Metastatic multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of blood cancer that is currently incurable and deadly. The overall survival rate for people with MM after five years is only 42 per cent. Despite better education and early diagnosis methods, the number of MM cases keeps increasing. It’s currently the third most common and deadly blood cancer. One major challenge is that cancer often becomes resistant to chemotherapy, leading to relapses. Therefore, new ways to detect and treat MM early are urgently needed to improve patient care and survival.

Our bodies have a natural recycling system called the ubiquitin-proteasome system. It helps get rid of harmful proteins. The harmful proteins are tagged with a molecule called ubiquitin (Ub), which signals the proteasome to chop them down. This process keeps our cells healthy.

Unfortunately, cancer cells can hijack this system. They misuse special enzymes, like USP14,to remove the Ub tags from proteins. This prevents these harmful proteins from being broken down, allowing them to accumulate and promote cancer growth.

This project aims to design and develop PET imaging probes – tiny molecular detectors that can image USP14 levels. This non-invasive tool would help physicians to diagnose MM earlier, and tailor therapies to better combat cancer. This will potentially improve patient outcomes and quality of life.