Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium
Encyclopedia
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium
The mission of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) is to champion collaboration with and integration across academia and industry and to focus on speed and innovation to bring the most promising multiple myelomaMultiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
treatments to patients faster. It was founded by Kathy Giusti
Kathy Giusti
Kathy Giusti is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium . In 1998, following her diagnosis with multiple myeloma, Giusti founded the MMRF to fund innovative myeloma research and drug discovery...
, a myeloma patient and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer, which afflicts over fifty thousand Americans alone...
(MMRF).
MMRC Model
The MMRC comprises 14 Member Institutions nationwide that form its clinical trials network. It is led by an Executive Committee in Norwalk, ConnecticutNorwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, and a Steering Committee and Progress Review Committee composed of researchers from MMRC Member Institutions. The MMRC also includes a shared Tissue Bank of annotated tissue and peripheral blood samples from multiple myeloma patients.
MMRC Member Institutions
The MMRC currently comprises fourteen world-renowned academic institutions: Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteDana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is part of a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute. It is a major affiliate of Harvard Medical School and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts.-Overview:...
, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute opened on October 26, 1986, on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida. The current President/CEO is Dr. William S...
, Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
, City of Hope National Medical Center
City of Hope National Medical Center
City of Hope National Medical Center, is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate medical school located in Duarte, California, United States...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center is a 775-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital located seven miles west of New York City, in Hackensack, New Jersey, providing tertiary and healthcare needs for northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area...
, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Center, University Health Network
University Health Network
University Health Network is a medical centre that comprises three teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine....
(Princess Margaret Hospital
Princess Margaret Hospital
Princess Margaret Hospital may refer to:* Princess Margaret Hospital in Canada specializing in Oncology* Princess Margaret Hospital * Princess Margaret Hospital in New Zealand...
), University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University.
MMRC Tissue Bank
The MMRC Tissue Bank serves as a “bridge” between laboratory and clinical research conducted by the MMRC and is a resource to advance the MMRC Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative.MMRC Clinical Trials
The MMRC is focused on advancing Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of novel compounds and combination approaches. To date, the MMRC has opened through its clinical trials network 22 clinical trials with industry partners – including NovartisNovartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
, Celgene
Celgene
Celgene Corporation is a manufacturer of drug therapies for cancer and inflammatory disorders. It is incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Summit, New Jersey...
, Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
, and Proteolix. MMRC clinical trials are also designed to include correlative studies to better understand what drugs are most effective in treating various sub-groups of patients with myeloma, laying the foundation for the development of personalized medicine
Personalized medicine
Personalized medicine is a medical model emphasizing in general the customization of healthcare, with all decisions and practices being tailored to individual patients in whatever ways possible...
.
MMRC Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative
The MMRC Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative comprehensive genomic analysis program. It was designed to rapidly accelerate progress made against multiple myeloma by significantly improving the understanding of the biology of the disease. It is spearheaded by the MMRC and in collaboration with the Broad InstituteBroad Institute
The Broad Institute is a genomic medicine research center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Although it is independently governed and supported as a 501 nonprofit research organization, the institute is formally affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard...
and the Translational Genomics Research Institute
Translational Genomics Research Institute
The Translational Genomics Research Institute , is a non-profit genomics research institute established in 2002 by Jeffrey Trent, the founding Scientific Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute , in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.TGen seeks to employ genetic discoveries to improve...
(TGen).