Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy often treated by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Clinical response to ASCT has been associated with DNA repair efficiency. Here we interrogated the role of the base excision DNA repair (BER) pathway in MM response to ASCT. Across 450 clinical samples and six disease stages, expression levels of genes in the BER pathway were found to be highly upregulated during the development of MM. In a separate cohort of 559 patients with MM treated with ASCT, expression of BER pathway members MPG and PARP3 was positively associated with overall survival (OS) while expression of PARP1, POLD1, and POLD2 was negatively associated with OS. In a validation cohort of 356 patients with MM treated with ASCT, PARP1 and POLD2 findings were replicated. In patients with MM who never received ASCT (n=319), PARP1 and POLD2 were not associated with OS, suggesting that the prognostic effect of these genes may be treatmentdependent. In pre-clinical models of MM, synergy was observed in anti-tumor activity when poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (olaparib, talazoparib) were used in combination with melphalan. The negative prognosis associated with PARP1 and POLD2 expression along with the apparent melphalan sensitizing effect of PARP inhibition may suggest this pathway as a potential biomarker in patients with MM in the setting of ASCT. Further understanding of the role of the BER pathway in MM is vital to improve therapeutic strategies related to ASCT.

Community service serves as a major aspect of pharmacy education; however, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represented a significant disruption to student involvement. The College of Pharmacy student council, which serves as the local student government organization for the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Jacksonville campus, developed a community service initiative to offer more consistent opportunities for students to participate in community service events, while adapting to COVID-19 restrictions. A retrospective, qualitative review of this initiative demonstrates the potential value of this model. Prior to this initiative, students relied on individual student organizations to provide service opportunities to their members. This excluded portions of the student body and led to sparse and inconsistent events, with limited variation in the types of service events available. Furthermore, de-centralized planning of service opportunities increased the difficulty of ensuring that COVID-19 safety restrictions were followed appropriately. This initiative resulted in 39 students logging over 200 service hours through nine events in the first seven months after its development. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, our centralized initiative serves as a model for improving community service involvement.