Researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center have published a study in the journal Blood Cancer Discovery on July 10, 2026, showing that a combination treatment strategy using cells' waste removal functions can effectively dismantle multiple myeloma. The approach combines an autophagy inhibitor with a proteasome inhibitor, targeting the cancer cells' reliance on protein degradation pathways.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells that often becomes resistant to standard therapies. The new strategy exploits the cells' dependence on both the proteasome and autophagy to clear misfolded proteins. By blocking both systems simultaneously, the researchers induced cell death in multiple myeloma cell lines and in animal models.
Lead author Dr. Steven Grant, a professor at VCU Massey, stated, 'This dual inhibition approach could overcome resistance mechanisms that limit current treatments.' The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Clinical trials are being planned to test the combination in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The findings offer a potential new avenue for treating this incurable blood cancer.
