The University of Birmingham in the UK has secured £230,00 ($303,000) in funding from Cancer Research Horizons towards the development of a prototype of a new test to monitor individuals at risk of developing multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
Principally intended for monitoring individuals with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS), a known precursor condition to myeloma, the test measures monoclonal protein levels, which are produced by cells in the bone marrow that have become abnormal.
Go deeper with GlobalData
In the UK, around 6,000 individuals receive a multiple myeloma diagnosis each year. Around 1% of MGUS diagnoses have a chance of progressing to myeloma annually. Therefore, those diagnosed with MGUS undertake regularly scheduled blood tests to check for any changes in their condition.
These tests are generally undertaken every three months, among those newly diagnosed with MGUS, but may decrease to every six months, or yearly, if the disease remains stable and no new symptoms arise.
Monitoring currently requires patients to visit general practice or hospital clinics for a blood sample, which is then sent to a clinical laboratory for testing.
According to the developers of the new test, Dr Jennifer Heaney and Dr Sian Faustini at Clinical Immunology Services at the University of Birmingham, this process places a burden on the UK National Health Service (NHS) and patients.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataMeanwhile, the new test is positioned as a means of ameliorating the burdens associated with MGUS monitoring, in turn rendering the process more efficient and convenient for patients and the NHS.
Birmingham University claims the test’s ability to detect increases in monoclonal protein and identify patients in need of a hospital referral for further tests to see if myeloma has developed will help realise earlier treatment.
Once the prototype test is developed, the developers plan to initiate a clinical pilot later this year in collaboration with Dr Tracey Chan at University Hospitals Birmingham.
The grant is the latest in a recent string of funding that Birmingham University has garnered to advance myeloma research. In 2024, the university received around £310,000 from Blood Cancer UK to work on developing a new test to help diagnose and monitor non-measurable myeloma.
Also in 2024, the university secured funding from the Cancer Research Horizon’s Data Innovation Award towards developing its Integrated UK Myeloma Trials Resource, which the university stated is set to help enhance myeloma patient outcomes.
