Myeloma Trials: The Changing Landscape of Imaging in IMWG Response Assessment

Shaji K. Kumar, MD, is a Consultant in the Division of Hematology and Mark and Judy Mullins Professor of Hematological Malignancies at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is the Chair of the Myeloma, Amyloidosis and Dysproteinemia Disease Group at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Kumar received his medical degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. His postdoctoral training included a residency in internal medicine from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, followed by an internal medicine residency and a hematology/oncology fellowship at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Kumar’s research focuses on the development of novel drugs and drug combinations for the treatment of myeloma. His laboratory focuses on understanding the role of bone marrow microenvironment in the development and progression of myeloma.

Dr. Kumar serves as Co-Chair of the NCI Myeloma Steering Committee as Chair of the NCCN Multiple Myeloma Guidelines Panel.

Dr. Mikhael is a Professor in the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).

Dr. Mikhael is a consultant hematologist and Director of Myeloma Research at the HonorHealth Research Institute where he conducts phase 1 clinical trials. He also serves as a Councilor on the Executive of the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Mikhael is the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for TGen.

Dr. Mikhael was recently a hematologist at Mayo Clinic Arizona where he served as a Professor at the Mayo College of Medicine, Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Deputy Director - Education of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. He has been recognized with numerous awards in education including being in the Mayo Clinic Resident and Fellow Association Hall of Fame as Educator of the Year. He was also recently named in the Top 100 Doctors in the United States.

Dr. Mikhael did his initial medical school training in Ottawa, Canada, followed by his Hematology Residency at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He then did a Multiple Myeloma Fellowship there along with a Masters’ Degree in Education from the University of Toronto. He was on staff at PMH until being recruited to Mayo Clinic in 2008.

He specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Dr. Mikhael is currently the principal investigator of many clinical trials, primarily in multiple myeloma. His other clinical research interests also include pharmaco-economics, communication skills and media relations. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in these fields. He lectures internationally on a regular basis. He is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group and led the first ever ASCO Guidelines for Multiple Myeloma.

Dr. Mikhael leads the diversity efforts of the IMF, known as the M-Power program, seeking to empower patients and communities change the course of myeloma in at-risk populations. He is also leading the IMF African American initiative whose goal is to improve the outcomes and care delivered to African Americans with myeloma – a disease with double the incidence in African Americans than Caucasians. Dr. Mikhael also spends about 20% of his time in the third world seeking ways to enhance research, collaboration and access to myeloma therapies in underprivileged countries.

Dr. Arvin Kheterpal is Director of Musculoskeletal Imaging for the National Capital Region and Assistant Professor of Radiology at Johns Hopkins University. His clinical practice includes both diagnostic musculoskeletal interpretation, and image-guided musculoskeletal intervention. Dr. Kheterpal graduated summa cum laude from the University of Dayton, and received his MD from Rutgers- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He completed a diagnostic radiology residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and a fellowship in musculoskeletal imaging and intervention at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Kheterpal was an attending radiologist in the Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention at the Massachusetts General Hospital for over six years, and Instructor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. He has extensive clinical research trial experience, with a focus in plasma cell dyscrasias.

Leveraging her training in medicine and radiology, Surabhi has led the imaging components of approximately 50 oncology trials – both solid tumors and hematology malignancies – and provided consultation on complicated aspects of standardized response assessment criteria. Her expertise in Multiple Myeloma, Lymphoma, and CLL enables her to provide clear guidance to clinical trial sponsors and communicate complexities of criteria to independent reviewers to avoid heterogeneity.

Having served as an independent reviewer and as a veteran board-certified radiologist, Jayant has a wealth of experience in using imaging to document the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of new drugs in clinical trials. He has supported hundreds of hematology and oncology trials, multiple with immuno-oncology and CAR-T therapy, and frequently engages with KOLs to seek clarifications on response assessment criteria. He has presented abstracts with Dr. Bruce Cheson as co-author in the CLL space.

An acknowledged expert in Neuroradiology, Musculoskeletal Radiology, and Interventional Radiology, Stephen brings more than 30 years of broad experience to Calyx. His expertise stems from having served as a board-certified diagnostic radiologist at highly acclaimed healthcare centers, as a senior faculty member at leading academic institutions, and as a trusted scientific advisor to numerous global pharmaceutical companies.