Blood-based minimal residual disease monitoring in patients with multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a common, incurable haematological malignancy. An increasing number of patients respond well to novel treatments and may experience Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) for years. MRD-evaluation is currently only possible on invasive bone marrow aspirates. The M4-TREK project validates an ultra-sensitive personalized blood-test allowing dynamic MRD-monitoring of therapy response kinetics. For this we have established a new public-private partnership between the Radboudumc, having a strong track record in development of personalized mass spectrometric solutions, haematologists organized within HOVON and Janssen which is one of the world leading pharmaceutical companies in the field of haematological malignancies.
The personalized blood test developed in the M4-TREK project aims to replace invasive bone marrow-based MRD-monitoring. Dynamic MRD-monitoring allows early detection of disease relapse and may allow quick and rational clinical decision making, which is crucial for optimal use of novel drugs.
The personalized blood test is based on a mass spectrometry method (MS-MRD) to detect the unique monoclonal antibody (M-protein) that is produced by the myeloma cancer cells. In M4-TREK we will further validate the MS-MRD blood-test by studying 160 patients with multiple myeloma included in HOVON clinical trials and will prepare implementation of dynamic MS-MRD blood-testing in clinical practice. Our aims are to improve the MS-MRD diagnostic workflow, demonstrate that MS-MRD allows improved detection of early disease relapse, determine the association between MS-MRD and survival, and finally assess the added value of MS-MRD to known prognostic parameters at diagnosis.
The improved MS-MRD workflow developed within M4-TREK will improve the quality of life of cancer patients with less invasive and more accurate diagnostics. In the future the MS-MRD blood-test can improve design of clinical trials and allows informed decisions on personalized therapy.
