New Biomaterial Shows Promise for Bone Healing in Myeloma Patients

The intro of a recent article in the Journal of Hematology and Oncology starts with a bang familiar to many myeloma patients: 

“Accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow causes lytic bone lesions in 80% of multiple myeloma patients. Frequently fracturing, they are challenging to treat surgically. Myeloma cells surviving treatment in the presumably protective environment of bone lesions impede their healing by continued impact on bone turnover and can explain regular progression of patients without detectable minimal residual disease (MRD)” (emphasis added).

This means that remaining bone lesions in myeloma patients may be a hotspot for myeloma cells to survive even after successful treatment. Because lytic bone lesions are challenging to treat surgically (i.e. heal), this is an area of concern for research. 

The article describes a collaborative effort by the Translational Oncology Research Centre (TORC) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, Brussels, Belgium), in collaboration with several German universities, aimed to address the critical challenge of treating multiple myeloma. 

Creating a Solution for Bone Health

The aim of this international cooperation was to:

• develop bone repair materials that mimic the characteristics of healthy bone
• deliver localized drug treatments to suppress tumor activity and support bone regeneration 

The result of this research is a “silica-collagen xerogel.” A xerogel is a material made by drying a gel that is made of collagen and silica to closely resemble mineralized collagen, the structural foundation of bone.

Two different types of this new biomaterial have been developed :

• “SicKer”: An innovative silica-based mineralization inspired by marine glass sponge spicules, created to closely match human bone.

• “BoXer”: this is SicKer (above) loaded with bortezomib (Velcade), a drug that most myeloma patients are familiar with. The addition of this medication aids not only the stimulation of bone formation but also simultaneously kills cancer cells.

Bone Health Benefits 

The benefits for the patients are the following:

• Targeted treatment: By releasing the drug directly at the bone site, targeted treatment helps reduce the side effects compared to systemic treatment.
• Bone Health: helps strengthen bones and prevent fractures (not only for myeloma patients).
• Deep, lasting responses: targets remaining cancer cells after initial treatment, potentially reducing relapse rates.

The abstract states that In a pre-clinical model, “BoXer could suppress myeloma cells, including those resistant to systemic bortezomib treatment. The findings suggest significant potential for stabilizing and healing fracture-prone bone lesions. The team envisions sicKer and boXer as part of a new combined systemic and local treatment strategy for multiple myeloma.”

Looking Forward

At this point, we only have pre-clinical data. Though it seems to be very promising, we will not see this development into clinical practice for some years, as it will need to go through full clinical and regulatory review. 

However, knowing that this is an area of research, especially if your myeloma has resulted in multiple bone lesions, can be extremely encouraging. 

Continue to read the latest breakthroughs and advancements in myeloma research here: Myeloma News

Sources: 

• Bortezomib-releasing silica-collagen xerogels for local treatment of osteolytic bone- and minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma | Journal of Hematology & Oncology