PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers sequence multiple myeloma genome in landmark Nature study

David Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Chief, Multiple Myeloma John Theurer Cancer Center part of research team that discovered mutations

2011-03-24
(Press-News.org) HACKENSACK, N.J. (March 23, 2011) — Using new genome sequencing technologies, researchers from the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center joined colleagues from 20 major North American research institutions to publish the first complete genomic portrait of multiple myeloma, a highly aggressive blood cancer. Findings from the study point to new directions for potential myeloma therapies, and begin to unlock the mysteries of what causes this devastating malignancy. The paper will be published in the March 24, 2011 issue of Nature.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable malignancy of plasma cells, white blood cells that develop in the bone marrow and make antibodies that help the immune system protect us from pathogens. Myeloma leaves its victims susceptible to infections and other serious complications.

"For the first time, we are able to see on a molecular basis what might be causing this malignancy," said study author David S. Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Multiple Myeloma, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center. "We already know what causes many types of cancer, but until now we had few clues to the causes of myeloma."

In cancer, cells develop genetic alterations known as "mutations." These mutations bring with them new and often deadly properties. By sequencing the myeloma genome, the researchers hoped to better understand the underlying mechanisms that lead to the disease's development and spread.

Using new high-throughput technologies that allow scientists to produce multiple sequences at once, the researchers examined genomes for both tumor and normal blood cells of 38 people with multiple myeloma. Other research teams have sequenced the entire genomes of a single person; in the current study, the scientists hoped that by analyzing a number of cases, and comparing normal and abnormal cells, they would be able to identify patterns that would not be clear otherwise.

"We have developed the most comprehensive molecular picture of myeloma to date, which will provide a public resource of genomic information for this disease," said Dr. Siegel. "This is a large step forward in personalized medicine for the treatment of multiple myeloma. My hope is that this will allow us to develop more targeted, effective therapies."

In nearly half of the patients in the study, researchers identified a mutation in genes involved in protein translation. Recent studies have shown that the regulation of protein synthesis is a crucial component of cancer cell survival, transformation, invasion, and metastasis. A better understanding of this regulation may lead to more effective ways to interfere with the disease as it starts and progresses.

Genes involved in blood coagulation and in histone methylation were also identified. Histones are cell-based proteins that help form DNA and are integrated into its structure. Methylation and demethylation are the modification of certain amino acids, which turn the DNA "on" and "off."

"The John Theurer Cancer Center is one only a few facilities in the United States to offer specialized clinical and research expertise in multiple myeloma," said Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.P.E., Chief Innovations Officer and Professor and Vice President of Cancer Services, John Theurer Cancer Center. "We are proud to play a role in this milestone study and look forward to taking these discoveries to the next level through translational research and clinical trials."

Another key finding, borne out by mutations in 11 patients, was a broader than anticipated role for NF-Kappa Beta signaling in myeloma. NF-Kappa Beta is a protein that regulates cell division and cell death (apoptosis). Earlier research found that NF-Kappa Beta was over-expressed in multiple myeloma.

"Our study confirms this pathway in myeloma, and points to potential directions for myeloma treatment," said Dr. Siegel. "This is a major finding in that it will provide a roadmap of where to attack this disease and to understand the different species of the disease."

The scientists also found that mutations of BRAF – a protein involved in cell signaling and growth – were present in a number of patients. A number of BRAF inhibitors are currently in development; this finding indicates that these drugs should be evaluated in clinical trials in multiple myeloma.

### Scientists from 21 leading research institutions in the U.S. and Canada contributed to this study. The role Dr. Siegel and his team played was to recruit patients, whose genomes were sequenced. Sequencing was done at the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About the John Theurer Cancer Center Multiple Myeloma Division The Multiple Myeloma Division at the John Theurer Cancer Center is one of only a few facilities in the United States to offer specialized expertise in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that strikes the blood system. The team is led by internationally-recognized experts David Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., chief, multiple myeloma and David Vesole, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Chief and Director of Research.

For nearly five years, the John Theurer Cancer Center has been a member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) - a unique research model that was developed to accelerate the development of novel, cutting-edge multiple myeloma. Thirteen world-renowned academic institutions comprise the MMRC, working together on collaborative research to develop novel and combination treatments for patients with multiple myeloma.

About the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center is New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive center dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, management, research, screenings, and preventive care as well as survivorship of patients with all types of cancer. The 14 specialized divisions covering the complete spectrum of cancer care have developed a close-knit team of medical, research, nursing, and support staff with specialized expertise that translates into more advanced, focused care for all patients. Each year, more people in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area turn to the John Theurer Cancer Center for cancer care than to any other facility in New Jersey. Housed within a 775-bed not-for-profit teaching, tertiary care, and research hospital, the John Theurer Cancer Center provides state-of-the-art technological advances, compassionate care, research innovations, medical expertise, and a full range of after care services that distinguish the John Theurer Cancer Center from other facilities. For more information please visit to jtcancercenter.org.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Arthritis drug could help beat melanoma skin cancer

2011-03-24
A breakthrough discovery by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Children's Hospital Boston promises an effective new treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Reporting in the March 24 edition (front cover story) of the journal Nature, the researchers found that leflunomide - a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis – also inhibits the growth of malignant melanoma. Melanoma is a cancer of the pigment cells in our skin. It is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and, unlike most other cancers, incidence of the disease is increasing. More than ...

A very cool pair of brown dwarfs

A very cool pair of brown dwarfs
2011-03-24
Brown dwarfs are essentially failed stars: they lack enough mass for gravity to trigger the nuclear reactions that make stars shine. The newly discovered brown dwarf, identified as CFBDSIR 1458+10B, is the dimmer member of a binary brown dwarf system located just 75 light-years from Earth [1]. The powerful X-shooter spectrograph on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) was used to show that the composite object was very cool by brown dwarf standards. "We were very excited to see that this object had such a low temperature, but we couldn't have guessed that it would turn out ...

Lung cancer study finds mentholated cigarettes no more harmful than regular cigarettes

2011-03-24
Smokers of mentholated cigarettes are no more likely to develop lung cancer than other smokers, according to a new, very large, prospective study of black and white smokers published online March 23 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In fact, contrary to a popular hypothesis, menthol smokers in this study had a somewhat lower risk of developing and dying from lung cancer than non-menthol smokers. Lung cancer rates are higher among blacks than whites, and use of mentholated cigarettes, also higher among blacks, has been suggested as a possible explanation. ...

2 new targets for melanoma therapies

2011-03-24
The latest clues suggesting potential new ways to treat melanoma come from an unlikely source: fish. Zebrafish don't get sunburns, but they can get skin cancer – at least those fish that have been engineered to model the often deadly human cancer. When Leonard Zon, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Children's Hospital Boston, developed this melanoma model five years ago, he hoped to use the tiny striped fish to discover new melanoma genes or new therapies for this aggressive cancer that consistently eludes treatment. Now, in work described in two papers ...

First look at the full multiple myeloma genome reveals new insights, discoveries

2011-03-24
Scientists have unveiled the most comprehensive picture to date of the full genetic blueprint of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. A study of the genomes from 38 cancer samples has yielded new and unexpected insights into the events that lead to this form of cancer and could influence the direction of multiple myeloma research. This work, led by scientists at the Broad Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, appears in the March 24 issue of Nature. Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States and causes about 20,000 new cases ...

Drug prevents Type 2 diabetes in majority of high-risk individuals

2011-03-24
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, U.S.A. (March 24, 2011) — A pill taken once a day in the morning prevented type 2 diabetes in more than 70 percent of individuals whose obesity, ethnicity and other markers put them at highest risk for the disease, U.S. scientists reported today. The team also noted a 31 percent decrease in the rate of thickening of the carotid artery, the major vessel that supplies blood to the brain. The study, which enrolled 602 participants through The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and seven collaborating centers, is described in the New ...

Mouse cancer genome unveils genetic errors in human cancers

2011-03-24
Scientists who pioneered sequencing the genomes of cancer patients to find novel genetic changes at the root of the disease now have turned their attention to a laboratory workhorse — a mouse. By sequencing the genome of a mouse with cancer, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered mutations that also drive cancer in humans. The investigators are the first to sequence a mouse cancer genome, and their research is reported online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. "This approach gives us a way to rapidly evaluate ...

New insight into how environmental enrichment enhances memory

2011-03-24
It is well established that environmental enrichment, providing animals with rich sensory, motor, and social stimulation, produces both dramatic increases in the number of synapses in the brain and enhanced learning. However, causal relationships between synapse formation and improved memory have not been definitively established. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the March 24 issue of the journal Neuron introduces a valuable model system for investigating the role of synapse turnover in learning and memory in adult animals and elucidates mechanisms that link ...

The evolution of brain wiring: Navigating to the neocortex

2011-03-24
A new study is providing fascinating insight into how projections conveying sensory information in the brain are guided to their appropriate targets in different species. The research, published by Cell Press in the March 24 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals a surprising new evolutionary scenario that may help to explain how subtle changes in the migration of "guidepost" neurons underlie major differences in brain connectivity between mammals and nonmammalian vertebrates. The neocortex (the "new" cortex) is a brain area that is unique to mammals and plays a central ...

Mass. General study reveals how lung cancers evolve in response to targeted treatment

2011-03-24
A detailed analysis of lung tumors that became resistant to targeted therapy drugs has revealed two previously unreported resistance mechanisms. In a report in the March 23 Science Translational Medicine, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center also describe how the cellular nature of some tumors actually changes in response to treatment and find that resistance-conferring mutations can disappear after treatment is discontinued. The findings support the importance of monitoring the molecular status of tumors throughout the treatment process. "It ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cryptographic protocol enables secure data sharing in the floating wind energy sector

Can drinking coffee or tea help prevent head and neck cancer?

Development of a global innovative drug in eye drop form for treating dry age-related macular degeneration

Scientists unlock secrets behind flowering of the king of fruits

Texas A&M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Prosthetic material could help reduce infections from intravenous catheters

Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can

Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact

Rice researchers take ‘significant leap forward’ with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer

Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp

How everyday activities inside your home can generate energy

Inequality weakens local governance and public satisfaction, study finds

Uncovering key molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

UC Davis researchers help decode the cause of aggressive breast cancer in women of color

Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus

SNU researchers develop the world’s most sensitive flexible strain sensor

Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication

Neutrality has played a pivotal, but under-examined, role in international relations, new research shows

Study reveals right whales live 130 years — or more

Researchers reveal how human eyelashes promote water drainage

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

DFG to fund eight new research units

Modern AI systems have achieved Turing's vision, but not exactly how he hoped

Quantum walk computing unlocks new potential in quantum science and technology

Construction materials and household items are a part of a long-term carbon sink called the “technosphere”

First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables

Disparities and gaps in breast cancer screening for women ages 40 to 49

US tobacco 21 policies and potential mortality reductions by state

AI-driven approach reveals hidden hazards of chemical mixtures in rivers

Older age linked to increased complications after breast reconstruction

[Press-News.org] Researchers sequence multiple myeloma genome in landmark Nature study
David Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Chief, Multiple Myeloma John Theurer Cancer Center part of research team that discovered mutations