New Test to Track Multiple Myeloma Risk

Researchers in Birmingham have secured £230,000 in translational funding from Cancer Research Horizons to create a prototype test aimed at monitoring individuals at risk of developing multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Support for new test to monitor people at risk of multiple myeloma

Go to source). About 6,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year. The new time-saving test is intended for people with MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance), a precursor condition of myeloma.

The Standard MGUS Monitoring Pathway: Blood Tests, Clinic Visits, and Their Impact

Monitoring is generally every 3 months when MGUS is first diagnosed but can decrease to every 6 months, or yearly, if the disease remains stable and no new symptoms appear. Monitoring currently requires patients to visit general practice or hospital clinics for a blood sample, which is then sent to a clinical laboratory for testing, and this process places burden on the NHS and patients.

The test in development by Dr Jennifer Heaney and Dr Sian Faustini at Clinical Immunology Services at the University of Birmingham will monitor the level of monoclonal proteins, which are produced by cells in the bone marrow that have become abnormal.

It could be used to detect increases in monoclonal protein and identify those patients who need referral to hospital for further tests to see if myeloma has developed, enabling early treatment.

The aim is to make MGUS monitoring more efficient and convenient for patients and the NHS. The prototype is planned to undergo an initial clinical pilot in collaboration with Dr Tracey Chan at University Hospitals Birmingham later this year.

Reference:

1. Support for new test to monitor people at risk of multiple myeloma - (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2025/support-for-new-test-to-monitor-people-at-risk-of-multiple-myeloma)

Source-Eurekalert