2025 IMF Brian D. Novis Research Grants
By Lisa Paik, IMF Executive Vice President, Research & Operations
Scope / Methodology
This article provides an overview of the 2025 Brian D. Novis Research Grants awarded by the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF). Content was developed by the IMF medical editorial team using information from the official grant program, investigator-submitted project summaries, and IMF event materials from the August 16, 2025 award ceremony in Los Angeles. It is intended for patients, care partners, donors, and oncology professionals.
Key Takeaways / Highlights
- Three investigators were awarded 2025 Brian D. Novis (BDN) Research Grants, supporting innovative myeloma research across Spain and the United States.
- Senior grant recipient Dr. Norma C. Gutiérrez is investigating RUVBL1 inhibition as a synthetic lethal strategy for MYC-oveexpressing myeloma—a pathway implicated in up to half of all cases.
- Junior grant recipients Dr. Esperanza Martín-Sánchez and Dr. Arnold Bolomsky are pursuing high-impact studies focused on circulating tumor cells (CTCs), minimal residual disease, and IRF4-related vulnerabilities—all areas tied to relapse and curative therapy development.
- The BDN program has funded nearly 170 myeloma research projects since 1995, driven by donor generosity and aimed at improving patient survival, treatment innovation, and progress toward a cure.
- IMF leadership emphasized the CCC model — Creative, Collaborative, Comprehensive — as the foundation of IMF research, highlighting the global collaboration behind advances in myeloma science.
Nearly 170 myeloma research projects have been funded by the IMF as part of the Brian D. Novis Research Grants program. Launched in 1995 and named in memory of the IMF co-founder, this program supports groundbreaking research that aims to increase our understanding of myeloma in order to improve patient outcomes and to help find a cure.
The selection of the projects is a competitive process. “The Brian D. Novis Research Grants recognize exceptional scientists dedicated to improving patient outcomes in myeloma. These grants are made possible by the generosity of our donors, whose support drives the innovative research transforming patient care today and bringing us closer to a cure tomorrow,” said Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar (IMF Chairperson of the Board). The philanthropic generosity by the friends of the IMF who share our vision of a world without myeloma and a better quality of life for all myeloma patients has funded more than $8,000,000 in grants to support promising research by both senior and junior investigators.
On August 16, the Brian D. Novis Research Grants award ceremony was held during a reception and dinner directly following this year’s IMF Patient & Family Seminar in Los Angeles, CA. This event is a unique in-person opportunity for the donors and the scientists to meet each other. Many donors and researchers form a transformative bond as they continue to follow each other’s progress through the years. The Brian D. Novis Research Grant program is a rewarding and meaningful philanthropic experience for the donors who become part of the efforts to find a cure through their support of science.
Diane Moran (IMF Interim CEO and Senior VP of Strategic Planning) introduced this year’s grant recipients, noting that the impact of this program over the past 30 years has helped shape the future of myeloma research: “The IMF is helping to fuel bold, high-impact research across the globe. This collective effort has transformed the outlook for myeloma patients. Survival has dramatically improved, more than 20 therapies are reaching patients, and we are beginning to see a clear path toward a cure. We proudly recognize the 2025 Brian D. Novis Grant recipients, each of whom carries forward this legacy of progress. Together, we are advancing science, supporting innovation, and most importantly, standing beside every patient who’s counting on us.”
Dr. Joseph Mikhael (IMF Chief Medical Officer) emphasized that myeloma research is vital to advanc ing myeloma care: “The IMF has been a trusted resource for the myeloma community as well as a critical convener of research worldwide. The IMF conducts research with the CCC model – Creative, Collaborative, Comprehensive. Creative in that we seek novel and unique ways to understand, measure, and attack myeloma – a multifaceted approach to conquer this cancer. Collaborative in that we bring together academic institutions, patients, industry, and regulators – the world of myeloma all in one place, to find solutions that individually could not be discovered. Comprehensive in that we approach myeloma from the bench to the bedside, from its precursors to its most aggressive forms – we cover the whole spectrum of the disease and all who are affected by it worldwide.”
Senior research grant
The following investigator was awarded $80,000:
Norma C. Gutiérrez, MD, PhD
Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Spain
“RUVBL1 as a synthetic lethality approach for MYC overexpressing multiple myeloma”
Donor: Miracles for Myeloma 5K Run/Walk
Organizers: Ron & Sheree Pask
Dr. Gutiérrez is an attending physician of hematology and an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University Hospital of Salamanca. She is also the principal investigator of “Molecular and Cellular Biology of Hemopathies” at IBSAL. Her primary research focuses on understanding the genetic basis of myeloma and other monoclonal gammopathies using high-throughput genomic technologies and functional assays. To date, she has published more than 200 peer-reviewed original papers in international journals.
Dr. Gutiérrez’s IMF-funded project aims to validate RUVBL1 as a synthetic lethal gene for MYC and evaluate its inhibition as a new therapeutic approach for MYC-overexpressing myeloma patients. She explained: “Multiple myeloma is characterized by malignant plasma cell accumulation in the bone marrow. The MYC oncogene is altered in 40-50% of myeloma cases, and its overexpression is linked to increased tumor growth and disease progression. Directly targeting MYC is challenging due to its complex structure and involvement in numerous cellular processes. One strategy that could help to overcome the difficulties in the development of direct inhibitors is to exploit the concept of synthetic lethality.”
“Myeloma is a type of blood cancer where abnormal plasma cells accumulate uncontrollably in the bone marrow. The MYC gene is commonly altered in myeloma, accelerating tumor growth and disease progression. The aim of this research is to improve survival and quality of life of myeloma patients by exploring innovative treatment approaches.”
Junior research grant
The following investigator was awarded $50,000:
Esperanza Martín-Sánchez, BSc, PhD
Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra – Pamplona, Spain
“Defining the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma by integrative next-generation flow and sequencing analyses of CTCs and MRD clones”
Donor: Czerkies Memorial Golf Outing
Organizer: Craig Czerkies
Dr. Martín-Sánchez earned her PhD in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO, Madrid, Spain), where she developed her thesis with the Lymphoma Group, focusing her research on the identification of new potential therapeutic targets in chemoresistant lymphomas. For more than 15 years, Dr. Martín-Sánchez’s participation in 20 research projects has provided her with expertise in the molecular biology of cancer, reflected in 22 publications and more than 30 peer-reviews in scientific journals.
During the pandemic, Dr. Martín-Sánchez explored COVID-19 immunopathobiology and vaccine effectiveness to identify highrisk immune biomarkers, particularly in myeloma patients. Shortly after, she was granted by the Spanish Association Against Cancer to develop minimally invasive methods to detect early myeloma.
Dr. Martín-Sánchez’s IMF-funded project aims to elucidate the biological significance and genomic characteristics of myeloma circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and minimal residual disease (MRD) cells using next-generation flow (NGF) cytometry and sequencing technologies. CTCs are present in a significant portion of myeloma patients and may represent a metastatic subclone with unique genomic features.
As Dr. Martín-Sánchez noted: “Additionally, we aim to characterize the genomic signature of ultra-chemoresistant MRD cells. These studies seek to identify novel therapeutic targets to prevent relapse and improve treatment outcomes in myeloma.” By focusing on these cells, she hopes to discover why some patients experience relapse even after intensive therapy and to identify potential new treatments to prevent myeloma from coming back.
Junior research grant
The following investigator was awarded $50,000:
Arnold Bolomsky, PhD
National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S.A.
“Targeting Novel Regulators of IRF4: Examination of RNA binding proteins regulating IRF4 expression as targetable vulnerability in multiple myeloma”
Donor: Mission for Matt
Organizers: Debbie Beatty and Family
Dr. Bolomsky began his myeloma research career as an undergraduate student in the laboratory of myeloma expert Prof. Heinz Ludwig in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Bolomsky is now at the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His research has been published in top-tier journals and both supported and awarded by multiple independent funding agencies. Dr. Bolomsky’s IMF-funded project aims to define how RNA binding proteins control IRF4 expression and regulate oncogenic transcription. Targeting of IRF4 has curative potential.
As Dr. Bolomsky explained: “Tremendous progress has been achieved in the field of myeloma. This has made long-term disease control a realistic goal for many patients. However, continuous treatment compromises quality of life and highlights the need for curative approaches. We believe that new drug classes targeting plasma cell-specific dependencies are key to achieve a myeloma cure. This study investigates novel approaches to target IRF4, the most essential myeloma gene and highly specific oncogenic driver of myeloma.”
In closing
Science requires funding to search for a cure through research. The IMF is grateful to all its donors for sustaining the Brian D. Novis Research Grants program for the past 30 years. We hope you’ll continue to support the IMF’s initiatives and play a vital role in our fight against myeloma.
To learn more about the Brian D. Novis Research Grants program and the projects it has funded, visit myeloma.org/brian-d-novis-research-grants.
(This article was originally published in the 2025 Fall Edition of the IMF's quarterly publication, Myeloma Today. Read the full publication here.)
This article was medically reviewed by Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO on August 16, 2025.
This article reflects medical guidance available at the time of review and is not routinely updated.