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Research is vital for advancing our understanding, treatment and care of cancer. New screening tests, treatment options and understandings of different cancer types are being developed right here in South Australia. Our local studies have also made significant contributions to improving life expectancy for cancers that have limited treatment options.

For Dr Jacqueline Noll, a Cancer Council SA funded researcher at the University of Adelaide, the goal is to find new tests and treatments for the incurable blood cancer multiple myeloma.

What is multiple myeloma?

Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer. It develops from abnormal growth of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell, in the bone marrow. These cells are responsible for making antibodies to fight infection. In multiple myeloma, abnormal plasma cells spread throughout the bone marrow so that there is not enough space to make enough normal blood cells. It is currently incurable, with most treatments aiming to slow the disease, manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

What is Dr Noll researching?

Dr Noll’s work focuses on monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), an early, symptom-free condition that sometimes progresses to multiple myeloma.  While most people with MGUS never develop cancer, around 10 per cent do go onto develop into multiple myeloma.

MGUS is usually diagnosed when blood tests detect the presence of an abnormal protein called monoclonal protein, or M protein, in the blood. People with MGUS do not receive any treatment but rather are managed by a ‘wait and see’ approach, monitoring for signs of progression.

Dr Noll aims to achieve two main goals through her research:

  • To identify and test a new way to stop the growth of cancerous plasma cells and prevent MGUS from progressing to multiple myeloma.
  • To develop a new blood test which can identify which people diagnosed with MGUS are most likely to develop multiple myeloma, allowing for earlier intervention.

Why is this research important?

Dr Noll says there is currently no way to identify which people with MGUS are most likely to progress to multiple myeloma.

“The current therapies used to treat myeloma patients also cause damage to healthy cells, resulting in sometimes severe side effects and are therefore not suitable to treat asymptomatic MGUS patients, many of whom will never go on to develop multiple myeloma,” Dr Noll says.

“We have identified an enzyme, which is essential for myeloma tumour development in preclinical models of disease.”

“My research aims to further investigate the function of this enzyme in myeloma development and determine if it is a therapeutic target to slow or prevent the transition from MGUS to myeloma.”

By identifying possible multiple myeloma cases early, Dr Noll’s research could potentially prevent the disease from developing in people with MGUS. It may also pave the way for earlier interventions and more targeted treatments, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Learn more about the South Australian cancer research you’re funding.