Historically, myeloma patients have been treated with various chemotherapy regimens. Melphalan, used alone or in combination with prednisone, has been a standard treatment for myeloma for the past 30 years and is still used today in many patients.

In the 1980s, autologous stem cell transplants-- from the patient's own stem cells--emerged as a pioneering treatment option for multiple myeloma. In the late 1980s and 1990s, researchers worked to make these treatments safer. Today, transplantation is now considered a standard treatment for multiple myeloma.

In the late 1990s, thalidomide emerged as a promising new approach in treating multiple myeloma. Though it is not immediately clear exactly how thalidomide works, it is used extensively--either alone or as part of combination therapy--to treat myeloma patients with varying stages of disease progression.

In recent years, research focusing on novel targeted approaches in treating myeloma has increased dramatically. The 2003 approval of Velcade™, the first new drug of its class, showed that that novel targeted therapies offer great promise in effectively treating patients with multiple myeloma. Velcade™ is now widely accepted as one of the most significant recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma. Today, Velcade™ is being explored in several clinical trials as a treatment for myeloma patients at all stages of disease.

Today, several new therapeutic agents--including immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs™), such as Revlimid™--are showing promise in treating myeloma. In addition, there are a number of emerging therapies--including IGF-1 inhibitors, histone deacetylase inhibitors, heat shock proteins-that may serve as new treatment approaches.

The MMRC is dedicated to speeding the translation of new, lifesaving therapies to patients to urgently need them. MMRC researchers will be provided with a significant patient base and a critical mass of tissue samples to rapidly identify and validate molecular targets for myeloma, as well as current and emerging drugs that are active against these targets. In addition, the MMRC will connect patients with early clinical trials evaluating promising new therapies, both alone and in combination with standard myeloma therapies, to ensure that new treatment are brought to market as quickly as possible.