The 20th International Myeloma Society (IMS) Annual Meeting was held in Athens recently. More than 3,000 experts and scholars from more than 60 countries attended the meeting which focused on the fundamental frontiers of multiple myeloma. Professor Zhou Wen of the Cancer Research Institute at CSU School of Basic Medical Science was invited to attend the meeting. She delivered a keynote speech titled “Single-cell analysis reveals abnormal genetic events from B cell development in multiple myeloma malignant transformation”, and won the Young Investigator Award.

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy, and it is generally believed that myeloma cells develop from B cells or plasma cells differentiated from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. However, the nature of myeloma cell precursors remains unclear. Zhou Wen’s team used scRNA-sequencing and scATAC-sequencing combined with plasma cell differentiation technology to screen for cell sources of important genetic variations in myeloma patients and key factors affecting cell subpopulations. FISH and scPCR techniques were used to verify important genetic variations and differential genes in the origin of myeloma cells, and gene editing technology and adoptive B cell transplantation mouse model were used to verify the malignant transformation effect of screening key factors. Evidence from researches has shown that chromosome 1q amplification, one of the most common cytogenetic abnormalities in myeloma, can be detected in the CD24-FCRL5+B cell subpopulation. It is worth mentioning that FCRL5 drives the malignant transformation of myeloma by promoting B cell proliferation and plasma cell differentiation. This research not only provides new insights into the origin and mechanism of myeloma under different genetic events, but also offers new intervention strategies for the treatment of patients with refractory and relapsed myeloma from the perspective of the cellular origin of myeloma.

Zhou Wen has been engaged in the research of hematopoietic malignant tumors, multiple myeloma carcinogenesis and drug resistance mechanisms for a long time. Her team is one of the top teams in the basic research of multiple myeloma in China, and their researches have been highly recognized by international peers. In addition, she has been invited to speak at a number of international conferences, including the 53rd, 54th, 60th and 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meetings, where she has significantly expanded the international influence of China’s researches in multiple myeloma.

(First Reviewer: Zhang Xu, Second Reviewer: Wang Xuan, Third Reviewer: Li Yin)

Source: School of Basic Medical Science  Author: He Nihan

Original article link: https://news.csu.edu.cn/info/1003/157039.htm