To unravel exactly how ADAR1 is connected to disease severity at a molecular level, the researchers transferred multiple
myeloma patient tissue to mice, creating what's known as a xenograft or «humanized» model.
Researchers used
tissue and blood samples to show that the gammopathy (a precursor to
myeloma) in both mice and
patients with Gaucher disease is triggered by specific lipids, and that the antibodies made by tumor cells in nearly a third of
myeloma patients are directed against such lipids.