The research proposal ELMUMY (Elucidation of Risk Factors and Health Determinants Associated with Progression of Monoclonal Gammopathies to Multiple Myeloma), submitted in the framework of the Horizon Europe Call: HORIZON-MISS-2021-Cancer-02, has been selected for funding by the European Commission, having received the highest score of all proposals submitted (14.5/15). The EUR 10 million ELMUMY project is coordinated by Professor Meletios-Athanasios Dimopoulos, Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
To implement the ELMUMY project, 13 participating organizations (research institutes, university institutions, and innovative biotechnology companies) formed a multinational consortium, which promotes interdisciplinary communication by uniting clinicians and researchers specialized in multiple myeloma (MM), epidemiology, mouse models, omics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence (AI) methods. The project’s objective is to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in disease pathogenesis and progression and develop novel therapeutic strategies tailored to the unique characteristics of each patient.
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens coordinates the consortium (Professors Meletios-Athanasios Dimopoulos, Evangelos Terpos, and Efstathios Kastritis). The National Hellenic Research Foundation (Dr Vassilis Souliotis and Dr Dimitris Stellas) coordinates studies related to molecular biology and in vivo models. The Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (Dr Antonia Vlachou and Dr Ieronymos Zoidakis) coordinates studies related to proteomics.
Several European reference centres for multiple myeloma and University institutions from many European countries participate in the consortium, namely the University of Turin (Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy), the University of Navarra (Universidad de Navarra, Spain), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifique, France), the University Hospital Würzburg (Universitätsklinikum Würzburg – Klinikum der Bayerischen Julius – Maximilians – Universität, Germany), the Leibniz University Hannover (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany), and the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (Ινστιτούτο Νευρολογίας και Γενετικής, Cyprus). Of great importance for the completion of the project is the participation of such innovative companies as Exelixis Research Management & Communication (Greece), Mosaiques Diagnostics GmbH (Germany), and Atos IT Solutions and Services Iberia SL (Spain).
