Preventing heart and blood vessel damage from a multiple myeloma drug

Unraveling Proteasome Inhibitor-Induced Cardiovascular Toxicity through Integrative Multiomics

NIH-funded research Stanford University · NIH-11249242

Testing whether fixing abnormal RNA splicing can prevent heart and blood vessel damage caused by the multiple myeloma drug carfilzomib.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionStanford University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Stanford, United States)
Project IDNIH-11249242 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you are treated for multiple myeloma with carfilzomib, the research team aims to find the molecular changes in your blood vessel and heart cells that lead to high blood pressure, microcirculation problems, and heart stress. They will use humanized mouse models and patient-derived stem cells, perform single-cell RNA sequencing, and apply advanced algorithms to identify harmful alternative RNA splicing events in smooth muscle and endothelial cells. The team will then test antisense oligonucleotides designed to correct those splicing changes in preclinical models to see if vascular and cardiac harm can be prevented. This work is based at Stanford and seeks to create strategies that protect the heart during cancer treatment.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are people receiving or about to receive carfilzomib for multiple myeloma, especially those with early cardiovascular symptoms or willing to provide blood or tissue samples for research.

Not a fit: People who are not treated with proteasome inhibitors or those with irreversible, advanced heart failure are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: This could lead to treatments that stop or reduce carfilzomib-related cardiovascular side effects, making cancer therapy safer for patients.

How similar studies have performed: Antisense oligonucleotides have been successful in other genetic conditions, but applying them to prevent proteasome inhibitor cardiotoxicity is largely novel and currently at the preclinical stage.

Where this research is happening

Stanford, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.