According to research led by student of doctorate Isabel Hofman from Leuven university of Belgium, it is considered that about 20 to 40 percent of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) bear ribosome deficiency with them. MM is supposed as a cancer, in which plasma cells that they are presenting in bone marrow exhibit malign proliferative form and no absolute cure has been found yet for such disease. The patients with this deficiency show slow progress in their therapeutic process. Commonly, in order to leash the MM, some protease inhibitors like Bortezomib have been used and surprisingly, it was observed that patient with deficiency in their ribosome behave better in respond to such drugs. However no certain proof have been provided on mechanisms, by which ribosome deficiency cause proteasome inhibition.

Such findings have convinced researchers to consider ribosome role in their therapeutic methods toward cancers.