[peter parker]

Genetic Screening

by peter parker on Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:35 pm

Genetic research by the MMGI has lead to remarkable outcomes as the outstanding text "polycomb target genes silcenced in myelom", published recently in plosone. How near are we to the encryption of the myeloma genome and its entire structure. Could you tell us, Prof. Mc Carthy, if and when we will see the outcomes of this genetic screening in therapy?

[Dr. Philip McCarthy]

Re: Genetic Screening

by Dr. Philip McCarthy on Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:50 pm

Hi peter parker, I think the article: Polycomb Target Genes are Silenced in Multiple Myeloma is the result of collaboration from several research groups in Europe and the USA and I think this is a different research collaborative group from the Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative (MMGI) which is in turn different from the Signal Genetics genomic profiling test that was developed at the University of Arkansas Multiple Myeloma Center. It is great that there all these groups looking at the multiple myeloma genome. As multiple myeloma is a hetergeneous disease, it will be likely that there will be multple gene targets for inhibiting multiple myeloma cell growth and killing this cancer. The Polycomb paper relates to finding a set of genes that is "underexpressed" in multiple myeloma cells when compared to normal plasma cells. When investigators activated these genes, they slowed down myeloma cell growth in the laboratory with drugs that included an HDAC inhibitor panobinostat which is a relative of vorinostat. This study examined only 4 multiple myeloma patient samples and 2 cell lines so it will need to be confirmed in a larger sample size. It may allow for the development of new classes of drugs to inhibit cancer growth including multiple myeloma. To return to the Signal Genetics multiple myeloma genomic profiling test, it is now being released as a commercially available molecular test for a gene expression profile (GEP) which may allow for prediction of patient outcome. This may allow for more individualized approaches to patient treatment. However this will require more testing in a larger group of patients to determine if this will be the approach to individualizing patient treatment. It is potentially very exciting news.