Mission
IMBCR is dedicated to advance the treatment of myeloma by connecting possibility through scientific innovation leading to personalized and continuous optimized patient care.
Vision
IMBCR is committed to helping all patients with myeloma Live Better and Live Longer.
A unique and fully integrated research center, exploring innovative therapeutic approaches using laboratory-based research and sophisticated data analytics to advance clinical development. The Institute aims to improve and personalize patient care, optimizing outcomes and ultimately cure myeloma.
Three Pillars:
Focus on Today
Precision Care Quality of Life
Living Life Free of Myeloma
Current Initiatives
JAK inhibitors, a new class of drugs to treat multiple myeloma.
IMBCR has identified a new way to treat myeloma with drugs that are safe and well-tolerated. We have identified the immune boosting potential of these drugs as well as their ability to make other active multiple myeloma drugs more effective.
- Because of our research findings, new clinical trials are now being conducted to test these approaches for patients with myeloma and other types of cancer.
- IMBCR Impact:To build combinations of these drugs with already active multiple myeloma drugs and also enhance the effects of immune type agents to defeat the disease.
Testimonial: Today, patients with multiple myeloma want drugs that are easy to take, well tolerated, and work well. Finding drugs like the JAK Inhibitors, which accomplish this, is an important breakthrough for treatment of multiple myeloma. – Dr. James Berenson, IMBCR CEO and President
sBCMA
- sBCMA – a revolutionary blood marker allowing clinicians to follow and identify changes in the disease faster, enabling a more rapid way to determine how a patient is responding to therapy, and to optimize treatment plans.
- IMBCR Impact: To support optimized treatment plans based on earlier prediction of outcomes; switching to new therapies sooner and stop unnecessary and expensive medicines which may be causing undesirable side effects.
Testimonial: “We seek to further the development of the role of serum BCMA measurements with our collaboration with Dr. Berenson and his team of innovative and passionate scientists at IMBCR” said Dr. Stephen Harding, Chief Scientific Officer of The Binding Site Group.
Gamma Secretase Inhibitors – Enhancing the effectiveness of drugs targeting multiple myeloma cells
Research has shown some proteins on the multiple myeloma cancer cell surface can also be found in high concentrations freely floating in the patient’s blood/serum. This lowers the efficiency of treatments targeting these proteins on the multiple myeloma tumor cell surface because some of the drug “gets lost” as it attaches to these free-floating versions of the proteins that are present in the blood, preventing the targeted therapy from getting to the cancer cells in the bone marrow.
- Gamma secretase inhibitors keeps the receptor on the cancer cells which increases the efficiency of treatments targeting those receptors.
- We are researching how to combine these targeted drugs with gamma secretase inhibitors to allow these therapies targeting the cell surface receptors to be more effective for treatment of multiple myeloma patients.
- IMBCR Impact: To increase efficiency of already existing therapy.
Uncovering New Treatments for Multiple Myeloma
Total Funding Goal: $500,000
The aim of this project is to identify new drug candidates for treating multiple myeloma and also find novel combinations of already existing drugs to optimize patient outcomes.
Focus on Living Life Free of Myeloma
Cure Myeloma: Today, multiple myeloma remains uncurable with treatments that are not well tolerated because they effect many other parts of the body. Finding a therapy which only impacts multiple myeloma cells, without any other side effects, is what all patients desire. This initiative would allow us to both ultimately find a cure for myeloma, with a treatment that does not negatively impact quality of life.
Evidence of multiple myeloma with Silicone Gel Breast Implants
Total Funding Goal: $300,000
The average age of onset of multiple myeloma is in the late 60’s. However, there are a number of cases that have been identified in younger population of females (~ 30-55 years of age). One of the common features that these patients share is silicone gel breast implants.
- Our goal is to gather more evidence supporting this connection, to help reduce multiple myeloma in the female population.
- IMBCR IMPACT: This study will provide much needed education for women’s health and optimal lifestyle choices.
Precision Medicine Initiative – Precision Myeloma
Total Funding Goal: $800,000 – Help us develop this exciting project.
- By combining analysis of big data technologies, genetics and patient medical and treatment history, Precision Myeloma empowers doctors to give personalized care leading to longer survival, better treatment tolerability and ultimately a cure.
- Precision Myeloma will empower clinicians to provide patients with:
- Precision Care – Dramatically improve the ability to make patient specific treatment decisions
- Quality of Life – Enhance patient outcomes leading to increased survival, better treatment tolerability, and reducing undesirable disease effects
- Live Better. Live Longer. IMBCR! – To maximize patient quality of life
