posted Aug 22, 2019, 3:46 PM by David Fooksman

Our newest study published in Leukemia describes how CD138, a well-known marker of plasma cells and myeloma cells controls myeloma growth and spreading. Myeloma cells express very high levels of CD138 on the surface, but as tumors get large in the bone marrow, they downregulate expression off the surface into internal stores of recycling endosomes. This seems to be linked with nutrients as we can trigger rapid CD138 internalization and reexpression using different serum levels in vitro. Blocking CD138 can trigger myeloma cells to leave the bone marrow and we can visualize this process using intravital imaging. Indeed, this blockade actually increases spreading to other bones, which exacerbates disease. However, combining CD138 blockade with chemotherapy enhances the treatment and has the potential to improve patient survival. Read all about it here https://rdcu.be/bPiiO