{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T17:53:16Z","timestamp":1791222796809,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"American Society of Hematology","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["ashpublications.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>The bone marrow immune microenvironment (BMME) is a critical factor in multiple myeloma (MM) pathogenesis. Despite higher incidence of MM among self-identified African Americans, the relationship between African genetic similarity and the BMME remains unclear. We present the largest analysis to date assessing the impact of Ancestry on the BMME in myeloma (N=320, including 64 with \u226550% African genetic similarity, AFR-High) leveraging our recently generated Immune Atlas. AFR-High was associated with enrichment of late T-effector cells, driven by rare cytotoxic CD4\u207a T cells, suggesting a distinct adaptive BMME. AFR-High exhibited expansion of late-differentiated adaptive NK cells with high cytotoxic GNLY and GZMH expression. AFR-High depicted reduced CD14\u207a monocytes, increased CD16\u207a non-classical monocytes, and expansion of macrophage-like monocyte populations with enrichment of metabolic adaptation, efferocytosis and phagocytic clearance programs, and immunoregulatory pathways. These findings reveal a shift from an innate inflammatory immune landscape toward adaptive cytotoxic and immunoregulatory remodeling associated with African genetic similarity in MM.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1182\/blood.2026033999","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T17:12:14Z","timestamp":1791220334000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1182\/blood.2019cm0000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["African Genetic Similarity Is Associated with Reduced Inflammation and Enhanced Adaptive Immunity in Multiple Myeloma"],"prefix":"10.1182","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8544-4967","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"William C","family":"Pilcher","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongwei","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katherine","family":"Ferguson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9526-8194","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steven M","family":"Foltz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Norwalk, Connecticut, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0145-7320","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marina E","family":"Michaud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United 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Connecticut, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4375-7399","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonathan","family":"Keats","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8249-5988","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Madhav V.","family":"Dhodapkar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, United States"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4624-6017","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David E.","family":"Avigan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United 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