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In this project, Professor Claire Edwards will look at how fat cells are involved in myeloma progressing.

Headshot of Professor Claire Edwards smiling.

Professor Claire Edwards

Project information

Lead researcher

Professor Claire Edwards, University of Oxford

Research team
  • A team at University of Oxford
Related conditions
  • Myeloma
Research type
  • Non-clinical
Region
  • South East
Grant awarded
  • Project Grant
Status
Ongoing
Funding award date
April 2022
Amount awarded

£249,790.16

The challenge

Myeloma is a blood cancer that can be treated but cannot currently be cured.

People with myeloma often have periods where they go into remission but they will eventually see their disease return and it’s not fully understood how myeloma cells reactivate.

The project

It’s thought that when people with myeloma enter remission, cancer cells still exist but enter a “sleepy state”. Professor Edwards thinks that fat cells somehow interact with these sleepy cells, waking them up and causing the disease to return and start growing again, but it’s not known why or how this happens and this is something she wants to explore further.

The future

Understanding how fat cells are involved in the progression of myeloma, could lead to us finding new ways to try and stop this from happening, which could extend the lives of people with the disease.

Understanding the triggers that awaken dormant, malignant cells ...is highly significant for all blood cancers.

- Patient Voice Grant Advisory Network Member, living with CML

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