DiRNAmics- a pilot study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pilot study to investigate the preDictive value of microRNA profiling in disease progression in plasma cell malignancies.
IRAS ID
317084
Contact name
Muttuswamy Sikakumaran
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a form of blood cancer which arises from plasma cells, and is the second most common blood cancer in the UK. Plasma cells are involved in the immune system. They produce antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins) which help fight infection. Normally, different plasma cells produce different antibodies to protect the body against various sources of infection. It is these cells that become cancerous in myeloma. Developing Multiple Myeloma involves a process that starts from a pre-cancerous condition called Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS). MGUS evolves into a condition called ‘Smouldering Myeloma’ – an early form of myeloma that is not usually treated, but is regularly monitored. Most patients with smouldering myeloma will progress to active myeloma at some point. Myeloma affects multiple places in the body (organs and tissues) at once, hence why it is often referred to as ‘multiple myeloma’ – and has potentially life-threatening complications.
The factors that influence disease progression are still unknown. Finding and understanding these factors can help in the development of blood tests to detect disease progression earlier. These results could support the clinical team in making treatment decisions earlier, and improve clinical outcomes.
This study is aiming collect a blood sample from patients with multiple myeloma and test for small molecules that regulate the function of genes in your cells, these molecules are called MicroRNAs (miRNAs). Some published reports suggest that there may be an association between the amounts of these molecules in the blood of patients with various cancers. These molecules may determine the outcome and prognosis of the cancer.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0148
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion