US Oncology Research, MMRF partner to participate in CoMMpass study

Jun 14 2012

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) today announced an alliance with US Oncology Research to participate in the landmark CoMMpass^(SM) (Relating Clinical Outcomes in MM to Personal Assessment of Genetic Profile) study sponsored by the MMRF. Seventeen US Oncology Research affiliated clinical sites will participate.    

The first of its kind in multiple myeloma, the MMRF CoMMpass study will follow 1,000 newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients over a five-year period to understand the molecular and genetic changes underpinning the evolution of the disease. Sequential tissue sampling during the study will help to identify how a patient's molecular profile may affect his or her clinical progression and individual response to treatment, with the goal of facilitating future clinical trials and personalized treatment strategies based on the resulting information database.

The MMRF CoMMpass study is at the center of the MMRF's efforts to improve myeloma treatments and patient outcomes through personalized medicine, by gleaning critical information that will enable existing treatments to be tailored to specific patients based on their markers, and to identify and move forward new targeted treatments with research and industry collaborators.

"Innovation of this magnitude requires a bold, ambitious, and highly collaborative approach to science. As a trusted third party, the MMRF alone was able to bring together a phenomenal team of academic institutions and community cancer centers nationwide to really drive the CoMMpass study forward," said Kathy Giusti, Founder and CEO of the MMRF and Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, and a multiple myeloma patient. "We look forward to working together with US Oncology Research to deepen our understanding of multiple myeloma as the critical fist step in improving patient care."

The 17 US Oncology Research affiliated sites participating in the CoMMpass study include: Arizona Oncology ; Broome Oncology in NY; Cancer Care Centers of South Texas; Cancer Care Centers of South Texas-HOAST; Cancer Care Northwest in WA; Cancer Center of Kansas; Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada; Illinois Cancer Specialists; Compass Oncology in WA; Ocala Oncology in FL; Rockwood Clinic in WA; Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in CO; Texas Oncology - Fort Worth; Texas Oncology - Garland; Texas Oncology - Plano East; Texas Oncology - Tyler; and Texas Oncology - Waco. These join 22 additional centers that are currently enrolling patients in the study.

"We are excited to be involved in this ground-breaking study to better understand how genomic heterogeneity affects multiple myeloma disease progression and treatment response. It is an ambitious and complex undertaking, and the MMRF is uniquely positioned to lead this effort based on its impressive track record of building collaborative models to accelerate drug discovery and development," said Steve Jones, MD, medical director, US Oncology Research. "We look forward to the results that the MMRF CoMMpass study database will uncover, which we believe will yield a positive impact on multiple myeloma and potentially other cancer patients as we apply the results to enable better patient care."