Experts Highlight Key Topics to Watch at the 22nd International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting

The 22nd International Myeloma Society (IMS) Annual Meeting, taking place September 17–20, 2025, in Toronto, Canada, will highlight key advances across multiple myeloma research, including progress in precursor disease profiling and management, risk-adapted management strategies, immunotherapy optimization, and strategies for patients experiencing early relapse.¹ Additional sessions will spotlight late-breaking data on the predictive role of minimal residual disease (MRD), the efficacy of novel bispecific antibody combinations, and approaches for high-risk disease.

In exclusive interviews with OncLive^®, experts shared what they are most looking forward to seeing presented at the meeting, underscoring data that could inform future treatment paradigms and refine standards of care.

Exclusive insights were gathered from:

• Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, FASCO, chief of the Myeloma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York
• Joshua Richter, MD, an associate professor of medicine, hematology, and medical oncology in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and The Tisch Cancer Institute; as well as the director of Multiple Myeloma at the Blavatnik Family—Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma in New York, New York
• Samir Parekh, MD, a professor of medicine (hematology and medical oncology) and oncological sciences, director of the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma, and section head of Multiple Myeloma in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; as well as co-leader of the Cancer Clinical Investigation program at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai

“The IMS Annual Meeting has become an important meeting for the myeloma community,” Usmani expressed. “For the past couple years, several clinical trials that had not been presented at any other international congresses were being presented here. I’m hoping it will be an exciting 4 days for us, and that all of us will learn from the data being shared and come up with new ideas for our respective teams to continue to move the field forward.”

Read on for more commentary on abstracts to watch!

What MRD-Related Research Will Be Presented at the 22nd IMS Annual Meeting?

“I’m looking forward to having more granularity around the dynamics of how patients get to MRD negativity, [including the pace of response, the depth and durability of remission, and how these patterns may inform treatment sequencing and de-escalation strategies in multiple myeloma],” Usmani noted.

Several studies being presented in this year’s program are exploring the dynamics of achieving MRD negativity in clinical practice, aiming to better define its prognostic significance and therapeutic implications. These include:

• PA-180: Revealing clonal evolution and assessing immune reconstitution in multiple myeloma using next-generation sequencing-based minimal residual disease (NGS-MRD) analysis (presentation time: Wednesday, September 17, 12:38pm EDT)
• OA-17: MRI response according to MY-RADS correlates with MRD negativity after induction in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: results from the GMMG-HD7 trial (presentation time: Wednesday, September 17, 4:30pm EDT)
• OA-62: Dynamic prediction of progression based on minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with newly diagnosed transplant eligible multiple myeloma (presentation time: Thursday, September 18, 3:08pm EDT)
• OA-70: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and safety in patients (pts) with NDMM achieving MRD negativity and ≥CR (MRDneg) in the phase 3 PERSEUS and CEPHEUS trials (presentation time: Thursday, September 18, 3:32pm EDT)
  • In a past interview with OncLive, Muhamed Baljevic, MD, FACP, of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, discussed the implications of the phase 3 PERSEUS trial (NCT03710603) of daratumumab (Darzalex) plus bortezomib (Velcade), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (Dara-VRd) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma eligible for autologous stem cell transplant.²
  • In another previous OncLive interview, Usmani highlighted key MRD negativity findings from the phase 3 CEPHEUS trial of Dara-VRd in transplant-ineligible or -deferred newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.³

What Research Is Exploring the Evolving Role of Bispecific and Trispecific Antibodies in Myeloma?

“I’m excited [about] the translational data [emerging from early-phase and ongoing studies] with bispecific and trispecific antibodies, [which are advancing in clinical trials and showing potential to reshape treatment strategies by targeting multiple tumor antigens simultaneously],” Usmani highlighted.

“One of the things we’ve learned over the past few years is the importance of 2 main targets: BCMA and GPRC5D,” Richter added. “We’ve seen this with several CAR T-cell [therapies] and bispecific antibodies that have been approved. With the phase 1/2 RedirecTT-1 trial [NCT04586426], we saw that when we combined these 2 targets by giving both talquetamab [Talvey] and teclistamab-cqyv [Tecvayli], we observed unprecedented response rates [in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma], especially in patients with harder-to-treat extramedullary disease.

“The question is: Can we achieve the same [effect] with 1 drug instead of multiple drugs—maintaining those response rates but reducing adverse effects? That’s what both the [SIM0500 (formerly SCR-8572)] and [JNJ-79635322] BCMA/GPRC5D/CD3-directed trispecific antibodies are aiming to do. So far, we’re starting to see hints that these are highly efficacious and well [tolerated]. Overall, these agents are going to be part of the future of myeloma management.”

Notably, in a prior OncLive interview, Rakesh Popat, BSc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, explained the efficacy findings from a phase 1 trial (NCT05652335) investigating JNJ-79635322 in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.⁴

“Another trispecific antibody—ISB 2001—is a CD38/BCMA/CD3-directed construct,” Richter stated. “One of the challenges with GPRC5D is that the on-target, off-tumor effects can be difficult to tolerate, including dysgeusia and rash; because of [this target’s] expression in the olivary nucleus, there may also be ataxia. Adding another antigen, CD38—a tried-and-true target in myeloma—seems like a good option. These data were presented [at the 2024 ASH Annual Meeting] by Hang Quach, MD [at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia]. I’m excited about these and other assets that are coming along, because the key question is whether we can find the perfect balance of efficacy and toxicity—but with a single drug.”

Multiple studies being presented in this year’s program are investigating the translational effects of bispecific and trispecific antibody therapies in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, with a focus on efficacy, resistance mechanisms, and immune correlates of response¹:

• OA-02: Sustained remission after limited-duration of bispecific antibody therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (presentation time: Wednesday, September 17, 11:30am EDT)
• OA-15: S100A8/A9 promotes T cell exhaustion and impairs response to bispecific therapy in multiple myeloma (presentation time: Wednesday, September 17, 11:30am EDT)
• OA-35: TRIgnite- 1study, phase 1, first-in-human study of ISB 2001: a BCMAxCD38xCD3-targeting trispecific antibody for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM)—dose escalation (DE) results (presentation time: Wednesday, September 17, 11:40am EDT)
• OA-11: Baseline and longitudinal immune and inflammatory correlates of response to bispecific antibodies in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (presentation time: Wednesday, September 17, 11:40am EDT)

What May Be the Future Role of Anito-Cel in Multiple Myeloma Management?

“I’m looking forward toan update on the [BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapy anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel; CART-ddBCMA)] in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, which] should be interesting,” Parekh spotlighted.

Several presentations in this year’s program will focus on future targets and emerging therapeutic modalities, including this presentation on anito-cel:

• Anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel): innovation in BCMA-targeting therapeutics (presentation time: Saturday, September 20, 10:25am EDT)

References

1. Daily program schedule. International Myeloma Society. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://events.jspargo.com/ims25/CUSTOM/IMS2025Program.pdf
2. Baljevic, M. Dr Baljevic on the PERSEUS trial in untreated multiple myeloma. May 28, 2024. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/dr-baljevic-on-the-perseus-trial-in-untreated-multiple-myeloma
3. Flaherty C. D-VRd propels toward SOC status in transplant-ineligible, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. October 8, 2024. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/d-vrd-propels-toward-soc-status-in-transplant-ineligible-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma
4. Popat, R. Dr Popat on JNJ-5322 in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. August 5, 2025. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://www.onclive.com/view/dr-popat-on-jnj-5322-in-relapsed-refractory-multiple-myeloma