Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Multiple myeloma, the bone marrow cancer and its associated bone disease are generally incurable. Hence, better treatments are needed to block the genes or proteins involved in the disease. The calcium channel, TRPV6 is over produced in several cancers and in cells that break down bone called osteoclasts. The reciprocal interaction between bone marrow cancer cells and osteoclasts result in bone damage/fractures in myeloma. In case of myeloma patients, we have found the presence of TRPV6 proteins in both myeloma cells and osteoclasts. Hence, we have investigated if peptides derived from shrew venom that can block the calcium channel TRPV6 could be used as a treatment for myeloma. To test this, we prepared osteoclasts in petri dishes by culturing cells from bone marrow of myeloma patients also we made use of human myeloma cells grown in culture flasks. We checked if the peptides SOR-C13 and SOR-C27 derived from shrew venom that specifically block the calcium channel, TRPV6 could kill myeloma cells and osteoclasts. Interestingly, we have found that the TRPV6 peptide blockers SOR-C13 and SOR-C27 killed both myeloma cells as well as reduced the formation and bone resorbing function of the osteoclasts. Our research findings from this study suggest a novel treatment approach for multiple myeloma involving TRPV6 channel blockade to target myeloma cells and osteoclasts.