Screening for AL Amyloidosis in Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

Creating a network to enroll patients on a collaborative study requiring marrow and blood specimens, to collect data for a training set of likelihood statistics and to plan a future validation study.

With a 15-center network covering 12 states and almost 45% of the US population, we will evaluate 400 SMM patients \> 40 years old who pass FLC criteria using standard of care tests including NT-proBNP and clinical marrow specimens evaluated for the presence of t(11;14) and gain1q. Marrow cells will be processed by NGS for clonal IGLV gene identification. With the training data obtained, we will use existing statistical modeling techniques to generate a statistical algorithm for identifying undiagnosed cases of AL and assessment of risk of AL, and to plan a validation study testing the training model. We will also investigate a role for the novel biomarker clusterin (Clu) as an indicator of risk of AL in SMM patients; preliminary work indicates that Clu is significantly lower in AL than in SMM patients.

Time frame: 5 years

Validating an NGS assay that identifies IGLV genes in clonal plasma cells

All subjects will have their clonal IGLV genes identified by NGS enabling the creation and validation of a laboratory developed test in a precision medicine laboratory that is certified under regulations of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). Approval for this laboratory developed test for both κ and λ IGVL genes will permit providers, patients and researchers to use the test in decision-making to care for monoclonal gammopathy patients. We will also investigate the exploratory objective of defining the alterations in sequence in AL and non-AL FLC derived from the same IGLV germline gene.

Time frame: 5 years