Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Multiple Myeloma (MM) remains the second most common hematological malignancy in adults and despite tremendous advances in our understanding and treatment of this disease, it remains incurable. The average life-expectancy of a patient diagnosed with MM has increased from 3 years to almost a decade with the advent of high dose therapy and the more recent introduction of novel agents. Among the most prevalent complication of MM is osteolytic bone disease seen in approximately 70% of patients. Analysis and characterization of the bone phenotype in a new meyloma mouse model will produce valuable data in the understanding of bone disease in multiple myeloma by obtaining a model for novel therapies targeting bone and will elucidate the mechanism of osteoblastic stimulation by proteosomal blockade in an in vivo setting.