The 50th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Myeloma will take place from May 23 to 25, 2025 at G Messe Gunma (Takasaki City, Gunma).

The meeting’s theme is “Toward the Next 50 Years: Shaping the Future of Myeloma Treatment Together.”

This meeting will be the 50th since its predecessor, the Japan Myeloma Study Group, was established in 1976 and held its first meeting in 1980. It also marks the 49th year since its establishment. It will take place in Gunma for the first time in almost 20 years, since the 31st meeting in 2006 (Ikaho, President: Hirokazu Murakami).

Over the past half century, we have witnessed remarkable progress in the treatment of myeloma. With the development and introduction of molecular targeted drugs, immunoantibody therapy and immune cell therapy, there is hope that myeloma, which was previously an incurable disease, may now be cured in some cases. A variety of novel analytical techniques, including genomics, proteomics, single-cell analysis, and spatial omics analysis are shedding light on the diversity of this disease and providing insights for the development of new treatments. Challenges remain, however. For instance, some myelomas become resistant to treatment early, even with current advanced therapies. Moreover, a 10- to 20-year extension of survival is not satisfactory in today's world, where it is not uncommon for people to live to 100 years old.

Addressing these challenges and creating the future of myeloma treatment will require more than the efforts of one person, one organization, or even one country.

The three-year COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 has finally come to an end. Academic conferences both in Japan and abroad are returning to their regular formats, and people seem delighted to gather together again. Our 2023 annual meeting was held as a hybrid event, but this year, in 2024, it was fully in-person, attracting more delegates than expected and resulting in lively discussions. How much you all craved getting together and talking is crystal clear, and so is how the COVID-19 pandemic made us all realize the importance of gatherings.

For this meeting we have adopted the above theme with the goal of gathering, discussing, and creating something new.
In addition to doctors and researchers, healthcare professionals who attended the 49th meeting led by President Takamatsu will gather and hold discussions at this meeting. We are planning sessions where pharmaceutical companies, regulatory authorities, patients, and AROs/CROs, who are all essential stakeholders/players in advancing treatment further, will join the discussion as well. Talks between Japanese and international groups within multi-institutional collaborative research are also planned. We are currently exploring sessions that we hope will serve as a foundation for creating an even larger framework.
While maintaining a focus on science and technology, we also aim to create a festive atmosphere and direction to commemorate the 50th anniversary.
We hope that this meeting will once again emphasize the significance and joy of gathering together. The poster created for the event conveys these thoughts metaphorically.

We sincerely look forward to discussing the future of myeloma treatment over the next 50 years with many of you involved in myeloma care, including young doctors, researchers, pharmacists, nurses, industry professionals, graduate students, and hematologists.