Dr. Jens Lohr, MD Broad Institute and Dana Farber Cancer Institute Interview date: February 28, 2014

Dr. Jens Lohr describes the recent discovery published in Cancer Cell that shows the genetic complexity of my multiple myeloma. While other cancers may have all of the same types of cancer cells presented, multiple myeloma is a mix of different cancer cell types, even in the same patient. He shares his recent work with the BROAD Institute to determine why myeloma is so complicated, why it returns and why it is so aggressive when it does return. He describes the three driver myeloma genes that promote growth and how he tested a BRAF inhibitor to target one of these genes. In the study they found that the inhibitor was effective but that depending on how much of that gene mutation a patient had, the inhibitor had the possibility of actually making other driver myeloma genes grow. He is optimistic that this gives us more information about how to treat myeloma and uses an example of how a BRAF inhibitor and a MEK inihibitor were combined to help overcome situations like this. He also shares that other approaches can be used to kill myeloma cells without regard to the genetics of the myeloma cell. He explained his use of both whole genome and whole exome sequencing and how it was used to come to this study's important conclusions. He gives a preview of the future where this type of sequencing can be done from blood instead of bone marrow samples (thank you!). His conclusions support the continued use of combination therapies to target the various types of subclones (or myeloma types) until we can learn in greater detail how to profile patients' myeloma more specifically. The live mPatient Myeloma Radio podcast with Dr. Jens Lohr