How very long-chain fatty acids affect multiple myeloma cells
Regulation and Function of Very Long Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in Multiple Myeloma
This project looks at how making very long-chain fatty acids in myeloma cells changes their stress response and resistance to common myeloma drugs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11140304 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have multiple myeloma, this work studies how cancer cells produce very long-chain fatty acids and how that changes stress in their protein-folding machinery (the endoplasmic reticulum). Researchers will study an enzyme called HACD3 in lab-grown myeloma cells and in samples from patients to see how altering VLCFA levels affects ER-to-Golgi transport and cell survival. They will test whether changing VLCFA biology makes cells more or less sensitive to the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. The aim is to identify targets that could help overcome drug resistance in patients whose myeloma no longer responds to current therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with multiple myeloma, especially those with relapsed or refractory disease after proteasome inhibitor therapy or whose tumor samples show higher HACD3 expression.
Not a fit: People without multiple myeloma or whose disease is not driven by ER stress or proteasome-inhibitor resistance are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal new drug targets to help patients with bortezomib-resistant multiple myeloma respond better to treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Drugs that increase ER stress such as bortezomib are already effective in many myeloma patients but resistance is common, and targeting fatty-acid biosynthesis enzymes like HACD3 is a newer laboratory-based approach with promising early data but not yet proven in patients.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nikiforov, Mikhail — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Nikiforov, Mikhail
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 below.