The Bioinformatics Core of CAP-IT MGUS is led by Dr. John Shaughnessy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The Myeloma Center at UAMS, where the core will be housed, is a unique resource for laboratory and clinical investigation of plasma cell dyscrasias with a long history of studying the biology of these diseases.
The Bioinformatics Core will conduct comprehensive genomic analyses on tissues obtained from a range of plasma cell dyscrasias. This includes sequential samples of purified tumor cells and whole bone marrow biopsies from patients with MGUS participating in observational clinical trials and followed over the past 20 years. The aim is to identify molecular correlates associated with the transformation of the initially benign and asymptomatic MGUS into Multiple Myeloma (MM) or Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM). These findings will serve as the foundation for hypotheses that will undergo testing in the projects of the CAP-IT MGUS Center.
Furthermore, the Bioinformatics Core will also analyze experimental samples obtained from projects of the CAP-IT MGUS.
