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Nikki Roldan is a standout as a myeloma patient. At age 30, she is energetic and always armed with what she calls, “PMA—or positive mental attitude.” Around her neck she wears a necklace that she made out of bullet casings. She, her big brothers, and her dad went to the desert to shoot guns. Nikki…
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May 7, 2020
As the COVID-19 crisis enters a new phase of re-opening in some places, it is important to assess what the new abnormal is going to look like. Within this new abnormal it is essential to achieve the best myeloma care possible. So, let’s start with myeloma care for…
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April 30, 2020
This week, there was renewed concern in the myeloma community after a report appeared in the Washington Post about higher risks for cancer patients who become infected…
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At the Brian D. Novis Research Grant Awards reception, a night filled with hope held during the 2019 American Society of Hematology meeting, Doug Farrell shared how he adopted an attitude of steadfastness — or 'staying with it' — once diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Read the full…
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Tim Gavallas is a police officer, father of twins, husband, kayaker, ice-fisher, mountain climber, and multiple myeloma patient. At the Brian D. Novis Research Grant Awards reception, a night filled with hope held during the 2019 American Society of Hematology meeting, Tim shared how a…
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Even though Dan Niedert has been living with multiple myeloma, he finds resilience in his myeloma journey. At the Brian D. Novis Research Grant Awards reception, a night filled with hope held during the 2019 American Society of Hematology meeting, Dan described his experiences with the…
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Published on February 20, 2020
I have written a lot about resilience and the importance of it for myeloma patients. The “Wall of Resilience,” a moving photo…
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Advancements in Myeloma Research: Black Swan Projects in 2020
The result of a brainstorming meeting held in Amsterdam in 2012, the IMF Black Swan Research Initiative (BSRI) has made enormous progress. A Global Technology Platform involving seven…
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Over the holidays, while the terrifying fires raged in Australia, people asked themselves, “How do we stop climate change?” At the same time, the usual holiday food temptations abounded, and, on a micro level, discussions focused on whether it was okay to indulge in red meat—or are healthier…
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As we move into the holiday season, we are all looking forward to time with family and friends to enjoy, celebrate, and relax after a tumultuous year. This year was extraordinarily busy for the IMF, but in 2019 there were great steps forward to improve outcomes for myeloma patients everywhere. In…
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The IMF team just returned from an extremely busy and exciting meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in Orlando. What are the key takeaways from the myeloma research presented at this important event? Here is the news I found to…
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ASH Abstracts 2019
Today, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) released late-breaking abstracts in advance of the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting, Dec. 7-10 in Orlando, Florida.
According to ASH, the six late-…
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Early iStopMM Results for MGUS Screening in Iceland REYKJAVIK, Iceland, November 14, 2019—After three years of work, initial results from the IMF-supported iStopMM project were presented here today by Dr. Sigurdur Kristinsson (…
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The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting will take place Dec. 7 through Dec. 10 in Orlando, Florida, and the abstracts for the meeting—always eagerly awaited—were released yesterday. Among the over 700 abstracts dealing…
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The recent publication of the ECOG trial evaluating lenalidomide (Revlimid) treatment versus observation for patients with smoldering myeloma has prompted considerable discussion about the current recommendations for treatment. That…
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At the last two International Myeloma Working Group Summits, two new technologies were featured: 1) CRISPR gene editing, in 2018 and 2) Deep Learning/Artificial Intelligence, in 2019. Recent news…
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On Thursday, October 17th, IMF president Susie Durie and I will have the great pleasure once again of welcoming our guests to the 13th Annual Comedy Celebration benefiting the Peter Boyle Research Fund.
The generous donors who participate in this…
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While on vacation for 2019, I am recharging my resilience for the coming months. I have a photo to share with the myeloma patients who created the “Wall of Resilience,” a collage of inspirational images…
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The phase III CANDOR clinical trial has met its primary endpoint, according to a Sept. 13…
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Belantamab Mafodotin DREAMM-2 Results and FDA Filing Update On August 23, GlaxoSmithKline announced positive headline results for the DREAMM…
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The Vital Role of Real Food in Global Health and Well-Being
I have written a lot about the benefits of “real food,” especially as part of a Mediterranean-style diet. A large new…
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With great sorrow, we announce the passing of Aldo Del Col, M.S.M., Co-Founder of Myeloma Canada and International Myeloma Foundation Board of Directors Member.
Aldo was an incredible human being who lived a full life with myeloma for 17 years. He believed deeply in the IMF’s mantra, “Knowledge…
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This past weekend the IMF convened the 20th annual Support Group Leaders Summit in Dallas, Texas. As usual, this was a highly emotional and successful event, bringing together 69 returning support group leaders, along with 31 leaders who participated for the first time. Congratulations to Robin…
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At the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) Summit in June, the most active work group focused on immunotherapy, primarily CAR T-cell therapies and BiTEs (bi-specific T-cell engagers). The myeloma researchers who joined the immunotherapy work…
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At the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago, the idea of preventing the progression of high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma to active myeloma using lenalidomide was a topic of active discussion. In this…
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This has been a busy few weeks, with many important items in the news. Perhaps the most prominent was the issue of smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM): how to diagnose it and how to treat it—or not.
Smoldering myeloma
At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)…
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Patients with active myeloma need the best treatment and, understandably, they are keenly interested in the search for a cure. But to prevent myeloma in the first place, we need a deep understanding of the disease. This understanding will lead to a world without myeloma by accelerating true disease…
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The Importance of the IMWG Summit for Advancing Myeloma ResearchThe 10th Annual International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) Summit convenes in Amsterdam on June 10-12, 2019. Each year, the Summit hosts the top 100 or so myeloma researchers…
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The 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago is fast approaching (May 31-June 4). Out of a total of 4,950 abstracts released Wednesday, May 15, 210 are myeloma related. As usual, there is one oral session on Sunday, June 1 from 9:45 am -12:45 pm, which includes the top…
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This week it is exciting to see the results of CAR T-cell therapy reported fully in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Results using the bb2121 anti-BCMA CAR T-cells were reported previously in…
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The Bright Future: Advancements Toward a Myeloma Cure
We read, hear and see so much negative news that it is important to remember that good things are happening too. That includes getting closer to finding a cure for myeloma.
But what does “a cure” really mean?
The outlook on response,…
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After returning from Europe, where Susie and I recently received a joint honorary doctorate from VUB, there was much catching up to do. But when I arrived home from the office, the Wi-Fi was not working. This is a…
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The title of John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men” was inspired by Robert Burns’ well-known poem, “To a Mouse.” In it, the poet notes that the best…
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At the recent VUB Honorary Doctorate Awards Ceremony at the University of Brussels, the focus was on “Figures That Matter.” The word “figures” had a double meaning: numbers and facts, as well as individuals and personalities. Susie and I…
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Although Yolande Paine has been living with multiple myeloma, she draws strength from being a Myeloma Warrior. At the Brian D. Novis Research Grant Awards reception, a night filled with hope held annually during the American Society of Hematology meeting, Yolande movingly described her…
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Update as of February 2, 2022
Secura Bio has since announced that it has decided to withdraw the accelerated approval of the New…
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It is unexpected and wonderful to have reported cures for a patient with HIV/AIDS and…
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Myeloma Warrior Mindset: How Teamwork Helps Patients ThriveAlthough Ron Hood has been living with multiple myeloma, he draws strength from being a Myeloma Warrior. At the 2018 Brian D. Novis Research Grant Awards reception, a night filled with hope held annually during the American Society…
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In an emotional discussion on Tuesday, February 26 at the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) meeting, committee members voted 8 to 5 to await the results of an…
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In this week’s Myeloma Minute, a new video gives an overview of the IMF Black Swan Research Initiative (BSRI). As we move into 2019, there are ambitious plans to accelerate the search for a cure, uncover the…
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Although Valarie Traynham has been living with multiple myeloma, she draws strength from being a Myeloma Warrior. At the Brian D. Novis Research Grant Awards reception, a night filled with hope held annually during the American Society of Hematology meeting, Valarie movingly described her…
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Ever since the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative (BSRI) in 2012 to find the pathway to a cure for multiple myeloma, the project has focused on achieving and documenting minimal residual disease (MRD), the lowest level of disease possible with currently…
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It was a very sad day in December 2018 when I learned of the passing of Hardy Jones, a patient who was a myeloma warrior and true inspiration to the myeloma community. Since 1978, Hardy had pursued a life devoted to the study and protection…
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Future Multiple Myeloma Therapy and Eliminating Resistant Disease As we grapple with the outcomes from the myeloma research presented in San Diego last week at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), it is worth pondering the future for myeloma therapies. So many…
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On September 28, the US FDA permitted marketing of ClonoSEQ assay, a next-generation sequencing (NGS) test used for assessing minimal residual disease (MRD) in multiple myeloma. This is excellent news and…
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On Thursday, November 15, the iStopMM (Iceland Screens Treats or Prevents Multiple Myeloma) team gathered at the deCODE genetics facility in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the 3rd Annual iStopMM research review…
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On Wednesday, November 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of elotuzumab (Empliciti®) by intravenous injection in combination…
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ASCENT Trial: Early Intervention in Smoldering Myeloma
The ASCENT trial (Aggressive Smoldering Curative Approach Evaluating Novel Therapies) is evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the combination of Darzalex® (daratumumab) + Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) + Revlimid® (lenalidomide) +…
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Asian Myeloma Network Summit Highlights in Beijing The past weekend, October 19-21, the IMF convened the second annual Asian Myeloma Network (AMN) Summit in Beijing. The first AMN Summit was in Seoul, South Korea last October. Members from the seven…
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The last IMF Patient & Family Seminar of the year was held this past weekend in Philadelphia. These two-day meetings bring patients and caregivers together with myeloma experts, nurses, and IMF staff to educate and…