There is an unmet clinical need for an easier, non-invasive, and reliable method to perform MRD assessments that can be used in clinical trials and routine practice. The two non-invasive modalities that are most promising for MRD assessment are liquid biopsy to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and functional imaging to detect focal myeloma lesions. However, there are no prospective data on the sensitivity and specificity of non-invasive MRD assessment with respect to the gold standard of bone marrow sampling.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the sensitivity and accuracy of non-invasive MRD assessment using liquid biopsy (blood draw) and functional imaging (whole body MRI) in participants with new diagnosed and previously treated multiple myeloma. The long-term goal of this study is to investigate whether non-invasive methods for MRD assessment can replace bone marrow aspiration and biopsy in a substantial percentage of participants with multiple myeloma.