BETA What are clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) mutations?

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, CHIP, is a condition where healthy adults have genetic mutations in their blood. As people age, it is normal for their blood-forming cells, known as hematopoietic stem cells, to acquire genetic mutations, or misspellings, in their DNA. Most of these mutations do not affect how these cells function or cause disease. In some cases, however, the mutations give certain hematopoietic stem cells an edge in survival, granting them an outsized role in producing blood cells. When this situation arises in people who are otherwise healthy, it's known as clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, CHIP. Targeted sequencing of genes that are commonly mutated in hematologic malignancies can help identify CHIP. What are clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, or CHIP, mutations? CHIP is fascinating. It stands for clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential. And in many ways, it's analogous to monotonal chromopathy of undetermined significance. In the latter, you identify this monotonal protein in the former, in CHIP, by doing a sequencing assay, you identify a clone of cells in your blood that has expanded more than the other cells. And the mutations that we see in those clones are mutations that are more characteristic of a pre-malignant condition associated with leukemia called myelodysplasia. And so those mutations mark this cloma. And the most amazing thing was that it turns out that patients who've got CHIP actually have a higher incidence of heart disease. And that came as a real surprise. And it's sort of getting off topic from multiple myeloma. But the thought is that those mutations affect the cells that line the arteries, and they lead to increased platformation. They're sort of abnormal blood cells that increase the inflammation. And the thought is that maybe the same thing is going on in multiple myeloma. So the incidence of CHIP goes up with age, and a lot of people with multiple myeloma are in the age group that have CHIP. And in a very recent study from Irene Goldbrill, she identified a third of patients with multiple myeloma, one of them stem cell transplants, actually had CHIP. So it's quite common in that age group. And quite remarkably, she found that they had a worse outcome after the transplant than the patients that didn't have CHIP. And the reason for this is unknown. And I think the speculation is that those cells, like the cells lining the arteries, promote inflammation that supports the growth of myeloma. Understanding the genetics of your myeloma is crucial. Knowing your risk status can help guide your decisions about treatment and maintenance therapy, and it may also reveal a targetable mutation. To track your genetic profile, sign up for Health Tree Cure Hub. Once your medical records are connected, you can view your genetic profile by clicking the Track My Disease button on your dashboard. The Health Tree Cure Hub AI algorithm will then use this information to suggest treatment options and relevant clinical trials.