to identify which treatments will work best for your type of myeloma. This personalized approach will help you find useful drug combinations that will have the most impact and avoid treatments that will be ineffective. Learn more in this fascinating show.  Thanks to our episode sponsor: Takeda Oncology

Targeting CD24 to Eliminate Myeloma Stem Cells Myeloma stem cells (or early progenitor cells before they become plasma cells) may not be killed with current myeloma therapies and could be the cause of relapse. Dr. Zhan has identified the presence of CD24 as a strong candidate as a cancer stem cell marker and believes that high CD24 levels lead to more aggressive myeloma and earlier death. His work will test patient samples for the presence of CD24 and assess outcomes while also identifying CD24 monoclonal antibodies that could impact this target. Learn more from Dr. Zhan and Dr. Yogesh Jethava of the University of Iowa in this Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative show. Donate to the MCRI here: give.crowdcare.org/mcri Thanks to our episode sponsor, Celgene Corporation.

Why do some multiple myeloma patients relapse early after stem cell transplant while others stay in remission for many years? The immune system may be a key factor.   David Chung, MD, PhD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was recently selected as a Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative (MCRI) award recipient. The goal of the MCRI is to help optimize myeloma therapy for individual patients. Dr. Chung's research will review patients who have undergone stem cell transplant. He will study three different parts of the immune system after transplant - T cells, lymphocytes and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and will compare early vs. late relapse. He will then combine that immune system signature with the myeloma genetics of each patient to understand the impact they have together.  Learn why studying the immune system may be just as important as the study of myeloma genetics and what this research can mean for you personally. The Myeloma Crowd created the MCRI because we "Can't Wait for a Cure." Through the MCRI we want to help find the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. The MCRI is funding three research projects - each with a different focus - that will also integrate with HealthTree, a new tool for myeloma patients. Learn more about HealthTree here: www.healthtree.org. Donate to the MCRI here: http://give.crowdcare.org/mcri. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Takeda Oncology

In the World Series and the world of baseball, a strategy for success means planning ahead - doing everything you can to come out a winner. In the world of multiple myeloma, that means being your best advocate and coming up with your Most Valuable Plan. Which doctor will you choose, what treatments will you receive and in what order? Having a game plan is essential to making sure you stay in the game. Join us as we talk with twelve-time MLB All-Sar and Hall-of-Famer Dave Winfield, whose close friend and former teammate Don Baylor passed away following a 14-year old battle with the disease. Together with Don's son, Don Baylor Jr., both are committed to helping raise awareness for this incurable blood cancer.

African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with the rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma than white Americans and other ethnicities. Why is this and what can we do to ensure that this population obtains their very best care? Learn more about the genetics, younger diagnosis and other unique features for these patients and what we could do to increase life expectancy. Dr. Ashraf Badros of the University of Maryland joins us for this important and life-saving show. Thanks to our episode sponsor, Celgene Corporation.

Stand Up To Cancer has announced a $10 million award to a Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team focused on revolutionizing the treatment of multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer of plasma cells, through early detection of precursor conditions before they turn into full-blown disease.  The team will be led by Irene Ghobrial, MD at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston and Ivan M. Borrello, MD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  The hypothesis of this proposal is that early detection of MGUS/SMM in a high-risk population, along with a good understanding of the molecular and immune factors that lead to disease progression, will lead to effective strategies that intercept disease progression and improve survival. The Dream Team proposes to conduct a screening study of individuals over the age of 45, who are at a high risk for having MGUS or SMM, such as African-Americans and individuals who have a first-degree relative that has been diagnosed with a plasma cell disorder. This study will be called the PROMISE study. We will focus on these populations because they are two to three-fold more likely than others to have these precursor conditions. The Team expects to screen 50,000 individuals to obtain 3,000 MGUS/smoldering myeloma cases to intensively study and follow over time. The Dream Team will study this group in an effort to define biological characteristics that will help to identify which patients will benefit from particular therapies. These biological characteristics include inherited mutations, acquired mutations, and immune factors. The Dream Team will also identify lifestyle and demographic factors that contribute to disease progression, such as obesity and race. The Dream Team will use this information to develop new therapeutics that that can be used to prevent myeloma from progressing.