Binding Site announced that the iStopMM (Iceland Screens, Treats or Prevents Multiple Myeloma) study has reached an important milestone, with the publication of a paper outlining the design and recruitment of this population-based screening study. The large-scale study—which includes over 80,000 individuals, more than half of the eligible population of Iceland—aims to use a combination of blood-based testing, imaging, bone marrow sampling, and clinical questionnaires to improve our basic understanding of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which precedes multiple myeloma (MM).
The iStopMM study was first conceived as a result of informal discussions during Binding Site’s 7th International Symposium: Clinical applications of free light chain and heavy/light chain analysis in 2015 and, in January 2016, work commenced on screening all adults over the age of 40 in Iceland for the earliest signs of MM, aiming to prevent the cancer before it develops. As an active partner in this study, Binding Site has successfully tested over 75,000 samples to date using its Freelite immunodiagnostic assay and benchtop Optilite analyzer, providing valuable data to help understand and treat MGUS.
“At Binding Site, our mission, above all else, is to have the patient at the heart of everything we do,” says Stefan Wolf, CEO of Binding Site. “It is a privilege to be involved in a study of this size and calibre. Ultimately, this pivotal research will be key to answering two important questions: is population-based screening for MGUS beneficial? And what is the optimum monitoring approach for patient management?”
Professor Sigurdur Kristinsson, principal investigator for the iStopMM study, adds, “We chose to collaborate with Binding Site on this project because the company has a history of changing the way we look at multiple myeloma and its precursors. Freelite is a reliable, very accurate assay that has been used all over the world for several years, and is the current standard of care when it comes to this disease. All in all, we knew we were in good hands.”
Featured image: Professor Sigurdur Kristinsson, principal investigator for the iStopMM study, and Stephen Harding, Phd, CSO of Binding Site. (Credit: Binding Site)
