Title: Understanding the negative prognostic impact of intraosseous focal lesions in multiple myeloma
The central hypothesis of this project is that specific tumor-micro-environmental interactions within focal lesions in bone foster multiple myeloma evolution, finally leading to high-risk transformation and subsequently to relapse and treatment failure.
To address this hypothesis, three specific aims are proposed:
- Define the multi-cellular ecosystem “focal lesion”
- Determine the spatial-temporal evolution in multiple myeloma, and
- Validate the 5T33 mouse as a model to study the functional consequences of alterations.
Dr. Weinhold joined the UAMS Myeloma Institute as an Assistant Professor in 2014. He received a start-up package of $500,000 and dedicated computing facilities and laboratory space. Dr. Weinhold has focused his entire career on the genetic analyses of human cancer, primarily multiple myeloma. He has been exceptionally productive, with several first-author papers in highimpact journals. For example, as part of his postdoctoral work, he identified a gene polymorphism that is associated with an increased risk for a specific chromosomal translocation that occurs in a subset of patients with myeloma. This work led to a first-author publication in the journal Nature Genetics in 2013, which has been cited 40 times (Google Scholar). Dr. Weinhold has a total of 22 peer-reviewed publications in journals, such as Blood, Nature Communications, and Nature Genetics.
Based on his unique insights, he has rapidly gained an international reputation as an expert in the genetics of multiple myeloma. His project will identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to the regional initiation of high-risk transformation processes within myeloma cells.
Dr. Weinhold’s Mentors
Gareth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Morgan was a Professor and Director of the Myeloma Institute at UAMS. He an internationally recognized leader in the genetic analysis of multiple myeloma and was recruited to UAMS in 2014. He has a strong record of research funding in the United Kingdom as well as mentoring young investigators.
Fen Xia, M.D.
Dr. Xia is Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UAMS. She is an expert in the DNA repair response, especially as it relates to the response of normal and malignant cells to radiation-induced damage. She has an outstanding record of NIH funding by the National Cancer Institute, and a long record of successful mentoring.
Dr. Weinhold resigned his position at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in October of 2018 and moved to Heidelberg, Germany.