(Press-News.org) NEW YORK, (January 9, 2026) – Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in partnership with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and in collaboration with leading institutions across the country, have helped generate the largest single-cell immune cell atlas of the bone marrow in patients with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that, while treatable, remains incurable. The findings, published in Nature Cancer, provide unprecedented insight on immune dysfunction in myeloma and could lead to improved tools for predicting which patients are at higher risk of relapse after treatment.
The study analyzed nearly 1.5 million immune cells from the bone marrow of 335 newly diagnosed patients in the MMRF’s CoMMpass study dataset, using a cutting-edge technique called single-cell RNA sequencing. This approach allowed researchers to examine the molecular features of individual cells, revealing previously hidden patterns in how the immune system behaves in the presence of multiple myeloma.
“Currently, doctors rely heavily on the genetic features of cancer cells to estimate how aggressive their disease is,” said co-senior author Sacha Gnjatic, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center. “Our research shows that the immune cells surrounding the tumor are just as important in determining how the disease progresses, and this could lead to earlier, more targeted treatment strategies.”
“The scale and maturity of the MMRF’s CoMMpass study and the breadth of this multi-center collaboration highlights the importance of creating ‘big science’ teams,” added George Mulligan, PhD, co-senior author and Chief Scientific Officer at the MMRF.
The team discovered that some patients who relapsed quickly after initial therapy had distinct immune cell populations in their bone marrow at the time of diagnosis. Notably, a subset of T cells (immune cells typically responsible for attacking tumors) appeared to show a state of immunosenescence, meaning they were present but not functioning effectively and contributing to immune suppression. In addition, the study uncovered patterns of communication between immune cells and cancer cells that may support tumor growth.
These insights suggest that the immune system’s response to myeloma could be used as a predictive tool, offering a complementary layer to traditional genetic testing. While the current technology used in the study is primarily for research, the investigators hope the findings will inform the development of simple, broadly available tests in the future.
“This work not only provides new biological insights, but also lays the groundwork for future discoveries,” Dr. Gnjatic said. “It could help researchers around the world better understand how the immune system interacts with cancer and ultimately, help improve outcomes for patients.”
The MMRF designed and funded this collaborative research, which involved equal contribution from scientists at Mount Sinai, Emory University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Washington University in St. Louis’s Siteman Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic, and the MMRF. Mount Sinai’s Edgar Gonzalez-Kozlova, PhD, was co-first author along with other lead data analysts from the six institutions, while other important contributors from Mount Sinai included Seunghee Kim-Schulze, PhD, the lead for data generation, and Hearn J. Cho, MD/PhD, a Mount Sinai myeloma oncologist and researcher who is also Chief Medical Officer at the MMRF.
The large patient sample size and robust clinical annotations—enabled by the MMRF’s extensive biorepository and 12 years of patient data—make this one of the most comprehensive resources of its kind. This report will significantly contribute to our understanding of immune function in multiple myeloma.
###
About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the seven member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to New York City’s large and diverse patient population.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, MD-PhD, and master’s degree programs, with enrollment of more than 1,200 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,600 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. Its Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers 13 degree-granting programs, conducts innovative basic and translational research, and trains more than 560 postdoctoral research fellows.
Ranked 11th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. More than 4,500 scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across dozens of academic departments and multidisciplinary institutes with an emphasis on translational research and therapeutics. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai.
-------------------------------------------------------
* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
END
Background
Most of us know the feeling: maybe it is making a difficult phone call, starting a report you fear will be criticized, or preparing a presentation that’s stressful just to think about. You understand what needs to be done, yet taking that very first step feels surprisingly hard. When this difficulty becomes severe, it is known medically as avolition. People with avolition are not lazy or unaware: they know what they need to do, but their brain seems unable to push the "go" ...
About The Study: In this single-center cohort study, both bariatric surgery and semaglutide or tirzepatide treatment were associated with substantial fat mass loss, moderate fat-free mass (FFM) loss, and improved FFM to fat mass ratio. These findings provide evidence to guide interventions aimed at preserving FFM while promoting fat loss.
Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Jason M. Samuels, MD, (jason.m.samuels@vumc.org) and Danxia Yu, PhD, (danxia.yu@vumc.org).
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...
About The Study: The findings of this study suggest an increase in maternal morbidity among patients using fertility care in states that passed targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP) laws relative to states that did not.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Samuel J. F. Melville, MD, email melvills@ohsu.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.5920)
Editor’s ...
BETHESDA, MD – January 9, 2026 | The American College of Medial Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) announced today that press registration is now open for the 2026 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting, taking place in Baltimore, Maryland on March 10-14, 2026. Join us “Where Genetics Meets Innovation” and experience first-hand the transformation of clinical genetics, from primarily a diagnostic field to one increasingly driven by treatment and precision therapeutics.
This premier medical and scientific conference brings together leading experts in medical genetics ...
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a serious neurodegenerative disease largely affecting older adults. Apart from age, it also shows sex-based differences, with women being more at risk. However, the origin of these differences remains unknown. While bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play an important role in adult neurogenesis, their role in AD remains elusive. To address this, researchers have investigated sex-based differences and role of BMP signaling in neurogenesis in AD mice models, uncovering novel therapeutic targets.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the main causes of dementia, characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, typically beginning at or after 65 years ...
Under the threat of climate change and geopolitical tensions related to fossil fuels, the world faces an urgent need to find sustainable and renewable energy solutions. While wind, solar, and hydroelectric power are key renewable energy sources, their output strongly depends on environmental conditions, meaning they are unable to provide a stable electricity supply for modern grids. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), on the other hand, represent a promising alternative; these devices produce electricity on demand directly from clean electrochemical reactions involving hydrogen and oxygen.
However, ...
The Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers, located in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), are among the fastest-melting glaciers on Earth. Together, they are losing ice more rapidly than any other part of Antarctica, raising serious concerns about the long-term stability of the ice sheet and its contribution to future sea-level rise.
To better understand the risks that warmer conditions pose to the WAIS, researchers are looking back to the Pliocene Epoch (5.3–2.58 million years ago), when global temperatures were about 3–4 ...
Researchers from Radboud university medical center and University of Basel have discovered new genetic causes of inherited blindness. Their study shows that changes in specific pieces of DNA, which play a role in processing genetic information, can lead to retinitis pigmentosa. This eye condition affects about 1 in 5,000 people worldwide, causing ‘tunnel vision’ and often leads to legal blindness. The discovery provides clarity for dozens of families globally and opens new possibilities for diagnostics and counseling in hereditary conditions.
Retinitis ...
A new study maps the immune cell landscape of bone marrow in patients with multiple myeloma, a rare cancer that develops in the plasma cells of the bone marrow and has no cure. This large immune cell atlas, which includes robust patient outcome data, provides unparalleled new insights into how the immune system interacts with cancerous plasma cells and can be used to determine how aggressive a patient’s multiple myeloma is likely to be. The knowledge may improve survival predictions, guide treatment decisions and help in the development of new immune-based therapies for patients with multiple ...
Drugs that act against bacteria are mainly assessed based on how well they inhibit bacterial growth under laboratory conditions. A critical factor, however, is whether the active substances actually kill the pathogens in the body. Researchers at the University of Basel have presented a new method for measuring how effectively antibiotics kill bacteria.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the biggest health problems of our time. Due to mutations, bacteria are increasingly resisting the effects of common drugs, making these infections increasingly difficult to treat.
But even ...
