A collaborative pilot study to investigate the predictive value of plasma microRNA profiling in disease progression in plasma cell malignancies

This project will examine the role microRNAs play during disease progression from premalignancy to full Multiple Myeloma. This work will help identify patients who are destined to progress clinically, so they can be effectively targeted for early intervention preventing serious complications and improved survival outcomes.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of cancer that affects a specific type of white blood cell responsible for producing antibodies to combat foreign invaders. This disease mainly affects older adults over the age of 60 and is the second most common blood cancer in the UK. MM develops from a harmless condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), then progresses to a more serious but still asymptomatic stage called smouldering multiple myeloma (SMM), and finally develops into a cancer that damages multiple organs, including bones, kidneys, and blood cells.
The exact reasons why some individuals progress from a harmless state to an aggressive cancer are not fully understood. Understanding these reasons could help doctors predict and treat the disease earlier, improving patient outcomes and possibly leading to new treatments.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules that help regulate gene activity. Many genes in the body are controlled by miRNAs, and their regulation is often disrupted in blood cancers. In MM, certain miRNAs in the blood are linked to how long patients survive without the disease worsening and their overall survival. However, more research is needed to fully understand the role of miRNAs in MM.

Our goal is to study how miRNA profiles change as MM progresses from SMM to the aggressive, symptomatic stage. By identifying these changes, we hope to find biomarkers that can predict disease progression, helping in prognosis and potentially leading to new treatment targets.