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Myeloma Experts From The John Theurer Cancer Center To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week – During the week of May 23 through 27, multiple myeloma patients and caregivers will have the opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions.  Myeloma experts Dr. David Siegel and Dr. David Vesole from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ, will answer medical questions posted to the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums throughout the week.  Research at the John Theurer Cancer Center was instrumental in getting Velcade (bortezomib) approved to treat myeloma.  The center is currently conducting studies on carfilzomib and pomalidomide and was also involved with the myeloma genome sequencing project that was published earlier this year.  Beacon readers are encouraged to begin posting their questions in the forums.

Acetylon And LLS Partner To Develop ACY-1215 For Multiple Myeloma – The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) recently partnered with Acetylon Pharmaceuticals to support a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Acetylon’s drug candidate ACY-1215 for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.  ACY-1215 is an HDAC inhibitor like myeloma drug candidates Zolinza (vorinostat) and panobinostat.  However, ACY-1215 is intended to be more selective than other HDAC inhibitors, meaning that it may have higher efficacy and fewer side effects. The Phase 1/2 study will investigate the safety and efficacy of ACY-1215 alone and in combination with Velcade and dexamethasone (Decadron).  Under the agreement, the LLS will provide up to $4.85 million to cover half of the projected costs of the clinical trial.  For more information, please see the Acetylon press release or the clinical trial description.

MMRF Laugh For Life Raises Money for Myeloma Research – The 9^th annual Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Laugh for Life comedy event held on Monday raised over $620,000.  The money will be used to support the development of new treatments for multiple myeloma.  Cat Greenleaf served as Master of Ceremonies, and comedians John Pinette and Sherry Davey performed.  Additionally, Geraldine Ferraro, who passed away from complications of myeloma in March, was honored with the MMRF Spirit of Hope Award at the event.  For more information, see the MMRF press release.

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Dr. Edward Libby To Serve As The Myeloma Beacon’s First Medical Advisor – As a medical advisor for The Myeloma Beacon, Dr. Edward Libby, an asso­ci­ate professor of hematology and oncology at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center who specializes in multiple myeloma and other blood cancers, will be available to comment on current research results as well as answer select medical questions posted to the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums.  For more in­­for­ma­tion about getting your medical question answered by a Beacon Medical Advisor, please see the instructions in the forums.

European Carfilzomib Trial To Be Expanded – Onyx Pharmaceuticals, the com­pany developing car­filz­o­mib, announced last week that it will expand the Phase 3 European clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of car­filz­o­mib in re­lapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients.  Patient enrollment will be increased from 84 to 300.  In addi­tion, the main goal of the study will be to evaluate car­filz­o­mib’s impact on over­all survival, instead of pro­gres­sion-free survival.  The changes are being made based on preliminary results of a Phase 2b car­filz­o­mib study that showed promising over­all survival rates in re­lapsed / refractory myeloma patients (see related Beacon news).  For more in­­for­ma­tion about the expanded trial, see the Onyx Pharmaceuticals press release.

Teleconference On Advances In Myeloma Treatment – On April 12, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will sponsor a free teleconference call entitled “Advances in Myeloma Treatment and Side Effects Management.”  The call will begin at noon Eastern Time and will be lead by Dr. Edward Stadtmauer, director of the bone marrow and stem cell trans­plant pro­gram at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center.  He will also speak about clinical trial par­tic­i­pa­tion and quality of life issues for myeloma patients.  After his talk, Dr. Stadtmauer will answer questions from participants.  For more in­­for­ma­tion or to register, please see the LLS website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma related-events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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Phase 2 Study Of AT9283 Is Initiated For Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma – The NCIC National Clinical Trials Group has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial studying the developmental drug AT9283 in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. The trial will take place at several treatment centers in Canada. AT9283, which is being developed by Astex Therapeutics, inhibits cell division and has been shown in pre-clinical studies to stop the growth of multiple myeloma cells. Phase 1 clinical trials have tested AT9283 for safety in patients with a number of blood cancers and solid tumors. For more information, see the Astex press release and the clinical trial description.

Turkey Trots To Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Three Turkey Trots will take place in New York State on Thanksgiving (November 25) to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Turkey Trots will take place in Garden City, Smithtown, and Massapequa. Participants have the choice between runs of several different distances. For more information, see the event websites.

Myeloma Symposium In Germany – An information session for multiple myeloma patients will be held on November 18 in Freiburg, Germany. There will be several presentations about new developments and therapies in myeloma as well as a question and answer session. The event will be held at the University of Freiburg and will begin at 5 p.m. For more information, see the Myeloma Euronet website (pdf in German).

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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LLS Increases Financial Support For Myeloma Patients - As of Feb 1, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will provide multiple myeloma patients with up to $10,000 to cover insurance-related expenses such as co-payments and insurance premiums. The new limit is an increase from the pre­vi­ous limit of $5,000 and is retroactive for expenses beginning July 1, 2009. For more in­­for­ma­tion or to apply, please see the LLS Co-Pay Assistance Web site.

Carfilzomib Phase 3 Clinical Trial Design Is Approved – Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration on the design and analysis of a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating carfilzomib in re­lapsed myeloma. The study follows up a Phase 1B trial that examined car­filz­o­mib in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) and dexamethasone (Decadron) (see related Beacon news). The Phase 3 trial is expected to begin in early to mid 2010, and the Phase 1b/2 study of this com­bi­na­tion regi­men is still recruiting participants. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Onyx press release.

Cancer Vaccine Produces Positive Results In Multiple Myeloma Patient – Results from a study evaluating the effects of a high dose cancer vaccine in patients with multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syn­dromes, and acute myeloid leukemia showed positive immune responses in several patients. The vaccine helps the immune system kill cancer cells by building up anti­bodies to a protein called RHAMM, which is asso­ci­ated with cancer pro­gres­sion. In one of the three myeloma patients, the vaccine led to a decrease of the patient’s free light chains, from 10.3 mg/L to 2.26 mg/L. Side effects were limited to mild redness and in­fec­tion of the skin. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the journal Haematologica (pdf).

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Facet Biotech Enrolls First Patient In Elotuzumab Phase 2 Myeloma Study – Facet Biotech an­nounced the first patient’s en­roll­ment in a Phase 2 study of elotuzumab, which is cur­rently being in­ves­ti­gated for the treat­ment of re­lapsed mul­ti­ple myeloma. Up to 60 patients will be recruited to re­ceive either 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg of elotuzumab in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) and low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron). In the Phase 1 trial, 92 per­cent of patients who com­pleted at least two treat­ment cycles achieved at least partial re­sponse (see re­lated Beacon news). For more in­for­ma­tion, please see the Facet Biotech press re­lease and the clinical trial description.

Phase 1 Study Of BioInvent’s Drug Candidate BI-505 Treats First Myeloma Patient – BioInvent an­nounced treat­ment of the first patient with BI-505 in a Phase 1 study eval­u­ating the drug for the treat­ment of ad­vanced mul­ti­ple myeloma. The study is recruiting 30 to 40 patients to re­ceive BI-505 in­tra­venously every sec­ond week for four weeks or longer. Re­searchers will eval­u­ate the drug’s safety, ac­­tiv­ity, and dosage limits. For more in­for­ma­tion, please see the BioInvent press re­lease and the clinical trial description.

LLS Seminar: Understanding Lab & Radiology Tests – On Jan­u­ary 25, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is holding an in­for­ma­tional seminar on how to read and under­stand med­i­cal re­­sults, in­clud­ing CT scans, PETs, MRIs, and blood tests. The event will take place at the Katz Cancer Resource Center in Santa Cruz, CA from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more in­for­ma­tion or to register, please visit the LLS Web site.

LLS Event: Living With Myeloma – On Jan­u­ary 25, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will host a free pro­gram on mul­ti­ple myeloma from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa, FL. Dr. Melissa Alsina will give an overview of myeloma and cover the fol­low­ing topics: the latest in drug ther­a­pies, dis­ease and treat­ment side effects, emotional repercussions and sup­port resources, and clin­i­cal trial op­tions. A question and answer session and com­pli­mentary dinner will be in­cluded. Pre-registration is re­quired. For more in­for­ma­tion or to register, please visit the LLS Web site.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma re­lated events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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Celgene To Acquire Gloucester Pharmaceuticals And Potential Myeloma Drug Istodax – Celgene Corporation has announced its decision to merge with the privately held Gloucester Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $340 million in cash plus $300 million in future payments. The transaction is expected to be completed in early 2010. Gloucester’s first drug, Istodax (romidepsin), received FDA approval in November 2009 for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Clinical trials studying the effects of Istodax and Velcade (bortezomib) in multiple myeloma are underway. For more information, please see the Celgene press release.

MMRC Honors Dana-Farber Cancer Institute With 2009 Center Of The Year Award – The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) awarded its 2009 Center of the Year Award to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for its excellence in the number of clinical trials launched, the speed at which they were opened, and the number of patients enrolled in the trials. The Award will be accompanied by a one-year grant to fund a multiple myeloma clinical trial project coordinator at Dana-Farber. For more information, please see the MMRC press release.

Volunteer At 2010 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – The 2010 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend will take place January 7 through 10. Events include the Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon, Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, Disney/Pixar UP & Away Family Fun Run 5K, Mickey’s Marathon Kids’ Fest and Mickey Mile, and Disney’s Health & Fitness Expo. The Marathon Weekend will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Registration to participate in the events is almost full, but volunteers are still needed to provide assistance during the weekend. For more information, please see the Disney World Sports Web site.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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Nobel Prize Winners – Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak received the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering an enzyme called telomerase. The telomerase enzyme is responsible for repairing the ends of chromosomes, which lead to cancer and aging when damaged. Since its discovery, telomerase has been researched extensively for treatment of many cancers, including multiple myeloma. Many treatments and applications using telomerase are currently in clinical trials. For more information, please visit the Examiner Web site.

Managing Myeloma: An Expert’s Update – On October 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is holding a free telephone conference focusing on managing myeloma. The speaker for the conference is Dr. Kenneth Anderson, a key opinion leader in myeloma. This is a great opportunity to speak with Dr. Anderson during the Q&A session. For more information or to register, please visit the LLS Web site.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.