MMRF Accelerator Magazine Winter 2015 Edition | Page 12

Landmark MMRF CoMMpass Study reaches major milestone SM 1,000 PATIENTS T H E MMR F I S G R ATE F U L TO T H E 1 , 0 0 0 PAT I E N T S W H O S E PA RT I C I PAT I ON W I L L H E L P U S I M PROVE T R E ATM E N T S A N D FI N D C U R E S . In September, the MMRF announced that the landmark MMRF CoMMpass Study,SM the largest long-term genomic study ever conducted in myeloma, reached a major milestone with full enrollment — an unprecedented 1,000 patients participating. To put this in perspective, in relative terms 1,000 patients with multiple myeloma is the equivalent of more than 1.2 million patients with type 2 diabetes. The global study is mapping the genomic profile of each enrolled patient in order to advance our understanding of disease progression, including patient response to therapies. Tissue samples will be genetically analyzed when the patient is first diagnosed, and then each time there is a change in treatment, over the course of eight years. Data from the study will improve our understanding of the disease biology at diagnosis, and how it changes in response to various treatment interventions — helping us to better anticipate optimal treatment strategies. It will also be possible to use future MMRF CoMMpass Study data to identify and validate the unique disease drivers of myeloma, and improve our ability to predict these drivers for individual patients. This understanding will help improve treatment interventions and clinical outcomes. Additionally, these data may help us to further understand the incidence and outcomes among patients from unique populations, such as African Americans. FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG FROM ASH, DEC. 5-8, FOR THE LATEST COMMPASS DATA ANALYSIS. themmrf.org/ash