Leif Bergsagel, MD, is among the top researchers in the world who studies the molecular pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. His laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular events that lead to the development of MGUS and its progression to multiple myeloma. The research of Dr. Bergsagel and his colleagues has identified important subtypes of multiple myeloma that respond differently to treatment, are associated with different survival rates and form the basis for a risk-adapted approach to therapy. Using insights gained from an understanding of the genetic events that lead to the development of multiple myeloma, Dr. Bergsagel’s team have generated a mouse model of the disease. This model is being used to screen novel agents for their anti-myeloma activity. Dr. Bergsagel’s team have cloned more than 35 translocation breakpoints and identified five frequent translocation partners that are present in almost one-half of patients with multiple myeloma. They are now working to identify and clone various translocation breakpoints in order to clarify their roles in the development of multiple myeloma. Another focus is on the MYC oncogene that appears in some patients to cause the progression of MGUS to myeloma. Prior to joining the faculty at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Bergsagel was on the medical faculty of the University of Toronto and a Medical Staff Fellow at the National Cancer Institute. He was a junior resident at the Stanford University Medical Center, completed his internship at Sunnybrook Medical Centre, and received his MD from the University of Toronto. He is a member of the National Institutes of Health Basic Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics Study Section and the American Society for Clinical Investigations. His honors include lectureships at Ohio State University, Hammersmith Hospital in London, England, and the Daniel E. Bergsagel visiting professorship at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Canada. In 2009 he was honored with the Robert A. Kyle Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator Award.

Myeloma survivor, patient advocate, wife, mom of 6. Believer that patients can help accelerate a cure by weighing in and participating in clinical research. Founder of the HealthTree Foundation.