Targeting drug-resistant multiple myeloma cells
Official title: Characterize Drug Resistance in Multiple Myeloma
Funded at Central Arkansas Veterans Hlthcare Sys · NIH-11206942 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for markers of myeloma cells that survive treatment and uses them to create new therapies for people whose multiple myeloma comes back after treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Central Arkansas Veterans Hlthcare Sys NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (North Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006235-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11206942 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with multiple myeloma—especially those who have relapsed, have high-risk disease features, or are candidates for CAR T–type approaches—would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
People without multiple myeloma or those whose disease is already well controlled and not driven by resistant clones are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You will hear about work that examines individual myeloma cells from patients to find the proteins and gene-control regions that let some cells survive therapy. Scientists will use single-cell multi-omics, ATAC-seq, and large-scale protein profiling to build a protein risk score (PEP60) and map regulatory features of resistant cells. They will test engineered bispecific CAR T cells that target BCMA and CD24 to see if those immune cells can eliminate drug-resistant myeloma cells in preclinical models. The aim is to turn these findings into treatments that reduce the chance of relapse by removing the cells most likely to cause the disease to return.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could enable treatments that specifically remove drug-resistant myeloma cells and lower the risk of relapse.
How similar studies have gone: BCMA-directed CAR T therapies and molecular profiling have shown promise in myeloma, but combining proteomic risk scores with bispecific CAR T targeting of resistant cells is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Central Arkansas Veterans Hlthcare Sys
North Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhan, Fenghuang — Central Arkansas Veterans Hlthcare Sys
- Study coordinator: Zhan, Fenghuang
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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Understanding Drug-Resistant Multiple Myeloma to Stop Relapse
Researchers are studying why some myeloma cells resist treatment and how to create new therapies to prevent relapse.
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.