Leadership & Collaboration
As part of the Aurelia Initiative, Myeloma Canada supports national scientific and leadership meetings that bring together researchers, clinicians, and healthcare leaders to share knowledge, align priorities, and execute on timely research projects. These forums foster collaboration, advance best practices, and strengthen Canada’s leadership in myeloma research and care. By creating space for dialogue and partnership, Aurelia helps accelerate progress and improve outcomes for people living with myeloma.
Scientific Roundtable
Each year, the annual Myeloma Canada Scientific Roundtable brings together stakeholders, including Canada’s top myeloma experts from coast to coast, scientists from the USA and Europe, our industry research partners, and patients.
The meeting is an incubator for clinical trial ideas and identifies important changes in patient care based on new practices guided by the newly published research. All this supports our goal of developing high-impact made-in-Canada clinical trial ideas for patients across the country.
Since 2009, the Myeloma Canada Scientific Roundtable is a highly sought conference amongst Canadian researchers and clinicians. It has become the go-to myeloma conference in Canada. The highly valuable presentations and topics spark important discussions, the sharing of ideas, and forward-thinking thought processes. All in all, the event invokes a positive sense of motivation and collaboration amongst all who attend.
MRD Testing National Implementation Program
Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing for myeloma can detect tiny amounts of myeloma cells left after treatment, and is far more sensitive than standard blood and bone marrow tests. It can spot relapse earlier (often before symptoms or blood tests change) and help decide if treatment can be safely reduced or stopped in patients in deep remission. While MRD status has now become a key component in myeloma clinical trials and international guidelines, and advancing as a potential surrogate endpoint for quicker drug approvals, routine access in Canadian clinical practice is virtually non-existent and testing methods remain fragmented throughout the country.
Recognizing the importance for routine access to MRD testing, Myeloma Canada hosted Canada’s first national MRD Testing Implementation Summit in November 2025. The meeting united leading Canadian and internation myeloma investigators, pathology lab leaders, Health Canada, INESSS, industry partners, and myeloma patients and caregivers to build consensus for national standardization.
Myeloma Canada will continue to lead this effort, working with partners to harmonize MRD testing across Canada and establish quality standards. This standardization is critical for provincial reimbursement and ensuring reliable, comparable results that support personalized treatment decisions.
Phase 0: Operationalizing EDI in Clinical Trials
Despite growing efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trials, many people with blood cancers still face barriers to participation. To address this, Myeloma Canada led a national initiative using a human-centred design approach to identify and reduce non-health barriers such as geographical, financial, cultural barriers, literacy and lack of access to support services.
Through a series of collaborative meetings with patients, caregivers, clinicians, nurses, researchers, and industry partners, a co-created equity-embedded pre-trial navigation service model was developed that combines dedicated human support while leveraging AI technology and community resources.
This approach aims to improve access, increase participation, and ensure clinical trials better reflect the diversity of people affected by blood cancers. A pilot project to implement and evaluate effectiveness of the service is currently underway.
