Myeloma Research Fund Grants Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research an additional $200,000 for “Cure Myeloma Project”.
Part of the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR) “Cure Myeloma Project”, this funding will further explore new targeted therapeutic approaches against Multiple Myeloma with hopes of creating groundbreaking new treatments against malignant myeloma cells and devastating bone loss.
December 29, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA – The “Cure Myeloma Project” is a multi-year cancer research initiative that looks at the genetic markers of multiple myeloma and how proteins move when targeted. The Myeloma Research Fund grant supports the evaluation of TRAF6dn peptides on TRAF6-mediated signaling in myeloma cell growth and osteoclast formation in the bone. Recently, IMBCR researchers reported that blocking TRAF6 expression inhibits cell growth and increases programmed cell death of myeloma cells while inhibiting the cells that function in the breakdown and resorption of bone tissue resulting in bone loss. Researchers at IMBCR have now synthesized and are also cloning specific TRAF6dn peptides to inhibit myeloma cell growth and bone resorption.
Multiple myeloma is a hematological malignancy of plasma cells that reside in the bone marrow. It is the second most common blood-based cancer and accounts for 10% of deaths caused by blood cancers. The American Cancer Society reports new cases of myeloma were expected to be approximately 19,920 in 2008 in the United States. Multiple Myeloma remains an incurable disease with a median survival of approximately 5 years.
About IMBCR
The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR), established in 2004 as a 501 c (3) non-profit organization, is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. IMBCR is the only independent non-profit cancer research institute working to find improved treatment, and ultimately a cure for multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood cells that reside in the bone marrow. IMBCR research is funded in part by donations from the Skirball Foundation, Lincey Foundation, Kramer Family Foundation, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and Myeloma Research Fund. Collaborative research is also sponsored by major pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Novartis, Millennium/Takeda, Celgene, and others. Please visit www.imbcr.org
About Myeloma Research Fund
The Myeloma Research Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Established in 2001, the Myeloma Research Fund seeks to make real advances through adequate funding aimed at the best researchers with a long enough multi-year commitment to find a cure or a method of indefinite control of Multiple Myeloma. The MRF has raised over $3m to date, all of which has gone toward funding multiple myeloma research. Please visit www.myelomaresearchfund.org.
Media Contact: Cheryl A. Cross, MPH 310-406-1035 ccross@imbcr.org
