Understanding metastasis in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer that is diagnosed in approximately 1,700 people in Australia every year.

Like breast cancer and prostate cancer, multiple myeloma spreads, or metastasises, throughout the bone marrow. Patients with more metastatic disease tend to have very poor survival.

In this project, the team will investigate how the cancer cells spread through the body, using molecular biology approaches in combination with a robust mouse model of myeloma and transcriptomic analysis of patient tumour cells to determine the genes that are responsible for myeloma tumour dissemination.

The aim is to define the mechanisms responsible for tumour dissemination in multiple myeloma and l identify novel therapeutic targets.

This project is funded by Cancer Australia, Cancer Council SA Beat Cancer Project, Cure Cancer Australia and Leukaemia Foundation Australia