Nikoletta Lendvai, MD, PhD

I am a hematologist with a special interest in the treatment of multiple myeloma and immunotherapy. My clinical research focuses on combining current treatments for myeloma (including those now in clinical trials) with immunotherapy. This makes sense because our current treatments and those treatments that are now in clinical trials often wipe out most or all measurable disease, but any residual disease can lead to relapse. The goal of immunotherapy is to target this residual disease and eliminate it, preventing relapse.

Cancer-Testis antigens are a group of proteins that are normally found only on cells in the developing testis and placenta, these sites are protected from attack by the immune system. The vast majority of patients with myeloma have been found to have these proteins on their myeloma cells, making these proteins an excellent target for immunotherapy.