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Two years ago, when C. Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D., joined Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to lead the myeloma program, he told Sylvester’s Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., that his goal was to establish a “top three” U.S. myeloma program within five years.

With three years to go, Dr. Landgren is on track toward his goal with the announcement of the new, dedicated Myeloma Research Institute within Sylvester, for which he serves as the director.

“We recruited Dr. Landgren, a world leader in myeloma research, for his vision and expertise. He and his colleagues are working collaboratively on developing prevention methods, much-needed therapies, and cures for multiple myeloma,” said Dr. Nimer, who is also the executive dean for research at the Miller School.

Dr. Landgren previously served as chief of myeloma service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and prior to that as chief of the myeloma program at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Francesco Maura, M.D., co-leader of the Myeloma Genomic Lab at Sylvester, is associate director of computational oncology research, and Dickran Kazandjian, M.D., professor of medicine at the Miller School, is associate director of clinical trials research at the new institute.

“The Myeloma Research Institute within Sylvester is a necessary next step to dedicate and provide the resources and infrastructure necessary to support a strategically unified team of experts in Miami,” Dr. Nimer said. “This institute leverages Drs. Landgren, Maura, and Kazandijan’s strengths and fulfills a promise of providing the best cancer care to myeloma patients at Sylvester.”

The Myeloma Research Institute’s launch follows many important accomplishments by Dr. Landgren and his team, including the publication of several high-impact papers. Sylvester myeloma researchers have authored eight abstracts accepted for oral presentations at this year’s annual American Society of Hematology meeting. They have also been invited to open Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials for promising new drugs, with Sylvester being one of only four or five centers in the U.S. selected to participate, according to Dr. Landgren.

“We are leading development of blood-based tracking for residual disease,” Dr. Landgren said. “Earlier this year we launched the TRANSFORMM study, with the idea to try to transform the field for earlier detection of people who are going to develop the disease.”

The research team has validated its findings with peer-reviewed publications, and has secured both philanthropic funding through a grant from the Tow Foundation and federal funding via the NIH.

“We currently have more than 10 early-phase drug trials open, and will open another 10 trials in the next 12 to 18 months. There has been an explosion of innovative science and early drug development in multiple myeloma at Sylvester,” Dr. Landgren said.