Scientists are mapping immune cells in the bone marrow of multiple myeloma patients. You could say it’s a way to see how the immune system interacts with cancer cells. It might also help doctors figure out how aggressive the cancer is and guide new immune-based therapies.
The study, in Nature Cancer, involved teams from WashU Medicine, Emory, Harvard, and the MMRF. They looked at more than a million cells from 337 newly diagnosed patients.
Why It Matters
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer. Roughly 60% of patients live five years after diagnosis. Newer therapies have extended survival in some cases to ten years. But relapse is almost always a problem.
Li Ding, PhD, a co-senior author, said we need a better understanding of the immune system in myeloma. “Besides attacking cancer cells directly, we need ways to turn the immune system against them,” Ding said. The immune cell atlas could be a key resource for researchers.
Connecting Immunotherapy and the Atlas
CAR T cells and bispecific antibodies are already part of treatment. But the atlas could open doors to other therapies. Ravi Vij, MD, explained that understanding the immune context is essential. “This lays the groundwork for risk stratification and smarter treatments,” he said.
Early Insights from the Map
By analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data, the researchers saw that patients with certain immune cell profiles at diagnosis were more likely to relapse quickly. They also found signals between cancer and immune cells that drive inflammation. Some T cells even suppressed the immune attack instead of helping it.
For now, this is mainly a research tool. But eventually, it could help doctors classify patients more accurately and develop new blood tests to predict disease aggressiveness.
