Assembles Global Dream Team and Establishes Scientific Advisory Board to Accelerate Myeloma Research

STUDIO CITY, Calif., July 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) today announced that IMF Co-Founder Dr. Brian G.M. Durie‘s last day as IMF Chief Scientific Officer will be on July 8, 2024. Dr. Durie will continue to be a member of the IMF Board of Directors.

In 1990, Dr. Durie, along with Brian Novis and Susie Novis Durie, founded the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF)—a non-profit that is dedicated to serving the global myeloma community.

When the IMF was established, very little was known about multiple myeloma and the IMF founders set out to educate patients about the disease and the very limited available treatment options. As the organization grew, the four founding pillars of research, education, support, and advocacy became its foundation, for which it still stands.

Due to Dr. Durie’s remarkable scientific and organizational leadership for the previous 35 years, the IMF continues to thrive, making advances in the field of myeloma, and dedicating to its mission of improving the quality of life for myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure.

“We deeply appreciate Dr. Durie’s invaluable contributions, which have shaped the IMF and the myeloma community into what it is today,” said IMF President & CEO and 28-year myeloma patient Yelak Biru.

“Dr. Durie’s reputation for innovation in the field of myeloma globally has allowed the IMF to develop in ways no one could have imagined. The IMF was the first of its kind in many arenas. That pioneering mindset contributed to groundbreaking research and the development of invaluable patient support services, offering a brighter future for those diagnosed with multiple myeloma,” continued Mr. Biru.

On a personal note, Mr. Biru described how the IMF has made an impact on his life as a 28-year myeloma patient: "The IMF has empowered and continues to empower me in my 28-year myeloma journey. The IMF has been instrumental in providing information, connecting patients with a supportive community, and giving them hope for a brighter future."

“I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Brian Durie for his major contributions and tireless commitment to the myeloma field and the IMF. This is a major transition point for us, and we will work hard as a team to ensure that the organization continues to grow and expand its reach in our quest to improve the lives of myeloma patients around the world through research, education, support, and advocacy. In this regard, I am glad that some of the best researchers in the myeloma field will be assisting us as members of the newly reconstituted Scientific Advisory Board,” said IMF Chairperson of the Board Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar.

Building on Dr. Durie’s more than three decades of hard work and legacy, the IMF will embark on a new scientific chapter while continuing with established IMF-funded research initiatives: the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG); the Black Swan Research Initiative (BSRI); the iStopMM (Iceland Screens, Treats, or Prevents Multiple Myeloma) Project; the Asian Myeloma Network (AMN); the i2TEAMM’s research work on minimal residual disease (MRD); the ASCENT and CESAR Cure Trials; and the IMF Immunotherapy Registry, to name a few.

The IMF will keep innovating new opportunities to amplify patient voices in research and to double down on global collaboration.

The IMF continues its collaborative work with patients, renowned researchers, industry partners, and other organizations in the global fight against the second most common blood cancer in the world.

To undertake this endeavor, the IMF has established a new Scientific Advisory Board. The Scientific Advisory Board includes an esteemed group of global myeloma experts (led by IMF Chairperson of the Board Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar), who will guide and prioritize IMF research initiatives as well as identify areas for investment and expansion.

Members of the newly established IMF Scientific Advisory Board include IMF Chairperson Dr. Rajkumar (Mayo Clinic—Rochester, MN), and IMF President & CEO and 28-year myeloma patient Yelak Biru, MSc (IMF—Los Angeles, CA), as well as the following world-renowned myeloma researchers:

• Wee Joo Chng, MD (National University Cancer Institute—Singapore); Professor and Director, National University Cancer Institute; Group Director of Research, National University Health System
• Vania Hungria, MD, PhD (Santa Casa de São Paulo— São Paulo Brazil); Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Santa Casa Medical School; Clinical Director, Clinica São Germano
• Sigurður Yngvi Kristinsson, MD, PhD (University of Iceland— Reykjavík, Iceland); Professor, University of Iceland; Consultant, Landspitali University Hospital 
• Shaji Kumar, MD (Mayo Clinic—Rochester, MN, USA); Professor and Research Chair, Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic; Vice Chair, International Myeloma Society
• Sagar Lonial, MD, FACP (Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University—Atlanta, GA, USA); Professor and Chair, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine; Chief Medical Officer, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University
• Thomas G. Martin, MD (University of California, San Francisco, CA — Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center—San Francisco, CA, USA); Clinical Professor of Medicine, Adult Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, UCSF; Associate Director, Myeloma Program, UCSF; Co-Leader, Cancer immunology & Immunotherapy Program, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
• María-Victoria Mateos, MD, PhD (University of Salamanca—Salamanca, Spain); Head of Myeloma and Clinical Trials Unit, Hematology Department; Professor of Medicine, University of Salamanca; Coordinator, Spanish Myeloma Group (GEM); IMWG Smoldering MM Committee Member
• Joseph Mikhael, MD (TGen, City of Hope Cancer Center—Phoenix, AZ, USA); IMF Chief Medical Officer; Professor, Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), City of Hope Cancer Center
• Philippe Moreau, MD (University Hospital of Nantes—Nantes, France); Head of the Hematology Department, University Hospital of Nantes; Professor, Clinical Hematology; President, International Myeloma Society; IMWG Scientific Committee Member  
• Nikhil Munshi, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute—Boston, MA, USA); Director of Basic and Correlative Science, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center; Director, Multiple Myeloma Immune Effector Cell Therapy; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Kraft Family Chair; IMWG Scientific Committee Member  
• Jesús San Miguel, MD, PhD (University of Navarra—Pamplona, Spain); Professor of Medicine-Hematology and Head of Clinical and Translational Medicine, University of Navarra; Medical Director and Vice-Dean of Research, Clinica Universidad de Navarra; CIMA Scientific Director; IMWG Scientific Committee Member
• Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, FASCO (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center—New York, NY, USA); Myeloma Specialist and Cellular Therapist; Chief, Myeloma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  

“This collective leadership model will expand our reach and lean into our values of global collaboration and innovation. Engagement with a diverse group of leaders will further advance our vision of enabling every myeloma patient to live life to the fullest, unburdened by disease,” said Mr. Biru.

By assembling a remarkable global dream team of renowned myeloma experts in the newly established Scientific Advisory Board, the IMF can leverage the Scientific Advisory Board’s collective knowledge and experience, identify promising new areas of research, collaborate on international research initiatives, and strengthen the scientific rigor of ongoing projects.

The IMF will continue to be inspired by the remarkable legacy of its founders—Dr. Brian G.M. Durie, Susie Novis Durie, and Brian D. Novis— in realizing its mission of improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION

Founded in 1990, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is the first and largest global foundation focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. The Foundation's reach extends to more than 525,000 members in 140 countries worldwide. The IMF is dedicated to improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure by focusing on four key areas: research, education, support, and advocacy. The IMF has conducted more than 250 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a world-renowned InfoLine, and in 2001, established the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a collaborative research initiative focused on improving myeloma treatment options for patients. In 2012, the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative®, a groundbreaking research project aimed at curing myeloma. The IMF can be reached at (800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is www.myeloma.org.

Follow the IMF on:
X: @IMFmyeloma
Instagram: @imfmyeloma
Facebook: @myeloma
LinkedIn: International Myeloma Foundation

Media Contacts:

Peter Anton
Panton@myeloma.org

Jason London
Jlondon@myeloma.org

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