The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced that it is investing $5 million over the next three years to launch “The MMRF Answer Fund,” a multifaceted effort to address important questions facing the multiple myeloma community and to advance precision medicine. The Answer Fund will leverage the landmark MMRF CoMMpass study, which is the largest collection of genomic data of any cancer, tracking more than 1,100 myeloma patients over eight years.

One of the most urgent questions facing the multiple myeloma community is how to define and treat high-risk patients. Despite the tremendous progress made and the many new therapeutics approved in the past few years, nearly 20% of multiple myeloma patients pass away from the disease within three years of diagnosis. To address this challenge, the MMRF is launching a request for applications (RFA) to fund innovative projects aimed at identifying the molecular drivers that contribute to early disease progression. Researchers will use data from CoMMpass to identify and gain a better scientific understanding of these drivers and to accelerate the discovery of new therapeutics or the optimization of current treatments.

“The MMRF CoMMpass Study gives us an incredible quantity of world-class data from which we can glean insights to solve the most urgent questions facing myeloma patients,” said MMRF President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Giusti. “By getting to the heart of these questions, we will accelerate precision medicine approaches to optimize care and to extend the life of every patient.”

Also as part of the effort, the MMRF will crowdsource questions from patients, as well as from researchers and clinicians, to determine the most pressing challenges they face in maximizing clinical outcomes for every patient in this era of precision medicine. The MMRF will then engage researchers to answer those questions through a second RFA process. Solicitation of questions will begin in early August, with RFAs being announced in the fall.