The Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC) is a unique research model that brings together thirteen leading academic centers to speed the development of new myeloma therapies through innovative, collaborative research efforts. Founded in 2004 by Kathy Giusti, a myeloma patient and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the MMRC has created multiple opportunities in myeloma research and drug development that did not exist just a few years earlier.

The MMRC is currently comprised of thirteen world-renowned academic institutions: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, City of Hope National Medical Center, Emory University, Hackensack University Medical Center, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York, University Health Network (Princess Margaret Hospital), University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Washington University in St. Louis.

At the core of the MMRC's innovative model is the MMRC Tissue Bank, the only resource of its kind that provides researchers with the critical mass of myeloma tissue samples needed to advance research efforts. With more than 900 bone marrow aspirates and nearly 800 matching peripheral blood samples accrued to date under Good Laboratory Practices, the MMRC Tissue Bank has enabled researchers to initiate robust pre-clinical validation efforts - an important step in the development of new and combination therapies.

The MMRC is currently conducting exciting research efforts across through three highly aligned Research Cores: Genomics, Validation, and Clinical Trials. These efforts truly span the spectrum of drug development - from the identification of new druggable targets, to the validation of novel and combination therapies, to advancing new compounds into Phase I and II clinical trials.

Committed to bringing effective new therapies to patients as quickly as possible, MMRC research efforts are highly focused on the development of novel targeted therapies. The MMRC is conducting several innovative validation efforts, including a pre-clinical study to validate antibodies that may represent promising therapeutic options in myeloma. The MMRC is also conducting a Phase I trial and correlative sciences study of an FGFR3 inhibitor, with several other exciting clinical trials now under development. As such, the MMRC now serves as an optimal model to not only exponentially hasten drug discoveries in myeloma, but to spearhead the development of new breakthrough treatments.