UnicMM: Combined immUNotherapeutIC approach for targeting bone marrow microenvironment in Multiple Myeloma

In UnicMM we will address a key question in the treatment of MM: which therapeutic strategy should be adopted to safely obtain a complete elimination of tumoral plasma cells? We hypothesize that targeting both myeloid and lymphoid compartments, the two arms of immunity, on top of an IMID ground is a promising avenue. UnicMM aims to better understand the crosstalk between MM cells and the surrounding immune populations to determine which immune functions should be promoted. These results will be used as a rationale to test an IMID-based therapy in combination with strategies augmenting both T cells and macrophages’ anti-tumour effect. This will allow a more effective manipulation of the BM microenvironment to safely promote anti-myeloma activity.
The main aims of UnicMM are the following:
1.Extensive characterization of the BM immune microenvironment in the MM MOPC315 mouse model;
2.Examining the role of Extracellular Vesicles cargo in the modulation of the immune microenvironment in multiple myeloma;
3.Implementation of a 3D ex vivo platform to culture MM patients’ bone marrow and identification of novel immunotherapies combinations.
This project has been awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) in 2021.