GRAND RAPIDS ? The Multiple Myeloma Foundation has awarded Van Andel Institute postdoctoral fellow Jennifer Bromberg-White, Ph.D., a $50,000 fellowship to study the blood borne and bone deteriorating cancer using a viral system developed in an Institute lab. White?s project is the first of its kind worldwide to use this type of technology.
The one-year study aims to identify the cause of melphalan resistance in many multiple myeloma patients. Melphalan is a primary drug used in treating multiple myeloma patients.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 15,000 new cases of multiple myeloma will be diagnosed within the United States this year. More than 40,000 Americans are living with this blood disease and over 11,000 deaths are predicted annually, usually within three years of diagnosis. Patients endure prolonged pain as the cancer spreads to multiple sites within the bone, causing fractures and spinal compressions.
“Today?s treatment options for this highly aggressive and devastating cancer are extremely limited, predominantly due to our lack of understanding of its underlying causes,” White said. “Studies show that only half of all multiple myeloma patients respond to melphalan treatment, and those who do respond eventually become resistant. Through our research we hope to reverse melphalan resistance, enhance current treatments and increase patient survival.”
White will conduct her research in VAI?s recently established multiple myeloma laboratory led by scientific investigator Craig Webb, Ph.D. and funded by the McCarty Cancer Foundation. Webb?s laboratory has already exceeded expectations in only its first year of operation.
