Working collaboratively to understand MPN disease progression 

The Progression Research Network (PRN) is a coalition of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) physician-scientists, other researchers, and advocates, working collaboratively to improve long-term outcomes for patients through research on the prevention and treatment of disease progression. Established by MPN Research Foundation in 2020, the PRN emerged in response to a critical unmet need identified by patients seeking clearer insights into how disease progression might shape their MPN journey.  

We do not yet fully understand why a patient does or does not progress along the spectrum from lower to higher risk MPNs, especially given the fact that patient cases and physician treatment plans are rarely alike. If we did, these critical insights about progression would help personalize treatment plans for clinicians and alleviate uncertainty for patients. 

Progression Research Network (PRN) long-term objectives 

• Further define potentially actionable MPN disease progression criteria through the study of clinical parameters and biomarkers of disease 

• Develop and further validate predictive indicators of progression to enable earlier detection, more informed monitoring, and better individualized intervention decisions 

• Define new clinical endpoints, primary or surrogate, to be recognized in clinical trial design 

• Develop new care guidelines and communicate with the MPN stakeholder community 

With greater understanding and more treatments to address slowing, stopping, or reversing disease progression, we can improve care guidelines and personalized treatment approaches. 

The sharing of data and resources is a guiding principle of the PRN, and many members are working in close collaboration on several ongoing research projects funded in part by MPN Research Foundation.

A focus on progression 

MPN Research Foundation believes that understanding and addressing disease progression is the next critical frontier in MPN research. 

Leveraging our convening power, we established the PRN, bringing together researchers, industry partners, and MPN advocates to advance the prevention and treatment of disease progression and ultimately improve patient outcomes. The PRN reflects our commitment to advancing research on MPN disease progression, providing a forum for scientific updates and discussion at our PRN Summit meetings, funding targeted, collaborative progression research initiatives to accelerate progress, and the development of a large MPN patient real-world evidence (RWE) registry with a primary focus on disease progression.