Fenghauang (Frank) Zhan, PhD
Yogesh Jethava, MD
University of Iowa
Interview Date: December 11, 2018

What cells cause myeloma and why do patients relapse after treatment? Myeloma stem cells may be part of the answer. 

Fenghauang (Frank) Zhan, PhD was recently selected as a Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative (MCRI) award recipient. The goal of the MCRI is to help optimize myeloma therapy for individual patients.

Dr. Zhan's noticed that patients whose myeloma is resistant to chemotherapy have higher levels of CD24 on their flow cytometry tests. He believes that the CD24 is present on the myeloma "stem cells" - cells that initiate the cancer and cause relapse. His work will validate that CD24 can indicate patients who are more prone to have resistant disease and is working with other researchers who are developing CD24-directed treatments. 

If patients were able to receive full myeloma therapy including therapy that could kill initiating cells, we would be much closer to a cure. Hear more in this show from Dr. Zhan and Dr. Jethava from the University of Iowa about this important research. 

The Myeloma Crowd created the MCRI because we “Can’t Wait for a Cure.” Through the MCRI we want to help find the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. The MCRI is funding three research projects – each with a different focus – that will also integrate with HealthTree, a new tool for myeloma patients. Learn more about HealthTree here.

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