Prof Paul Moss

School of Cancer Sciences
University of Birmingham
Birmingham

Understanding the development of myeloma

Professor Paul Moss heads the School of Cancer Sciences in Birmingham and directs the city's Cancer Research UK Centre. He is investigating why bone marrow cells called plasma cells sometimes multiply out of control, leading to a type of cancer known as myeloma.

Cancer usually develops when cells become damaged or faulty in some way. But cells don't exist in isolation. They are constantly communicating with each other using chemical signals. Professor Moss and his team are looking at how different types of cell in the bone marrow interact with each other, to discover how changes in these interactions can lead to cancer.

The researchers believe that the interactions between plasma cells and other cells called fibroblasts can help myeloma cells survive and multiply. These interactions may also prevent the body's immune system from destroying the cancer cells.

The researchers are collecting bone marrow cells from healthy people, patients with myeloma and from individuals with a condition called MGUS that sometimes develops into myeloma. Fibroblasts from each group are being analysed using state-of-the-art techniques to identify the molecular 'triggers' that lead to cancer.

By understanding more about how myeloma develops, Professor Moss hopes to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease.