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Although many patients are diagnosed with earlier phases (also known as "precursor conditions") of blood cancers, in most cases, there are no effective, disease-modifying therapies available. This means that most patients do not receive treatment until
their cancer progresses.
Precursor hematologic conditions include early cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia called monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL); early cases of multiple myeloma or Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
and smoldering multiple myeloma; and early cases of myelodysplastic syndrome and myeloproliferative disorders.
In order to understand why some patients with these precursor conditions go on to develop progressive disease, while others do not show progression — and to develop better targeted therapeutic agents to prevent progression, or even eliminate the disease
before it leads to symptoms — the Center for Prevention of Progression of Blood Cancers (CPOP) has been created.
Although the last decade has seen the development of effective target therapies for patients with blood cancers, their clinical use has been hampered by drug resistance, clonal evolution, and disease progression — all of which limit the extent and duration
of patients' response.
Of note, most blood cancers — including multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia — are preceded by clonal disease states that then progress into disease. However, the genomic, genetic, and epigenetic factors governing
the process of progression and therapeutic resistance have not been systematically characterized.
The Center for Prevention of Progression research initiative is focused on understanding the progression and clonal evolution of blood cancers, with an ultimate aim to develop targeted therapeutic agents that can eliminate the early clones of disease.
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Irene Ghobrial, MD, describes the CPOP research initiative
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Leadership
Robert Soiffer, MD
Irene Ghobrial, MD
Benjamin Ebert, MD, PhD
Research Partners
Jennifer Brown Lab
Benjamin Ebert Lab
Gad Getz Lab
Irene Ghobrial Lab
Catherine Marinac, PhD
Timothy Rebbeck, PhD
Research Staff
Hira Shrestha, MA, Senior Clinical Research Program Manager
Brian Sheehan, Assistant Clinical Research Manager
Meredith Bertoni, MPH, Clinical Research Coordinator II
Elizabeth Murphy, Clinical Research Coordinator II
Dechen Choden,
Clinical Research Coordinator I
Sophie Magidson, Clinical Research Coordinator I
Erica Horowitz, Research Project Manager
Maya Davis, Research Project Manager
Lilly Riseberg, Clinical Research Coordinator I
Jackie Perry, MPH,
Data Manager
Vidhi Patel, Research Data Specialist
Clinical Team
Hematology/Oncology
Myeloma Precursor Specialists
Irene Ghobrial, MD, MGUS, SMM
Omar Nadeem, MD, MGUS, SMM
Betsy O'Donnell, MD, MGUS, SMM
Adam Sperling, MD, PhD, MGUS, SMM
Leukemia Precursor Specialists
Daniel DeAngelo, MD, PhD, low-risk MDS
Lachelle D. Weeks, MD, PhD, ICUS, CHIP, CCUS, low-risk MDS
Lymphoma Precursor Specialists
Virginia Volpe, MD, MBL
Genetic Risk and Prevention
Judy Garber, MD, MPH
Huma Rana, MD
Cardiology
Peter Libby, MD
Nephrology
Shruti Gupta, MD
Umut Selamet, MD
Neurology
Christopher Doughty, MD