Casting out myeloma kidney

A team from The University of Alabama at Birmingham has proposed a new strategy to treat cast nephropathy, a common renal complication of multiple myeloma.¹ The approach involves using a cyclic peptide therapeutic to block the interaction between tumor-derived immunoglobulin light chain proteins and an abundant urine protein called uromodulin. The team now needs to optimize the peptide's oral bioavailability.

Cast nephropathy, also known as myeloma kidney, causes acute kidney injury and failure in patients with MM. The condition arises from the accumulation of urinary casts, which are large aggregates of immunoglobulin light chain (IgLC) bound to uromodulin (UMOD; THP).²...