Patient Makes
Unrestricted Bequest
After Dr. Robert Ira Lewy completed his medical
degree at the University of Pennsylvania, he
moved to Texas and worked at MD Anderson as a
Stepping Stone to the
MMRF CoMMpass Study
hematologist — where he enjoyed a 30-year career
SM
as a prominent physician and medical researcher.
Encouraged by the results of the MMGI
Then he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Dr. Lewy retired and, determined
and facilitated by rapid advances in
to live life to the fullest, took to traveling — visiting more than 700 destinations.
computational power, the MMRF set off
There have been many stops on his myeloma journey as well. After a stem cell
on yet another bold mission in 2011:
transplant, he took Revlimid® for seven years before relapsing in 2013. Then
the MMRF CoMMpass StudySM.
Velcade,® Cytoxan® and dex for four years. And having just relapsed a short time
By mapping each of these patients’
ago, his new plan is for Empliciti,™ Pomalyst® and dex.
genomic profiles to clinical outcomes,
A lifelong Buddhist, Dr. Lewy shuns the idea of taking on a victim’s mentality.
we are looking to develop a more
Guided by the thought, “let go or be dragged,” he has maintained a positive
complete understanding of their
spirit, and deep appreciation for the MMRF and its founder, Kathy Giusti. He
responses to specific treatments.
credits the MMRF for having put multiple myeloma “on the map,” and believes
Few thought that a study of this scale
and complexity could be done given
the size of the multiple myeloma
patient population, and the challenge
that capturing and sharing data are key to new precision medicine discoveries.
He’s even served on various MMRF committees since 2005. The MMRF is
appreciative of Dr. Lewy’s and longtime partner Noma’s contributions, including
their commitment to the MMRF Legacy Society.
of engaging patients at a difficult time
in their lives. Yet in 2015, we enrolled
our 1,000th CoMMpass patient. Careful
analysis of the data collected from
these patients should someday enable
physicians to match specific treatment
approaches to the patients who are
most likely to benefit from them.
Perhaps inspired by the success of
CoMMpass and the MMRF’s end-to-end
Precision Medicine Model, the MMRF,
and its founder Kathy Giusti, were
invited to participate in the President’s
Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI)
announced in February. Its goal:
The Long and Winding Road
From the Human Genome Initiative
a scattered landscape, or “Cancer
to the MMGI… CoMMpass to the
Archipelago,SM” of data sets. Competing
PMI, the path to realizing the potential
interests for grants and patents can
to tailor disease prevention and
throw up roadblocks and impede
treatments based on the unique
progress. Inspiring patients to parti-
characteristics of an individual patient
cipate in longitudinal studies, such as
is growing more promising every day.
CoMMpass, requires perseverance
It no longer takes months and millions
and support. The role of a convener or
of dollars to sequence a cancer patient’s
accelerator such as the MMRF is to push
genes; it can be done in a few days or
weeks, and for a fraction of the cost of
even just a few years ago.
the system, advocate for the patient, and
“democratize” the data. This effort has
never been more crucial. Which is why,
to analyze the DNA and health records
Yet, big challenges remain. Data-sharing
as Forbes put it, the MMRF is on a
of at least one million Americans.
efforts remain fragmented — creating
“mission for precision.”
PRE CISI O N M E D I C I N E
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