The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, through its Clinical Practices division, has been awarded a $621,156 Project Grant by the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research) to conduct research on identifying novel regulators of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis in malignant plasma cells. The goal is to develop new therapies targeting the unique biology and biochemistry of multiple myeloma cells. The key research objectives are to: 1) investigate how inhibiting purinergic receptor (P2RX) signaling can deplete myeloma cells, 2) identify ER regulatory nodes controlled by P2RX function, and 3) link P2RX function in myeloma cells to the regulation of the bone marrow plasma cell niche by the gap junction protein Panx3. This five-year project leverages a novel patient-derived xenograft model to provide insights into the specialized survival mechanisms of malignant plasma cells, with the aim of advancing new treatment approaches for multiple myeloma.
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