From despair to hope: The Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund

Matthew’s story began at the beginning of 2020, just after the Covid-19 lockdown. He thought something was wrong as he felt permanently exhausted but just put it down to stress.

Matthew spent two years in a cycle of diagnosis and treatment, but nothing seemed to get to the root cause of the problem.

Desperate for answers, he sought the expertise of another doctor where he received the life-changing diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that that often presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Although this type of blood cancer can be treated, it currently has no cure.

Matthew's personal struggle has fuelled his determination to bring hope to the 16,000 people in the UK living with multiple myeloma and the 5,000 individuals newly diagnosed each year. Alongside Blood Cancer UK he established the MWMMF. In its first year, this has funded four incredible research projects exceeding £1.2 million.

The MWMMF is supporting four ground-breaking research projects, each aimed at unravelling more of the many mysteries of multiple myeloma, helping to find new possibilities for diagnosis and treatment.

Professor Chris Bunce's research, led by PhD student Aidan Haslam endeavours to deepen our understanding of the causes of myeloma, paving the way for the development of innovative screening tools and drugs. This project represents a crucial step towards early detection and targeted interventions for myeloma patients.

Professor Karadimitris and his team, Dr Nick Crump and PhD student Katrina Fordwor are delving into the intricate world of myeloma cell growth, seeking to identify key molecules that facilitate myeloma cells to multiply and grow in numbers. This knowledge is essential for developing interventions that can limit the growth and survival of myeloma cells.

Dr Maciocia's research is focused on discovering small proteins that enhance the life of CAR-T cells, offering a promising avenue for people with myeloma to remain cancer-free. This project holds the potential to revolutionize treatment approaches and improve long-term outcomes for people with myeloma.

Dr Chan is researching a novel technique to detect myeloma in cases where myeloma does not show up with standard blood tests. Their non-invasive approach aims to provide an effective means of diagnosing and monitoring the disease, particularly in instances where it is challenging to detect using current methods.