One of our MMRF Research Fellows, Dr. Holly Lee of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Canada, has published an insightful review article about bispecific antibodies in multiple myeloma. We asked her to share her background and help us describe the content of her article. Can you give a brief bio of yourself and discuss what drew you into myeloma research? I am a clinician-scientist in-training. I completed my clinical hematology fellowship in 2021 and have since been enrolled in the Clinician Investigator Program at University of Calgary pursuing a PhD under the sup ..read more

Joe McMahon, founder of First Knight Racing and host of the Peasantman Steel Distance Triathlon, has dedicated himself to organizing, directing, and participating in races since the age of 20. With an impressive athletic resume boasting over 500 races, including 38 full distance triathlons (four of them Steel Distances), 75+ marathons, and 17+ half distance triathlons, among others, Joe has earned widespread respect within statewide triathlon clubs and unofficially holds the #2 spot for most full distance triathlons completed in New York State. Passionate about making a difference, Joe has c ..read more

FOCUSED PURSUIT Eric Gelber, a CBRE Executive Vice President and ultra-endurance athlete, a husband and father has taken on increasingly challenging endurance feats to raise funds to find new treatments and eventually a cure for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer which, currently is incurable. Eric has raised over $2,400,000 for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to fund critical research to accelerate a cure for every patient. RELENTLESS JOURNEY It began in 2006, when Eric decided to get off the couch and run his first marathon to raise funds for cancer research and honor a friend ..read more

How did you get involved with the MMRF? My big moment with the MMRF came on February 20, 2018, about a year after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I had gone through ~12 months of testing, treatments, and a successful stem cell transplant, and as most myeloma patients will tell you, that first year was very structured. The path to remission seemed very well known, and there were expert oncologists and nurses there to help define a daily routine for me, which gave me great comfort. But then came 2018, when it was time to transition to maintenance therapies and settle into a less-structure ..read more

I want to share an inspirational story about one of the athletes I train. His name is Marc Schiff (@maschiff), he’ll be 61 years “young” next month, and I’ve been working with him since 2017. While Marc has been athletic his entire life, he never considered himself a runner. And although he ran track as a sprinter for a couple of years in high school, running was more of a necessary evil to stay in shape for baseball and lacrosse. Then, in late 2012 a cancer survivor friend asked him if he’d run a 5K in Phoenix to benefit Colon Cancer. He thought what the heck, why not, it’s only 3.1 miles! So ..read more

How did you get involved with the MMRF? My involvement with MMRF started in 2019 while I was undergoing my induction therapy. I was at my infusion center for one of my weekly treatments and decided I wanted to do something to help find a cure for Multiple Myeloma. I came up with an idea to create a t-shirt that I could sell to raise money that would be donated to the MMRF. I’m an avid runner and part of a huge Facebook group of runners who I knew would be more than happy to purchase one. I sold the shirts at cost and asked people to add whatever donation they could. I ended up selling 80 shir ..read more

Hal Anderson considers his life to consist of two phases, which he labels BC and AD. BC is before cancer, and AD is after diagnosis. Before cancer, Hal had served 31 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Captain. He was a career nuclear submarine officer who commanded the USS SHARK. During his career in submarines, his approach to problem solving was to gather the facts, research possible options, seek the best available advice, decide the best course of action, and carry out the plan. When he was diagnosed with Stage 3a multiple myeloma in 1998 after suffering multiple compres ..read more

What is non-secretory multiple myeloma? In most cases, myeloma cells release monoclonal antibodies (M-protein) into your blood and urine. In rare cases, myeloma cells do not make any monoclonal antibodies, a condition called non-secretory myeloma. It can be difficult to diagnose patients with non-secretory myeloma because they have no M spike.  While treatment for non-secretory myeloma is often the same as for other types of myeloma, it is more difficult to monitor treatment efficacy since doctors cannot use a simple blood test to detect the M protein. If a clonoSEQ minimal residual disea ..read more

Does the age of the patient play a role in whether a patient can receive a bispecific antibody? The age and the performance status of the patient play a role in determining which treatment is selected. Someone who is frail and/or has a poor performance status may be better suited for a bispecific antibody. Whereas a younger patient with a good performance status could be a better candidate for CAR T-cell therapy. There is currently no limit on the age of a patient who can receive bispecific antibody therapy.  Healthcare professionals should have a discussion with the patient to see what i ..read more

How did you get involved with the MMRF? Our “Richard’s Rangers” team was formed by our family for the MMRF Race for Research in Philadelphia in 2010 as a way to honor our husband, father, and grandfather, Richard A. Englander and fundraise and spread awareness for the disease. Richard was a patient of Dr. Edward Stadtmauer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He had told Richard about the wonderful work of the MMRF to educate patients and caregivers and to fund important research to find a cure. We have been supporting the MMRF ever since! Why did you choose to participate in t ..read more