Open Access To Genomics May Spur Myeloma Therapy

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation believes a new database—the Researcher Gateway—will revolutionize precision medicine for the disease

New York—With the click of a mouse, doctors and researchers worldwide can now access clinical and genomic data for hundreds of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) believes this new database, called the Researcher Gateway, will revolutionize precision medicine for this challenging malignancy. Launched in late September, the freely available data set is a collaborative effort between the MMRF and academia, clinicians, industry and patients.

“With this kind of data set, you get more than just clinical information; you get the annotation of genomics,” said Sagar Lonial, MD, a professor at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, in Atlanta, and a speaker at the MMRF conference launching the database. By taking genetic data into account, Dr. Lonial said, a treatment that shows success in a few patients can become “more than just an anecdote.”