The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2017, there will be 30,280 new cases of multiple myeloma diagnosed and 12,590 deaths. With the aging of the Baby Boomers, the incidence of all cancers is expected to rise exponentially. This presents challenges to the laboratory.
New Therapeutics in the Laboratory
Helena is leading the charge to provide effective methods to screen for disease and monitor therapy by tracking results over time. Large trials are underway looking for a cure for multiple myeloma using novel therapies while the disease is still in early phase. In the laboratory, these therapeutics, such as Daratumumab, Elotuzumab and others, can express themselves on protein and immunofixation results, making interpretation more difficult. While there is currently no FDA-approved method for dealing with this problem, very promising efforts are underway. Helena has chosen to take a universal approach to address all current and future monoclonal therapies rather than the piecemeal single antiserum for a single drug approach. We are excited about the progress.
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