European expert panel publishes consensus on pre–CAR-T bridging therapy While bridging therapy is used for most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who receive CAR-T therapy, especially to reduce tumor burden during the CAR-T manufacturing period, optimal bridging regimens require individualization. A panel of European MM experts published a consensus report in Bone Marrow Transplantationoutlining its clinical experience and consensus on choosing optimal bridging therapy.
ASCO Annual Meeting will feature MM studies, including several oral presentations The 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, to be held from May 29 to June 2, 2026, will feature a range of MM studies, spanning basic research, translational data, and clinical trial findings. Oral presentations and educational sessions on MM topics will include:
Hematologic Malignancies – Plasma Cell Dyscrasias Oral Abstract Session, which will include presentations on the ERASMM and DREAMM-9 trials, PERSEUS trial outcomes among patients with standard-risk and IMS-IMWG–defined high-risk disease, and FORTE trial data on the impact of sustained MRD-negativity on long-term outcomes
Dual BCMA/CD19 CAR-T therapy demonstrates potential in RRMM The dual BCMA/CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy candidate TPST-2003 demonstrated complete response (CR) in all six efficacy-evaluable patients with relapsed/refractory MM, including those with extramedullary disease. These findings from the ongoing REDEEM-1 phase 1/2a trial were reported during the Elevator Pitch Competition at the 2026 International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy Scientific Annual Meeting.
AI-assisted analysis confirms association of MRD-CR with prolonged MM survival Minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity is a strong prognostic factor for progression-free and overall survival in MM. In January 2026, the US FDA issued draft guidance for the use of MRD, alongside CR, as a primary endpoint for accelerated approval of new MM therapies. Researchers from the United States and Canada conducted an artificial intelligence-enabled expert-in-the-loop analysis of the association of MRD with different clinical trial endpoints. Their findings, reported in Cancer Research Communications, showed moderate trial-level and strong individual-patient-level association between MRD-negativity at CR and prolonged survival.
MRD is being increasingly integrated into MM clinical trials According to an analysis of MM clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, published in the European Journal of Haematology, MRD integration as an endpoint increased between 2014 and 2025. Over half (56.8%) of MM trials registered in 2025 included MRD assessments, compared to 6.7% in 2014. The authors highlighted the need for standardization of MRD assessments and their alignment with regulatory and Health Technology Assessment frameworks.
Why Become a Member
The International Myeloma Society is a professional, scientific, and medical society established to bring together clinical and experimental scientists involved in the study of myeloma. The purpose of this society is to promote research, education, clinical studies (including diagnosis and treatment), workshops, conferences, and symposia on all aspects of multiple myeloma worldwide.
The IMS is a membership organization comprised of basic research scientists, and clinical investigators in the field along with physicians and other healthcare practitioners.
