Checking for AL amyloidosis in people with smoldering myeloma
Official title: Screening for AL Amyloidosis in Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11294139 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will use blood markers and clinical data to find hidden AL amyloidosis early in people with smoldering multiple myeloma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $687,189 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA279808-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11294139 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma, especially those with abnormal free light chain results, are the ideal candidates for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without smoldering myeloma or those already known to have systemic AL amyloidosis are unlikely to benefit from joining this screening effort.
What this research studies
You would be screened using blood tests, review of medical records, and when needed biopsy or other clinical tests to look for early signs of AL amyloidosis. The team plans to enroll about 340 people with smoldering multiple myeloma across a clinical network and combine lab markers and clinical features into a likelihood algorithm for undiagnosed AL and future risk. This work builds on earlier studies showing a 10–15 year precursor period and that a small percent of smoldering myeloma patients go on to develop AL, often with heart or kidney involvement. The aim is a practical tool doctors can use to spot AL earlier so treatment can begin before organ failure occurs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors diagnose AL amyloidosis much earlier and reduce the risk of rapid heart or kidney failure and early death.
How similar studies have gone: Prior retrospective studies have shown a long precursor period and that some smoldering myeloma patients later develop AL, but systematic screening and an algorithmic risk tool like this is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Comenzo, Raymond Luke — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Comenzo, Raymond Luke
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving early diagnosis of AL amyloidosis in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma
This study is looking to find a better way to spot early signs of AL amyloidosis in people with smoldering multiple myeloma, so we can help them avoid serious health issues like heart and kidney problems.
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Integrative study of multiple myeloma genetics and disease biology
A team at Dana-Farber and partners is pursuing a long-term project to understand the genetic and molecular drivers of multiple myeloma and how treatments interact with disease biology.
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Comparative Modeling to Prevent, Detect Early, and Treat Multiple Myeloma
A research team will build and compare computer models to understand how multiple myeloma develops, can be detected earlier, and treated more effectively.
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How LDL Affects Multiple Myeloma: New Pathways to Keep Remission
A new grant is studying how cholesterol from LDL particles fuels multiple myeloma and how this interaction influences the tumor environment and immune response, with goals to help patients stay in remission.
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Therapy-induced senescence and immune activation in multiple myeloma
A study in people with multiple myeloma will explore how treatment-related senescence in cancer cells may stimulate the immune system and affect cancer return after standard frontline therapy.
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BCMA CAR-T enteritis: understanding immune toxicities in multiple myeloma
A broad study to uncover why some CAR-T cell treatments targeting BCMA cause severe intestinal inflammation in people with multiple myeloma.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.