Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

As society battles with an obesity epidemic, new research from the Edwards group shows how increased body fat contributes to cancer establishment and progression.

Mouse bone marrow adipocytes stained with bodipy, a fluorescent dye that is taken up by lipid droplets.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable haematological cancer associated with the expansion of abnormal plasma cells within the bone marrow and the development of destructive bone disease. In the last couple of decades, bone marrow fat cells (adipocytes) have emerged as having an important role in bone physiology in health and disease. Research from Prof. Claire Edwards’ team at the Botnar Research Centre, and published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, identifies a new mechanism by which myeloma cells alter the bone microenvironment to support disease progression. 

“We have previously shown the importance of diet-induced obesity and low levels of adiponectin, a tumour-suppressive adipokine, in the development of myeloma’ said Claire Edwards. “In this study we show how myeloma cells alter bone marrow adipocytes to regulate production of adiponectin”.  The first author of the study, Dr. Emma Morris, said “We found that in early-stage myeloma the amount of fat in the bones increased and that myeloma cells utilised the molecules the fat cells produce for growth and survival, with TNF-alpha found to be important in the downregulation of adiponectin”.

Myeloma has been described as an obesity-associated cancer with a 20% increased risk of disease progression in obese individuals. As society battles with an obesity epidemic, efforts to understand the contribution of increased body fat to cancer establishment and progression are becoming increasingly important, with growing evidence for a key role of bone marrow adipose tissue in cancers that arise in or metastasise to bone. 

Similar stories

NIHR Fellowships awarded to NDORMS researchers

Congratulations to Eileen Morrow and Mae Chester-Jones who have received NIHR Doctoral Fellowships

ORUK Early Career Research Fellowship awarded to NDORMS researcher

Congratulations to Jack Tu who has been awarded an Orthopaedic Research UK Early Career Research Fellowship to explore the cause of knee pain after total knee replacement.

OCTRU - delivering answers to important clinical questions

The Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU) has received NIHR benchmarking results and offers excellent value for money according to the report

Unhelpful thoughts about fracture symptoms hinder recovery

The importance of mindsets and feelings about fracture symptoms have been shown to be a key factor in recovery of musculoskeletal conditions.

Fat tissues can play a protective role against inflammation in the intestine

A new study in The EMBO Journal has revealed how fat tissues might provide a protective role in intestinal inflammation opening new lines of research into the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

NDORMS researchers awarded Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowships

Kennedy Institute researchers Mariana Borsa and Edward Jenkins have both been awarded Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships, which give recently qualified postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to start independent research careers.