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This year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, which is being held in Chicago, began on Friday and goes through tomorrow. How­ever, to­day is the last day with any myeloma-related sessions.

Several myeloma-related oral pre­sen­ta­tions were given this morn­ing and were summarized in an up­date pub­lished earlier to­day (see re­lated Beacon news).

This afternoon featured a poster session in which im­por­tant new re­search findings were summarized on posters throughout a large conference hall.

The stud­ies pre­sented this afternoon were on a wide variety of myeloma-related topics ranging from new treat­ments …

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[ by Maike Haehle | May 23, 2012 12:20 pm | 20 Comments ]

During the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), results will be presented from clin­i­cal trials involving poten­tial new drugs under devel­op­ment for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma.

In particular, results for newer, lesser known agents that are in the early stages of clin­i­cal devel­op­ment will take center stage. These agents in­clude obatoclax, siltuximab, daratumumab, and SNS01-T.

According to the recently released ASCO abstracts, the agents showed varying degrees of activity in re­lapsed and refractory myeloma patients. So it will be particularly in­ter­est­ing to …

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The 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will take place Friday, June 1, through Tuesday, June 5, in Chicago.

More than 25,000 clin­i­cal spe­cialists from all over the world are ex­pec­ted to attend the five-day meeting to discuss the cur­rent re­search in cancer treat­ment and care. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Collaborating to Conquer Cancer.”

The meeting will in­clude many pre­sen­ta­tions and seminars focused spe­cif­i­cally on mul­ti­ple myeloma. The ASCO website cur­rently lists nearly 50 myeloma-based pre­sen­ta­tions (included under “lymphoma and plasma cell disorders”).

The …

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Dr. Adam Cohen Joins The Myeloma Beacon’s Medical Advisor Team – Dr. Adam Cohen, an assistant professor of clinical oncology at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, has joined The Myeloma Beacon’s team of Medical Advisors. Beacon Medical Advisors assist with answering medical questions posted in the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums. For more information about getting medical advice answered in the forums, please see these instructions.

Senesco Technologies And Mayo Clinic To Begin Clinical Trial Of SNS01-T For Myeloma – On August 24, Senesco Technologies announced an agreement with the Mayo Clinic to conduct a clinical trial to study SNS01-T, an investigational drug that Senesco is developing for multiple myeloma. The trial will assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of SNS01-T in relapsed as well as refractory multiple myeloma patients. The trial is expected to start by the end of September.  For more information, please see the Senesco website.

Retaspimycin Shows Modest Activity In Phase 1 Trial For Myeloma – Results from a Phase 1 clinical trial showed that retaspimycin hydrochloride (IPI-504), an investigational drug being developed by Infinity Pharmaceuticals, has modest activity in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. Retaspimycin stabilized disease in four of eighteen patients participating in the trial. The most common side effect was pain at the infusion site.  All side effects were mild or moderate. For more information, see the study in the journal Leukemia and Lymphoma (abstract).

Boston Workshop For Multiple Myeloma Patients – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) will hold a one-day workshop for myeloma patients and their families on September 9 in Boston. Dr. Paul Richardson, a myeloma expert from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will lead the program. Throughout the day, myeloma experts will talk about prognosis, treatments for newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory patients, supportive care options, and clinical trials. The specialists will also be available to answer questions. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., and the program will run from 10 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. at the Westin Copley Place. For more information or to register, please see the MMRF website.

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

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General Discussion Forum Added To The Myeloma Beacon Forums – The Beacon forums have been expanded to include a forum for general discussion not specifically related to multiple myeloma.  This new area of the forums is called “The Burgundy Café” and allows those within the Beacon community to get to know each other better through discussions about a wide variety of topics.  Feel free to discuss within the Burgundy Café whatever may be on your mind, as long as the conversation remains respectful and courteous.

Senesco Technologies Submits Application To FDA For Investigational Myeloma Drug SNS01-T – Senesco Technologies announced today that it filed an “Investigational New Drug” application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the company’s compound SNS01-T, which has shown potential for treating multiple myeloma.  Approval of this application would allow Senesco to initiate clinical testing of the compound.  For more information, see the Senesco press release.

John Theurer Cancer Center Receives $2 Million To Improve Safety Of Donor Transplants For Myeloma Patients – Dr. Thea Friedman from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ, received a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to support her research over the next five years.  Dr. Friedman has been studying ways to improve the outcomes of multiple myeloma patients undergoing allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplants. She plans to start a Phase 1 clinical trial near the end of the year.  For more information, see the John Theurer Cancer Center website.

MMRF And Synta Pharmaceuticals Collaborate To Develop Ganetespib For Myeloma – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Synta Pharmaceuticals established a joint collaboration to develop Synta’s compound ganetespib (STA-9090) for the treatment of multiple myeloma.  The MMRF will provide $1 million to fund a Phase 1 clinical trial studying ganetespib alone and in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) in relapsed multiple myeloma patients.  Ganetespib belongs to a class of drugs known as Hsp90 inhibitors, which includes tanespimycin and several other compounds that have shown promise in myeloma clinical trials.  Hsp90 inhibitors promote the degradation of proteins that are critical for myeloma cell growth, survival, and drug resistance.  For more information, see the MMRF website.

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Opinion: Stem Cell Collection And Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment – In the latest article published in the opinion section of The Beacon, Lori Puente, whose husband is a multiple myeloma patient, wrote about her husband’s use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment to improve his number of stem cells available for collection.  Lori’s husband Dave received extensive radiation for his bone damage.  After being told that the radiation would likely severely hinder Dave’s ability to collect enough stem cells, Lori and Dave learned that hyperbaric oxygen treatment might increase the number of stem cells available for collection.  Lori describes in her article how Dave underwent hyperbaric oxygen treatment and successfully collected enough stem cells for 11 transplants. To receive a copy of all opinion articles when they are published or if you are interested in contributing an opinion piece, send an email to .

The Beacon’s ASH 2010 Coverage Is Now Completed – As of yesterday, The Beacon completed its comprehensive coverage of the 2010 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting, including more than 20 articles with daily updates from the meeting and in-depth summaries of key myeloma-related presentations. Discussions about presentations from each day of the conference can also be found in the Beacon Forums (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4).

SNS01-T Receives Orphan Drug Status For Multiple Myeloma – On January 3, Senesco Technologies announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the company’s lead therapeutic candidate, SNS01-T, orphan drug status for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The FDA uses the orphan drug designation to promote the development of new treatments for diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. The orphan drug status provides the company with multiple benefits, including funding for clinical trials, accelerated FDA approval, and marketing exclusivity for up to seven years.  Senesco plans to begin clinical trials with SNS01-T later this year. For more information, please see the Senesco press release.

Epizyme Receives $1 Million From MMRF And $20 Million From GSK For Research That May Benefit Myeloma Patients – The Boston-area biotech company Epizyme recently announced $21 million in funding for the research of histone methyltransferase (HMT) inhibitors. Epizyme’s research targets HMT proteins that regulate the on/off switch for genes, many of which are associated with multiple myeloma and other cancers. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) awarded $1 million in funding to Epizyme for its development of innovative myeloma treatments. Epizyme will also receive $20 million plus additional milestone payments in a deal with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the discovery and development of Epizyme’s HMT inhibitors. Epizyme will be responsible for all research activities up to the selection of a development candidate for each target HMT. From that stage, GSK will control all further development and marketing activities. For more information, please see the MMRF and Epizyme press releases.

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Vaxil BioTherapeutics Initiates Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial Of ImMucin - Vaxil Biotherapeutics, a vaccine development company, has begun recruiting multiple myeloma patients for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for its therapeutic vaccine ImMucin. Patients in the clinical trial will receive between six and twelve injections of ImMucin over three to six months. Researchers will follow up with patients for an additional six months. The clinical trial, which will evaluate the safety of ImMucin, will be held in Israel, where Vaxil is based. For more information, please see the Vaxil BioTherapeutics press release and the clinical trial description.

Senesco Plans Phase 1/2 Study Of SNS01-T – Senesco Technologies, a biotechnology company, announced plans to file by the end of 2010 for approval of a Phase 1a/2b study of SNS01-T in multiple myeloma patients. SNS01-T has shown promising results pre-clinical studies involving mice. If approved, the trial will begin in the first half of 2011. For more information, please see the Senesco press release.

International Society Of Hematology Congress – The International Society of Hematology will hold its 33rd annual congress in Jerusalem between October 10 and 13. Hematologists from around the world will gather to discuss the latest research, therapies, and tools available in the field. For more information, please see the Hematology Congress 2010 website.

Clinical Insights Educational Program – Dr. Robert Orlowski of the MD Anderson Cancer Center will be chairing an educational program in Houston on October 15. The program will feature seminars by some of the leading myeloma researchers, including Drs. Kenneth Anderson, Sagar Lonial, William Bensinger, Nikhil Munshi, and Irene Ghobrial. Seminar topics include front-line therapy, stem cell transplant, relapsed/refractory disease, supportive care, and clinical trials. The program will close with a question and answer panel by the faculty. For more information, please see the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation website.

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