The Aldo Del Col Research Grant is Myeloma Canada’s flagship research funding opportunity, providing up to $150,000 per grant over one or two years. Named in honour of Myeloma Canada’s co-founder, the grant supports research projects that advance immunotherapy, improve disease monitoring, and find smarter ways to deliver treatment, all with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for Canadians living with multiple myeloma.

Learn More About the Four Projects That Were Awarded Funding in 2025

TRAIL armoured anti-BCMA CAR T-cells in multiple myeloma

Dr Nizar Bahlis, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

CAR T-cell therapy can induce deep remissions in myeloma, but in most cases the disease eventually relapses. This project aims to make CAR T-cells more potent and durable by adding a built-in “armour” called TRAIL. TRAIL is intended to enhance the performance of the engineered T-cells. Using multiple experimental models, the team will test whether these enhanced engineered CAR T-cells deliver more effective and sustained disease control.

This research grant was equally co-funded in partnership with Cell Therapy Transplant Canada.

Creating, characterizing, and testing non-BCMA T-cell and NK-cell engaging immunotherapies

Scott McComb, PhD; National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON

Certain immunotherapies target an antigen on the myeloma cell called BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen). Eventually, these antigens can disappear from the myeloma cell and/or the myeloma can become resistant to the treatment. This project aims to develop new immunotherapies that target non‑BCMA antigens (other targets) on myeloma cells. The goal is to advance made‑in‑Canada immunotherapies that could overcome BCMA resistance and expand future treatment options.

A phase II study of finite duration anti-BCMA bispecific antibody therapy guided by peripheral residual disease using clonotypic mass spectrometry in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma

Dr Suzanne Trudel, University Health Network, Toronto, ON

Bispecific antibodies therapies targeting BCMA can induce deep disease responses in multiple myeloma, but prolonged continuous treatment often leads to side effects and reduced quality of life. This study will test whether fixed treatment duration can be safely guided using a highly sensitive blood test (EasyM). This personalized approach aims to maintain disease control while reducing side effects and treatment burden.

This research grant was equally co-funded in partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.

High sensitivity MM assessment in peripheral blood: Development of an innovative monitoring platform

Dr Richard LeBlanc, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, QC

People with oligo‑secretory myeloma (sometimes called non‑secretory myeloma) have little or no detectable myeloma protein (M-protein) in standard blood tests, making disease monitoring difficult and often reliant on repeated bone marrow biopsies. This study will develop highly sensitive blood‑based tools to improve disease monitoring and reduce invasive bone marrow testing. The goal is earlier detection of progression and improved disease tracking.

This research grant was equally co-funded in partnership with Cancer Research Society.

Working towards a future where life is uninterrupted by myeloma

The four projects funded through the 2025 Aldo Del Col grant offer a glimpse into the future of myeloma research in Canada. From engineering more powerful CAR T-cell therapies to developing new immunotherapies that overcome treatment resistance, and from effective blood-based disease monitoring tools to personalized approaches that reduce treatment burden, each project addresses a real and pressing challenges faced by people living with myeloma. This work is a testament to Canada’s growing role as a leader in myeloma research, one that is helping shape the future of care for patients.

If you would like to learn more about the grant competition behind the Aldo Del Gol Research Grant, visit our Funding Strategy page for details.

Myeloma Canada is grateful to our co-funding partners: Cell Therapy Transplant Canada, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, and Cancer Research Society.