showing multiple myeloma
Researchers say they have created a microenvironment in a dish that can be used to anticipate a multiple myeloma (MM) patient’s response to treatment.
The team developed an assay that involves co-culturing MM cells with their surrounding nontumor cells, all from the same patient, in a microscale petri dish.
The researchers then treated the tumor cells with bortezomib, and, after 3 days, they could determine whether the drug was effective or not.
The team described this research in Integrative Biology.
They compared the results of their ex vivo tests with the success or failure rates of actual MM patients who received bortezomib, and 100% of the ex vivo test results matched the patients’ results.
The researchers therefore believe this assay could save many MM patients the psychological stress of having to try multiple drugs until they find the most effective one. The assay could reduce clinicians’ need for this trial-and-error approach while lowering the cost of treatment, the team said.
Study author Chorom Pak, PhD, of the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, has founded a service-based company called Lynx Biosciences based on these findings. Now, she and her colleagues are planning to conduct a prospective trial in which they will use the ex vivo tests to identify responsive and nonresponsive patients.
The researchers believe this work could have wide-ranging implications for the treatment of MM and other malignancies, but their work is far from over.
“This is only one type of cancer, one particular drug, and we’re a long way from implementing this and helping patients in a widespread way,” said study author David Beebe, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison.
“But it’s happening. This is an exciting time in this area, and we’re definitely going to see more of this.”
