scholarly journals Preliminary Results from a Phase 1 Study of APVO436, a Novel Anti-CD123 x Anti-CD3 Bispecific Molecule, in Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 11-12
Author(s):  
Justin M. Watts ◽  
Tara Lin ◽  
Eunice S. Wang ◽  
Alice S. Mims ◽  
Elizabeth H. Cull ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Cytokine Release ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Introduction Immunotherapy offers the promise of a new paradigm for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). CD123, the IL-3 receptor alpha-chain, represents an attractive target for antibody therapies because of its high expression on AML/MDS blasts and leukemic stem cells compared to normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. APVO436, a novel bispecific anti-CD123 x anti-CD3 ADAPTIR™ molecule, depleted CD123+ cells in AML patient samples ex vivo (Godwin et al. ASH 2017), reduced leukemia engraftment in a systemic AML xenograft model (Comeau et al. AACR 2018), and transiently reduced peripheral CD123+ cells in non-human primates with minimal cytokine release and in a dose-dependent fashion (Comeau et al. AACR 2019). These data provide a basis for the clinical application of APVO436 as a treatment in AML and MDS. Here, we report preliminary data from a first-in-human dose-escalation study of APVO436 in patients with R/R AML and high-risk MDS. Study Design/Methods This ongoing Phase 1/1b study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03647800) was initiated to determine the safety, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and clinical activity of APVO436 as a single agent. Major inclusion criteria were: R/R AML with no other standard treatment option available, R/R MDS with > 5% marrow blasts or any peripheral blasts and failure of a hypomethylating agent, ECOG performance status ≤ 2, life expectancy > 2 months, white blood cells ≤ 25,000 cells/mm3, creatinine ≤ 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN), INR and PTT < 1.5 x ULN and alanine aminotransferase < 3 x ULN. Patients were not restricted from treatment due to cytogenetic or mutational status. Intravenous doses of APVO436 were administered weekly for up to six 28-day cycles (24 doses) with the option to continue dosing for up to 36 total cycles (144 doses). Flat and step dosing regimens were escalated using a safety-driven modified 3 + 3 design. Pre-medication with diphenhydramine, acetaminophen, and dexamethasone was administered starting with dose 1 to mitigate infusion related reactions (IRR) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS). First doses and increasing step doses of APVO436 were infused over 20-24 hours followed by an observation period of 24 hours or more. Bone marrow biopsies were performed every other cycle with responses assessed by European Leukemia Net 2017 criteria for AML or International Working Group (IWG) 2006 criteria for MDS. Results The data cut-off for this interim analysis was July 9, 2020. Twenty-eight patients with primary R/R AML (n=19), therapy-related R/R AML (n=3), or high-risk MDS (n=6) have been enrolled and received a cumulative total of 186 doses. The number of doses received per patient ranged from 1 to 43 (mean of 6.4 doses). Most patients discontinued treatment due to progressive disease; however, blast reduction was achieved in 2 patients, with one patient with MDS maintaining a durable response for 11 cycles before progressing. APVO436 was tolerated across all dose regimens in all cohorts tested. The most common adverse events (AEs), regardless of causality, were edema (32%), diarrhea (29%), febrile neutropenia (29%), fever (25%), hypokalemia (25%), IRR (21%), CRS (18%), chills (18%), and fatigue (18%). AEs ≥ Grade 3 occurring in more than one patient were: febrile neutropenia (25%), anemia (18%), hyperglycemia (14%), decreased platelet count (11%), CRS (11%), IRR (7%), and hypertension (7%). After observing a single dose limiting toxicity (DLT) at a flat dose of 9 µg, step dosing was implemented and no DLTs have been observed thereafter. No treatment-related anti-drug antibodies (ADA) were observed. Transient serum cytokine elevations occurred after several reported IRR and CRS events, with IL-6 most consistently elevated. Conclusions Preliminary results indicate that APVO436 is tolerated in patients with R/R AML and MDS at the doses and schedules tested to date, with a manageable safety profile. Dose escalation continues and the results will be updated for this ongoing study. Disclosures Watts: BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Aptevo Therapeutics: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Rafael Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Lin:Ono Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Bio-Path Holdings: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Aptevo: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Genetech-Roche: Research Funding; Celyad: Research Funding; Prescient Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Mateon Therapeutics: Research Funding; Jazz: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Gilead Sciences: Research Funding; Trovagene: Research Funding; Tolero Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Wang:Abbvie: Consultancy; Macrogenics: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Bristol Meyers Squibb (Celgene): Consultancy; PTC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Stemline: Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Consultancy; Pfizer: Speakers Bureau. Mims:Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: Other: Senior Medical Director for Beat AML Study; Syndax Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kura Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Agios: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Cull:Aptevo Therapeutics: Research Funding. Patel:Agios: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; DAVA Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; France Foundation: Honoraria. Shami:Aptevo Therapeutics: Research Funding. Walter:Aptevo Therapeutics: Research Funding. Cogle:Aptevo Therapeutics: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Chenault:Aptevo Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Macpherson:Aptevo Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Chunyk:Aptevo Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. McMahan:Aptevo Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Gross:Aptevo Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Stromatt:Aptevo Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Venetoclax Combination Therapy with Hypomethylating Agents in Patients with Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5089-5089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varun Mittal ◽  
Mimi Lo ◽  
Lloyd E. Damon ◽  
Karin L. Gaensler ◽  
Thomas G. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation ◽  
Hypomethylating Agents ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Allogeneic Hct ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Introduction: Venetoclax (VEN), a selective BCL-2 inhibitor, in combination with hypomethylating agents (HMA) has high efficacy in treatment-naïve elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The role for VEN in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), or other myeloproliferative neoplasms remains incompletely defined. In particular, the efficacy of VEN+HMA has not been studied systematically in patients who experience AML relapse following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Method: All patients treated with VEN+HMA (azacitidine or decitabine) for R/R de novo or secondary AML or progressive MDS following allogeneic HCT were identified and reviewed retrospectively. All included AML patients had overt clinical relapse with ≥ 5% bone marrow blasts or extramedullary disease biopsy proven to be AML. Patients were included in this analysis if they received at least 14 days of VEN therapy. Results: Eleven patients with median age 66 (range 25-75) were treated for R/R AML post-allogeneic HCT. Transplant characteristics included use of reduced intensity conditioning in 10/11 (91%), matched sibling donors in 5/11 (45%), matched unrelated donors in 5/11 (45%), and cord blood in 1/11 patients. The median time from HCT to relapse/disease progression was 7 months (range 3-36). Two patients had extramedullary relapse only, and the remainder had marrow involvement. Eight patients (73%) received azacitidine and 3 (27%) received decitabine in combination with VEN. All but two patients (82%) had prior HMA exposure and most received VEN+HMA as initial post-transplant salvage therapy (64%). Only one patient received donor lymphocyte infusion in conjunction with VEN+HMA therapy, and none proceeded to a second allotransplant. Nine patients (82%) experienced an objective response, which included 4 CR/CRi (36%) and 5 PR/SD (45%). In patients with CR/CRi, three patients had adverse risk cytogenetics and one had a favorable risk profile at diagnosis consisting of normal cytogenetics with an isolated NPM1 mutation. All patients who failed to remit with VEN+HMA had intermediate- or high-risk genetic features. The median number of treatment cycles given was 3 (range 1-20). Median survival was 11 months and estimated 6-month and 12-month survival was 82% and 36%, respectively. Three patients remain alive with median 16.5 months follow-up (range 2.5-32). Conclusion: Venetoclax in combination with HMA is a viable salvage option in patients with relapsed AML or progressive MDS after allogeneic HCT, including those with prior exposure to HMA. Although one patient in this cohort sustained long term complete remission, overall prognosis remains dismal in this high-risk patient population and improved treatment options for relapsed/refractory AML following alloHCT remain needed. Disclosures Damon: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Martin:Amgen, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Roche and Juno: Consultancy. Olin:MedImmune: Research Funding; Ignyta: Research Funding; Clovis: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Revolution Medicine: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Research Funding; Mirati Therapeutics: Research Funding; Spectrum: Research Funding. Smith:Astellas Pharma: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; fujiFilm: Research Funding; Revolution Medicines: Research Funding. Logan:Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Agios: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; Jazz: Research Funding; Kite: Research Funding; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TeneoBio: Consultancy; Kiadis: Consultancy; Kadmon: Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy.

scholarly journals Pegcrisantaspase in Combination with Venetoclax for Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Phase 1 Study

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 4433-4433
Author(s):  
Sandrine Niyongere ◽  
Vu H. Duong ◽  
Dominique R Bollino ◽  
Rena G. Lapidus ◽  
Erin T. Strovel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Complete Remission ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Dose Escalation ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Abstract Background: Despite new therapeutic advances, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) still has poor outcomes, especially in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) disease with complex karyotype (CK) and/or TP53 mutation. Venetoclax (Ven), an oral BCL-2 inhibitor, in combination with DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTIs) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of newly diagnosed AML in adults who are unfit for intensive therapy with encouraging results, but the combination has been found to be less effective in patients with R/R AML. AML cells have been shown to be sensitive to extracellular glutamine depletion or manipulation of intracellular glutamine metabolism. Asparaginase converts asparagine and glutamine to aspartate and glutamate, decreasing plasma concentrations of asparagine and glutamine, with anti-leukemia activity. We previously published that crisantaspase produced complete plasma glutamine depletion in patients without dose-limiting toxicities and was associated with anti-leukemic activity in R/R AML (Emadi et al. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2018). In preclinical studies, we found that Pegcrisantaspase (PegC), a long-acting crisantaspase, not only had potent single-agent anti-AML activity, but also synergized with Ven in CK-AML cell lines and primary cells in vitro and in vivo (Emadi et al. Leukemia 2021). Ven-PegC targets the mTOR-eIF4E-driven ribosomal translational protein synthesis apparatus in AML. With no standardized treatment and poor outcomes for R/R AML, there is an unmet need for effective treatment options. Trial Design: We present an ongoing, non-randomized, open-label Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating Ven administered orally daily in combination with PegC administered intravenously every 14 days in 28-day treatment cycles in adults patients with R/R AML. The trial consists of two phases: dose escalation (four cohorts) and dose expansion at the final recommended phase 2 doses (RP2Ds). Adult patients with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of AML whose disease has relapsed or is refractory to at least one line of AML therapy and with adequate organ function and no prior history of pancreatitis or ≥ Grade 3 thrombohemorrhagic events are eligible for this trial. All patients with FLT3, IDH1 or IDH2 mutation must have received at least one line of therapy with an available FLT3/IDH1/IDH2 inhibitor to be eligible for this trial. The study will include CK-AML and TP53-mutated AML. The primary objectives of the trial are to evaluate the safety and tolerability of Ven-PegC and estimate the maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) and/or biologically active doses (e.g. RP2D) of Ven-PegC in patients with R/R AML. The primary endpoints of the trial are incidences of regimen-limiting toxicities (RLTs) and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The secondary endpoints include the rates of complete remission (CR) and composite complete remission (CR+CRh+CRi), event-free survival, overall survival, the rate of conversion from transfusion dependence to transfusion independence, and achievement of MRD <0.02% within 2 cycles of treatment with Ven-PegC. If a patient does not achieve at least hematologic improvement within 3 cycles of treatment, the patient will be taken off study. Responding patients can continue with the assigned doses until progression. The study uses a 3+3 design. Up to 24 subjects will be enrolled during dose escalation (in case exactly one RLT occurs in the first three patients enrolled at each of the four dose levels). Another 10 subjects will be enrolled at the final RP2D in an expansion cohort, for a total of 16 patients treated at the RP2D. The study is currently open at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier is NCT04666649. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Emadi: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; NewLink Genetics: Research Funding; Servier: Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Secura Bio.: Consultancy; KinaRx, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Co-founder.

scholarly journals A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Entospletinib in Combination with Intensive Induction and Consolidation Chemotherapy in Adults with Newly Diagnosed N ucleophosmin 1-mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1282-1282
Author(s):  
John C. Byrd ◽  
Jorge E. Cortes ◽  
Mark D. Minden ◽  
Thomas Oellerich ◽  
Eytan M. Stein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Abstract Background: Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is a component of both lymphoid and myeloid cell signaling pathways and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) defined by dysregulated expression of the HOXA9 and MEIS1 transcription factors. Entospletinib (ENTO) is an oral, selective SYK inhibitor that is acceptably tolerated when administered with intensive induction and consolidation in newly diagnosed AML patients. In a phase 2 study, following induction with cytarabine and daunorubicin (7+3) plus ENTO, higher rates of complete response (CR) or CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) were observed in patients with rearrangements of the KMT2A (MLL) gene (MLL-r) and mutations of the nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) gene, both of which are associated with aberrant expression of HOXA9 and MEIS1, as compared to patients without these mutations. In an exploratory analysis, patients with HOXA9/MEIS1 expression levels above the median experienced superior overall survival (OS) as compared to patients with expression levels below the median. In the AGILITY trial, we hypothesize that the addition of ENTO to intensive induction/consolidation in newly diagnosed patients with NPM1-mutated AML will improve the rate of CR without evidence of measurable residual disease (MRD-negative CR) post-induction and duration of event-free survival (EFS). Methods: AGILITY will be a global, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ENTO in combination with cytarabine plus daunorubicin or idarubicin induction (7+3) and age-adjusted high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation in newly diagnosed AML patients aged 18-75 years who are candidates for intensive induction and harbor a documented NPM1 mutation based on local or central mutation testing. Patients with co-mutated FLT3 (internal tandem duplication or tyrosine kinase domain) and for whom midostaurin with 7+3 is indicated are excluded. Patients will be stratified based on age (<60 vs ≥60 years) and anthracycline administered during induction (daunorubicin vs idarubicin). Approximately 180 patients will be randomized to receive 7+3 induction and HiDAC consolidation with ENTO (400 mg orally twice daily) versus 7+3 induction and HiDAC with placebo. Patients with <5% leukemic blasts after 1 cycle of induction will proceed to the first cycle of HiDAC consolidation while patients with ≥5% residual blasts will undergo a second induction cycle. Patients who do not achieve CR after 2 cycles of chemotherapy (either 2 induction cycles or 1 induction and 1 consolidation cycle) plus ENTO or placebo will be designated as induction treatment failures (ITF). Patients who achieve or remain in CR after 2 chemotherapy cycles will be evaluated for MRD in bone marrow based on enumeration of mutant NPM1 alleles using a molecular assay. Patients may receive up to 3 cycles of consolidation with HiDAC and ENTO or placebo beyond chemotherapy cycle 2 per their original randomized treatment assignment. The number of consolidation cycles and timing of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) or other post-consolidation therapy (if any) is at the discretion of the investigator. All patients will be followed for relapse and survival. The primary endpoint will be the rate of MRD-negative CR (<0.01% mutant NPM1 alleles). Patients without an evaluation of response and MRD after chemotherapy cycle 2 will be imputed as treatment failures for the analysis. A key secondary endpoint will be EFS, defined as time from randomization to the earliest occurrence of ITF, relapse from CR, or death from any cause. Patients without an event at the time of the EFS analysis will be censored at the last study evaluation they were event-free. EFS will be estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and summarized by treatment group. Differences between treatment groups will be assessed with the log-rank test stratified by age (<60 vs ≥60 years) and choice of anthracycline in induction (daunorubicin vs idarubicin). OS will be analyzed in a similar manner. Key exploratory endpoints will be the correlation between recurring genomic mutations and response or progression and longitudinal assessment of peripheral blood for detection of NPM1-m alleles among patients who achieve MRD-negative CR post-induction. An independent data-monitoring committee will monitor emerging safety and efficacy data from this trial on an ongoing basis. Disclosures Byrd: Vincerx Pharmaceuticals: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis, Trillium, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Pharmacyclics, Syndax: Consultancy, Honoraria; Newave: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Cortes: Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Astellas, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda, BioPath Holdings, Incyte: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bio-Path Holdings, Inc.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sun Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding. Minden: Astellas: Consultancy. Oellerich: Roche: Consultancy; Gilead: Research Funding; Kronos Bio, Inc.: Consultancy; Merck KGaA: Consultancy, Research Funding. Stein: Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; PinotBio: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Foghorn Therapeutics: Consultancy; Blueprint Medicines: Consultancy; Gilead Sciences, Inc.: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; Syndax Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy. Elder: PharPoint Research, Inc.: Current Employment. Kumar: Kronos Bio, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Bray: Kronos Bio, Inc.: Consultancy. DiMartino: Kronos Bio, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Stock: Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; amgen: Honoraria; agios: Honoraria; jazz: Honoraria; kura: Honoraria; kite: Honoraria; morphosys: Honoraria; servier: Honoraria; syndax: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pluristeem: Consultancy, Honoraria. OffLabel Disclosure: Entospletinib is an investigational therapy

Morphologic Leukemia-Free State in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Is Sufficient for Successful Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 24-25
Author(s):  
Cindy M. Pabon ◽  
Zhiguo Li ◽  
Therese Hennig ◽  
Carlos De Castro ◽  
Jadee Neff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Complete Remission ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Free State ◽  
Cell Transplant ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) improves survival in patients with relapsed or high risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Complete remission (CR) is typically a pre-requisite for transplantation, though many do not achieve a formal CR. The traditional AML treatment starts with induction chemotherapy, followed by assessment of response to guide next steps. Response criteria definitions differ between that of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), utilized by the majority of clinicians, and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Research (CIBMTR) data registry utilized by transplant centers, making interpretation of the impact of HCT difficult. Definitions for morphologic complete remission (CR) are the same, however complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) differs and the CIBMTR does not recognize the morphologic leukemia-free state (MLFS), thus mis-identifying such patients and preventing clear treatment guidelines for this population. We conducted a retrospective study, identifying a cohort of 35 AML patients at our center who underwent allogeneic HCT while in MLFS, to evaluate characteristics in patient demographics, disease status, treatment(s), and outcomes. From our cohort, the median overall survival (OS) was 14 months, however 37% were alive and in remission with median follow-up of survivors of five years. Twenty three percent had progression of disease following transplant. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 35% with leading cause of death being infection. Our study reveals that transplant can induce long-term survival in patients with acute leukemia who are in MLFS at the start of induction, similar to data for patients with high risk disease in early relapse or in later remissions. Early transplantation while in MLFS and not waiting for full count recovery may protect patients from toxicities of further chemotherapeutic agents or prevent unnecessary delays that may allow for infections or other barriers to arise, and requires further study. Disclosures Leblanc: American Cancer Society, BMS, Duke University, NINR/NIH, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; UpToDate: Patents & Royalties: Royalties; Agios, AbbVie, and Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene: Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; AbbVie, Agios, Amgen, AstraZeneca, CareVive, BMS/Celgene, Daiichi-Sankyo, Flatiron, Helsinn, Heron, Otsuka, Medtronic, Pfizer, Seattle Genetics, Welvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rizzieri:Karyopharm: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Kite: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Stemline: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mustang: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celltrion: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; AROG: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Teva: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acrobiotech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

scholarly journals Targeting MET and FGFR in Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Preclinical, Clinical, and Correlative Studies

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 2549-2549
Author(s):  
Jacqueline S Garcia ◽  
Helen I. Gandler ◽  
Geoffrey Fell ◽  
Ashlee J. Fiore ◽  
Donna S Neuberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Correlative Studies ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Background: Increased expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), causing activation of its receptor MET, is found in a subset of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Inhibition of HGF-MET signaling with the specific MET kinase inhibitor crizotinib led to a transient therapeutic effect in AML cells; however, resistance rapidly emerged via increased HGF expression due to activation of alternative kinase pathways such as FGFR1 (Kentsis et al., Nat Medicine, 2012). Thus, simultaneous inhibition of activated MET and FGFR represents a potential therapeutic opportunity to forestall resistance to MET inhibition, in part by promoting downregulation of oncogenic STAT transcription factors. The MET/RON inhibitor merestinib and the pan-FGFR inhibitor LY2874455 are investigational small molecules. While they have been tested as single agents in phase 1 solid tumor cancer trials, they have neither been tested individually or in combination in AML patients (pts). Methods: We are conducting a phase 1 combination study to determine the safety and tolerability of dose-escalated merestinib and LY2874455 in pts with R/R AML or secondary AML. Eligible pts include AML pts ≥ 18 y inappropriate for intensive chemotherapy, for whom no approved available therapy exists, and ECOG ≤ 2. A merestinib safety lead-in cohort (dose level (DL) 0) assessed merestinib alone (n=6) at a dose of 80 mg daily for a 28-day cycle (Cycle 0). In the absence of ≥ gr 3 adverse events (AEs), LY2874455 10 mg twice daily on days 1-21 was added to merestinib on day 1 of Cycle 1. Subsequent cohorts (DL 1-3) included a 7-day lead-in (day -6 through day 0) of merestinib alone (80 mg or 120 mg per assigned DL) for pharmacodynamic studies. DL1 is merestinib 80 mg daily for days 1-28 and LY2874455 10 mg po BID days 1-21. DL2 is merestinib 120 mg daily for days 1-28 and LY2874455 10 mg po BID days 1-21. DL3 is merestinib 120 mg daily for days 1-28 plus LY2874455 12 mg po BID days 1-28. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) is defined as non-hematologic AEs ≥ gr 3 (excluding fatigue or reversible electrolyte abnormalities), gr 4 infection, or gr 4 neutropenia > 42 days in absence of disease. Results: The merestinib safety lead-in cohort consisted of 7 pts (2M, 5F) with a median age 76 y (range, 46-80) and a diagnosis of refractory (n=2) or relapsed (n=5) AML. One pt was replaced due to insufficient treatment doses administered. Four of 6 pts with available pre-treatment samples had adverse risk baseline mutations (TP53, RUNX1 and ASXL1) and 4 of 7 had poor risk cytogenetics including complex karyotype (n=3) and del 5q (n=1). Median duration on study was 2.4 months (90% CI, 0.8-5.6 months). AEs included 1 DLT due to gr 3 elevation of ALT and AST during merestinib monotherapy phase, which resolved with dose interruption and did not recur after dose modification. Other AEs were gr 3 bacteremia (n=1), gr 3 febrile neutropenia (n=1), gr 2 emesis (n=2), gr 2 nausea (n= 3), gr 3 diarrhea (n=1), gr 3 hypophosphatemia (n=2), gr 3 hyponatremia (n=1) and gr 3 QTc prolongation (n=1). SAEs included gr 4 ARDS (n=1), gr 3 back spasms (n=1), and gr 3 bruising (n=1), all considered to be unrelated to study drug. Five of 6 evaluable pts had LY2874455 added to their treatment per protocol; 1 progressed at the end of merestinib-lead in. In this safety cohort, 1 achieved a CR (after 28 days of merestinib only), 4 had stable disease, and 1 had disease progression. The pt with a CR remained on merestinib monotherapy until progression at the end of cycle 4, at which point LY2874455 was added per protocol. Notably, this responder had baseline normal cytogenetics and mutations in DNMT3A (R882H), FLT3 (N676K), NPM1 (W288fs), TET2 (E227fs) and TET2 (L1231P). This activating FLT3 (N676K) mutation was not detected by repeat NGS with > 200X mean at remission. Exploration of the phosphorylation state of key signaling molecules (STAT3, STAT5, FGFR, and MET) potentially modified by merestinib and LY2874455 inhibitors was carried out in pts with circulating disease (Fig 1). The responder (pt 5) exhibited reduced signaling in pSTAT3, pSTAT5, pFGFR, and pMET during merestinib monotherapy concomitant with clearance of blasts, though this effect was lost shortly before relapse. Conclusions: Preliminary clinical data suggest that merestinib is tolerable and the safety of adding dose-escalated LY2874455 is under investigation. Correlative studies to evaluate the significance of changes in HGF production and in STAT3/5 target genes are on-going. Disclosures Garcia: Abbvie: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding. Neuberg:Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Madrigal Pharmaceuticals: Equity Ownership; Celgene: Research Funding. Winer:Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer: Consultancy. Galinsky:AbbVie Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merus Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ABIM: Other: Member of specialty oncology board. DeAngelo:Glycomimetics: Research Funding; Blueprint: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen, Autolus, Celgene, Forty-seven, Incyte, Jazzs, Pfizer, Shire, Takeda: Consultancy; Abbvie: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding. Frank:Janpix, Roche-Genentech, Biolojib Design: Research Funding. Stone:Argenx, Celgene, Takeda Oncology: Other: Data and Safety Monitoring Board/Committee: ; Novartis, Agios, Arog: Research Funding; AbbVie, Actinium, Agios, Argenx, Arog, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Biolinerx, Celgene, Cornerstone Biopharma, Fujifilm, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Ono, Orsenix, Otsuka, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Sumitomo, Trovagene: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Merestinib and LY2874455 are investigational small molecular inhibitors that were tested in combination in a phase 1 clinical trial in AML.

scholarly journals Bortezomib + MEC (Mitoxantrone, Etoposide, Cytarabine) for Relapsed/ Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Final Results of an Expanded Phase 1 Trial

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 978-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjali S. Advani ◽  
Paul Elson ◽  
Matt E. Kalaycio ◽  
Sudipto Mukherjee ◽  
Aaron T. Gerds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Complete Remission ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Phase 1 Trial ◽  
Poor Risk ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Abstract MEC (mitoxantrone, etoposide, cytarabine) is a standard regimen for relapsed/ refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but outcomes remain poor. The overexpression of proteasomes and constitutive activation of NF-KB in AML cells suggest that proteasome inhibitors (PI) such as bortezomib (Bz) may be effective anti-leukemia therapy. PI or a decoy NF-KB oligonucleotide increase chemosensitivity to both anthracyclines and cytarabine. To test the hypothesis that PI may improve the efficacy of MEC, we conducted a phase 1 trial of Bz in combination with MEC. Here, we present final results of this trial: response rate, toxicity, and correlation of outcomes with mutation analysis. As CD74 expression may identify a subset NF-KB-dependent AML with predicted increased sensitivity to PI (Clin Can Res 2008; 14: 1446-54), we also explored this correlation. Methods: All pts were treated at the Cleveland Clinic from Aug 2010-Mar 2014. This protocol was approved by the institution’s review board. Eligibility included: age 18-70 yrs, R/R AML, cardiac ejection fraction ≥ 45%. CD74 was assessed by flow cytometry using CD45 PE (BD Biosciences San Jose, CA) and CD74-Alexa 488 (AbD Serotec Raleigh, NC). A myeloid panel mutational analysis was performed on extracted DNA in pts with banked samples (n=26). All pts received 1 cycle of MEC: mitoxantrone (6 mg/m2/d), etoposide (80 mg/ m2), and cytarabine (1000 mg/ m2) Days 1-6. Bz was administered IV on Days 1, 4, 8, and 11. Dose was escalated using a standard 3 x 3 design. Dose levels (DL) were: -1 (0.40 mg/ m2), 1 (0.70 mg/ m2), 2 (1.0 mg/ m2), and 3 (1.3 mg/m2). Response was defined by IWG criteria (Cheson, 2006). The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of Bz with MEC was 1.0 mg/m2 (Advani et al, ASH 2012, Abstract 3595). Results: Of 35 pts enrolled, the median age was 55 yrs (range 33-69), 13 (38%) were male, and median baseline WBC was 4.0 K/ µL (range 0.82-84.7). The median time from initial diagnosis of AML to enrollment was 8.4 months (range 1.1-88.2) and 6 pts (17%) had an antecedent hematologic disorder. Salvage status (S) at enrollment: S1 (24 pts, 69%), S2 (7 pts, 20%), S4 (4 pts, 11%). Nine pts (26%) were refractory to all prior therapies, and 3 pts (9%) had received prior allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT). Adverse cytogenetics per CALGB/ Alliance 8461 criteria occurred in 19% of pts at study entry and 15 of 26 pts (58%) had poor-risk molecular mutations (RUNX1, ASXL1, TET2, p53, IDH1, MECOM, FLT3 ITD). Ten pts were enrolled on DL1, 13 pts on DL2, 11 pts on DL3, and 1 pt died prior to treatment. Overall, 3 pts (9%) died during induction. In addition to febrile neutropenia and Gr 4 hematologic toxicity, the most commonly reported adverse events (AEs) were metabolic, constitutional, gastrointestinal (GI), and dermatologic, with the majority of these being Gr 1 or 2. GI toxicity was the only reported AE attributable to Bz: 12 pts had constipation or ileus (10: Gr 1 or 2; 2: Gr 3 or 4). Seventeen of the 33 evaluable pts (52%) have achieved a complete remission (CR) or complete remission with incomplete count recovery (CRi); with 1 pt inevaluable due to donor lymphocyte infusion. The estimated median overall survival was 7.2 months; median duration of response was 10.3 months. DL did not correlate with response. Eleven pts (32%) went on to receive AHCT. Among pts with poor-risk molecular mutations, 64% achieved CR/ CRi. Inhibition of NF-KB signaling in leukemia cells with mutated RUNX1 efficiently blocks growth and development of leukemia (Blood 2011; 118: 6626-37). Of the 5 pts with RUNX1 mutations, 3 (60%) achieved CR/ CRi, suggesting that Bz may have promising clinical benefit in this difficult subset of pts. Among the 17 pts with CD74 expression testing who were evaluable for response, the mean CD74 expression trended higher in non-responding pts (32.6%) than in responders (11.1%) (p=0.14). Conclusions: The combination of MEC/Bz was well-tolerated and resulted in high response rates, even within a molecularly-defined poor risk population of pts with R/R AML. Our data do not confirm the expectation that higher CD74 expression would correlate with response in this R/ R AML cohort, but larger pt numbers are needed. These results, especially in pts with poor-risk mutations, support development of a randomized study to address the benefit of adding Bz to MEC in the treatment of R/R AML. Disclosures Advani: Takeda: Research Funding. Carew:Takeda: Research Funding. Sekeres:Celgene Corp.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Boehringer Ingelheim: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

scholarly journals Impact of Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Assessed before Transplantation on the Outcome of Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Given an Allograft: A Retrospective Study By the I-BFM Study Group

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 38-39
Author(s):  
Martina Pigazzi ◽  
Maddalena Benetton ◽  
Christiane Walter ◽  
Maria Hansen ◽  
Anne-Sofie Skou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Residual Disease ◽  
Institutional Research ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Minimal Residual ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease where selected subgroups of patients, linked by the presence of biological and clinical high-risk features, are candidates to receive allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation HSCT) as post-remission consolidation treatment. The achievement of morphological complete remission (CR) before HSCT is an important pre-requisite to optimize the chance of successful post-transplant outcome. Minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) has been shown to increase the ability to monitor therapy response in AML, improving prognostic accuracy and allowing to refine transplant strategies. Although MRD assessment was shown to have potential benefit when measured after induction and consolidation therapy courses, its role before HSCT remains to be fully elucidated. In order to contribute to better clarify this issue, we conducted a q-PCR I-BFM-AML collaborative study to measure MRD in bone marrow samples collected within 5 weeks prior to HSCT of 108 pediatric AML patients harboring one of the main recurrent AML aberrancies t(8;21)(q22;q22); RUNX1-RUNX1T1, inv(16)(p13.1q22)/t(16;16)(p13.1;q22); CBFB-MYH11, t(9;11)(p22;q23); KMT2A-MLLT3 or FLT3-ITD. Sixty patients underwent HSCT in first complete remission (CR1) with an overall survival (OS) of 84% versus 54% for the 48 transplanted in CR2 achieved after an initial relapse. Sixty patients showed q-MRD negativity (defined as a value lower than 2.1x10-4 calculated by ROC curve analysis with respect to diagnosis or relapse), whereas in 48 patients we detected q-MRD levels >2.1x10-4. Five-year OS after HSCT was 83% for patients with q-MRD negativity, while that of patients with q-MRD above the cutoff was 57% (p=0.012). As regards, cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), q-MRD above the cutoff was associated with a high risk of recurrence (26% versus 10% for patients with q-MRD <2.1x10-4, p=0.036), q-MRD positivity representing an independent prognostic factor. When we interrogated the 3 genetic subgroups (namely CBFr, KMT2Ar and FLT3-ITD), despite the limited sample size, we found that OS was significantly influenced by q-MRD pre-HSCT in FLT3-ITD (63% versus 100% for q-MRD negative patients, p=0.019) and in t(8;21)RUNX1-RUNX1T1 rearranged patients (50 % versus 84% for q-MRD negative patients, p=0.048). We further investigated the impact of higher levels of q-MRD: we found that the 17 patients showing a pre-transplant q-MRD reduction lower than 1x10-2 (2-log), with respect to either diagnosis or relapse value, had a worse outcome (OS=39%) when compared to the 91 patients who reduced q-MRD values more than 2-log (OS=78%, p=0.0019). These 17 patients, transplanted in CR1 (n=8) or CR2 (n=9), were heterogeneous in terms of genetic lesions (t(8;21) n=7, inv(16) n=2, t(9;11) n=5 and FLT3-ITD n=3). Applying this 2-log cutoff by genetic subgroups, we found that cases with RUNX1-RUNX1T1 with q-MRD reduction above 2-log had the worst prognosis (OS 29% for q-MRD>2-log versus 73% for q-MRD<2-log, p=0.016). Overall, cases with FLT3-ITD, KMT2A-MLLT3 or CBFB-MYH11 more often achieved a q-MRD reduction greater than 2-log. In line with these results we combined the two measurement approaches and proposed a model where the two cutoffs generate 3 risk groups stratification, namely low (q-MRD<2.1x10-4, LR), intermediate (q-MRD>2.1x10-4 and <2-log, IR) or high risk (q-MRD>2-log, HR). This combined stratification by q-MRD resulted into a better subdivision of the OS probability, which was 83%, 69% and 39% for LR, IR and HR respectively (p=0.004). Finally, a multivariate Cox regression model revealed that, together with CR status at time of the allograft (CR2, hazard ratio 4.4, p=0.001), q-MRD was an independent factor (hazard ratio 0.5, p=0.001) predicting HSCT outcome. In conclusion, this study supports the role of q-MRD pre-HSCT as a useful prognostic tool in childhood AML, able to provide information to tailor transplant strategies involving conditioning regimen intensity and graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. Disclosures Reinhardt: AbbVie: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; Jazz: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; bluebird bio: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Other: Institutional Research Funding; Biotest: Other: Institutional Research Funding; Novo Nordisk: Other: Institutional Research Funding; Behring: Other: Institutional Research Funding. Merli:Bellicum Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; SOBI: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz: Honoraria; Sanofi-Genzyme: Honoraria; Atara Therapeutics: Honoraria.

scholarly journals Associating Ex Vivo Drug Sensitivity with Differentiation Status Identifies Effective Drug Combinations for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1301-1301
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Eide ◽  
Stephen E. Kurtz ◽  
Andy Kaempf ◽  
Nicola Long ◽  
Daniel Bottomly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Drug Sensitivity ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Single Agent ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Abstract The development of molecularly-targeted therapies to improve outcomes relative to chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is impeded by the heterogeneity of genetic aberrations that contribute to disease. Among the multitude of biological mechanisms that lead to AML disease initiation and progression is dysregulation of cytokine signaling pathways, a hallmark of chronic inflammation, which contribute to the growth, survival, and differentiation state of AML cells. We have previously shown that IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine expressed by many cell types including macrophages and monocytes, stimulates proliferation of leukemic blasts independent of mutational status in primary AML samples via enhanced phosphorylation of p38α MAPK, an effect that can be blocked by IL-1 receptor knockdown or by pharmacologic inhibition (Carey 2017). Additionally, recent studies have shown sensitivity to the approved BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax in AML associates with undifferentiated leukemic cells (Pei 2020; Zhang 2018; Majumder 2020). Based on these associations, we evaluated the combination of doramapimod (DORA), a p38 MAPK inhibitor, with venetoclax (VEN) for potential enhanced sensitivity on primary AML cells. Ex vivo drug screening of primary AML patient samples (n=335) revealed significantly enhanced efficacy of VEN+DORA compared to either single agent (Nemenyi test; p<0.0001). This broad sensitivity of the VEN+DORA combination was not significantly associated with an array of clinical, genetic, and mutational features in the patient samples tested, in contrast to single agents, particularly VEN. Analysis of blood cell differential counts of patient samples tested identified increased monocyte levels were significantly correlated with sensitivity to DORA and resistance to VEN as single agents (Spearman r = -0.3 and 0.6; p<0.0001), associations that were not apparent with the combination. For patient samples with accompanying FAB differentiation state-based designations (n=108), sensitivities of the combination were similar across classifications of undifferentiated (M0/M1) through monocytic (M4/M5) acute leukemia. In contrast, single-agent VEN was significantly more sensitive in undifferentiated compared to monocytic specimens, whereas DORA sensitivity showed the reverse trend (though to a lesser degree). These differences in sensitivity were further validated by immunophenotyping data where available (n=105), which showed surface markers associated with resistance to VEN (CD11b, CD14, CD16, CD56, CD64, HLADR; Wilcoxon Rank Sum, p<0.001 to p=0.007) or sensitivity to VEN (CD117; p=0.001) or DORA (CD14; HLADR; p=0.004). By contrast, none of these associations significantly distinguished sensitivity for the VEN+DORA combination. Expression levels of MAPK14 and BCL2, the respective primary targets of DORA and VEN, were concordant with their respective drug sensitivities associated with FAB classification; that is, significantly higher levels of BCL2 in M0/M1 leukemias and MAPK14 in M4/M5 cases (Mann-Whitney test; p<0.0001; n=145). Further dissection of transcriptomic and drug sensitivity data revealed strong correlation and gene set enrichment for DORA and VEN sensitivities with monocyte-like and progenitor-like signatures, respectively (n=225), for cell differentiation states previously described for AML (van Galen 2019), and these associations diminished for the combination treatment. Lastly, the VEN+DORA combination enhanced efficacy and synergistic inhibition was confirmed using human AML cell line models tested with a matrix of potential dose concentrations. Taken together, these findings suggest that exploiting distinct, complementary sensitivity profiles of targeted therapies with respect to leukemic differentiation state, such as dual targeting of p38 MAPK and BCL2, offers an opportunity for broad, enhanced efficacy across the clinically challenging heterogeneous landscape of AML. Disclosures Druker: Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; Recludix Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy; EnLiven: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; The RUNX1 Research Program: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck & Co: Patents & Royalties; Aileron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ALLCRON: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Aptose Therapeutics: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Blueprint Medicines: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Cepheid: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GRAIL: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; VB Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Iterion Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Nemucore Medical Innovations, Inc.: Consultancy; Third Coast Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vincerx Pharma: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vivid Biosciences: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Tyner: Genentech: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Astrazeneca: Research Funding; Constellation: Research Funding; Agios: Research Funding; Petra: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Array: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Schrodinger: Research Funding.

scholarly journals Phase I Study of Ixazomib with Conventional Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Older Adults

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 7-8
Author(s):  
Philip C. Amrein ◽  
Eyal C. Attar ◽  
Geoffrey Fell ◽  
Traci M. Blonquist ◽  
Andrew M. Brunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Remission Rate ◽  
Conventional Chemotherapy ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Secondary Aml ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Introduction: Outcomes for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) among older patients has remained largely unchanged for decades. Long-term survival for patients aged >60 years is poor (median survival 10.5 months). Targeting the proteasome in AML is attractive, since leukemia stem cells have demonstrated sensitivity to proteasome inhibition in preclinical models, perhaps through down regulation of nuclear NF-KB (Guzman, Blood 2001). AML cell lines are susceptible to synergistic cytotoxicity when bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, is combined with daunorubicin and cytarabine. We have shown that adding bortezomib to standard treatment in AML results in a high remission rate, although grade 2 sensory neurotoxicity was noted in approximately 12% of treated patients. A newer generation proteasome inhibitor, ixazomib, is less frequently associated with neurotoxicity, and, therefore, was selected for combination with conventional chemotherapy in this phase I trial. The primary objective of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ixazomib in combination with conventional induction and consolidation chemotherapy for AML. Herein are the initial results of this trial. Methods: Adults >60 years of age with newly diagnosed AML were screened for eligibility. Patients with secondary AML were eligible, including those with prior hypomethylating agent therapy for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We excluded those with promyelocytic leukemia. There were 2 phases in this study. In the first phase (A), the induction treatment consisted of the following: cytarabine 100 mg/m2/day by continuous IV infusion, Days 1-7; daunorubicin 60 mg/m2/day IV, Days 1, 2, 3, and ixazomib was provided orally at the cohort dose, Days 2, 5, 9, and 12. Consolidaton or transplant was at the discretion of the treating physician in phase A. In the second phase (B), induction was the same as that with the determined MTD of ixazomib. All patients were to be treated with the following consolidation: cytarabine at 2 g/m2/day, days 1-5 with ixazomib on days 2, 5, 9, and 12 at the cohort dose for consolidation. A standard 3 + 3 patient cohort dose escalation design was used to determine whether the dose of ixazomib could be safely escalated in 3 cohorts (1.5 mg/day, 2.3 mg/day, 3.0 mg/day), initially in induction (phase A) and subsequently in consolidation (phase B). The determined MTD of ixazomib in the first portion (A) of the trial was used during induction in the second portion (B), which sought to determine the MTD for ixazomib during consolidation. Secondary objectives included rate of complete remission, disease-free survival, and overall survival (OS). Results: Thirty-six patients have been enrolled on study, and 28 have completed dose levels A-1 through A-3 and B1 through B-2. Full information on cohort B-3 has not yet been obtained, hence, this report covers the experience with the initial 28 patients, cohorts A-1 through B-2. There were 12 (43%) patients among the 28 with secondary AML, either with prior hematologic malignancy or therapy-related AML. Nineteen patients (68%) were male, and the median age was 68 years (range 61-80 years). There have been no grade 5 toxicities due to study drug. Three patients died early due to leukemia, 2 of which were replaced for assessment of the MTD. Nearly all the grade 3 and 4 toxicities were hematologic (Table). There was 1 DLT (grade 4 platelet count decrease extending beyond Day 42). There has been no grade 3 or 4 neurotoxicity with ixazomib to date. Among the 28 patients in the first 5 cohorts, 22 achieved complete remissions (CR) and 2 achieved CRi, for a composite remission rate (CCR) of 86%. Among the 12 patients with secondary AML 8 achieved CR and 2 achieved CRi, for a CCR of 83%. The median OS for the 28 patients has not been reached (graph). The 18-month OS estimate was 65% [90% CI, 50-85%]. Conclusions: The highest dose level (3 mg) of ixazomib planned for induction in this trial has been reached safely. For consolidation there have been no serious safety issues in the first 2 cohorts with a dose up to 2.3 mg, apart from 1 DLT in the form of delayed platelet count recovery. The recommended phase 2 dose of ixazomib for induction is 3 mg. Accrual to cohort B-3 is ongoing. Notably, to date, no grade 3 or 4 neurotoxicity has been encountered. The remission rate in this older adult population with the addition of ixazomib to standard chemotherapy appears favorable. Figure Disclosures Amrein: Amgen: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Attar:Aprea Therapeutics: Current Employment. Brunner:Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Forty-Seven Inc: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Hobbs:Constellation: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Incyte: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; Jazz: Honoraria; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria. Neuberg:Celgene: Research Funding; Madrigak Pharmaceuticals: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding. Fathi:Blueprint: Consultancy; Boston Biomedical: Consultancy; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Kura Oncology: Consultancy; Trillium: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Newlink Genetics: Consultancy; Forty Seven: Consultancy; Trovagene: Consultancy; Kite: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Amphivena: Consultancy; PTC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Agios: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Jazz: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Ixazomib is FDA approved for multiple myeloma. We are using it in this trial for acute myeloid leukemia.

scholarly journals EZH2 Mutations and Impact on Clinical Outcome Analyzed in 1604 Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1528-1528
Author(s):  
Sebastian Stasik ◽  
Jan Moritz Middeke ◽  
Michael Kramer ◽  
Christoph Rollig ◽  
Alwin Krämer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Acute Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Employment Equity ◽  
Advisory Committees ◽  
Mutational Status ◽  
Equity Ownership ◽  
Acute Myeloid

Abstract Purpose: The enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a histone methyltransferase and key epigenetic regulator involved in transcriptional repression and embryonic development. Loss of EZH2 activity by inactivating mutations is associated with poor prognosis in myeloid malignancies such as MDS. More recently, EZH2 inactivation was shown to induce chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Göllner et al., 2017). Data on the frequency and prognostic role of EZH2-mutations in AML are rare and mostly confined to smaller cohorts. To investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of this alteration in more detail, we analyzed a large cohort of AML patients (n = 1604) for EZH2 mutations. Patients and Methods: All patients analyzed had newly diagnosed AML, were registered in clinical protocols of the Study Alliance Leukemia (SAL) (AML96, AML2003 or AML60+, SORAML) and had available material at diagnosis. Screening for EZH2 mutations and associated alterations was done using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) (TruSight Myeloid Sequencing Panel, Illumina) on an Illumina MiSeq-system using bone marrow or peripheral blood. Detection was conducted with a defined cut-off of 5% variant allele frequency (VAF). All samples below the predefined threshold were classified as EZH2 wild type (wt). Patient clinical characteristics and co-mutations were analyzed according to the mutational status. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was used to identify the impact of EZH2 mutations on outcome. Results: EZH2-mutations were found in 63 of 1604 (4%) patients, with a median VAF of 44% (range 6-97%; median coverage 3077x). Mutations were detected within several exons (2-6; 8-12; 14-20) with highest frequencies in exons 17 and 18 (29%). The majority of detected mutations (71% missense and 29% nonsense/frameshift) were single nucleotide variants (SNVs) (87%), followed by small indel mutations. Descriptive statistics of clinical parameters and associated co-mutations revealed significant differences between EZH2-mut and -wt patients. At diagnosis, patients with EZH2 mutations were significantly older (median age 59 yrs) than EZH2-wt patients (median 56 yrs; p=0.044). In addition, significantly fewer EZH2-mut patients (71%) were diagnosed with de novo AML compared to EZH2-wt patients (84%; p=0.036). Accordingly, EZH2-mut patients had a higher rate of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) (21%), evolving from prior MDS or after prior chemotherapy (tAML) (8%; p=0.036). Also, bone marrow (and blood) blast counts differed between the two groups (EZH2-mut patients had significantly lower BM and PB blast counts; p=0.013). In contrast, no differences were observed for WBC counts, karyotype, ECOG performance status and ELN-2017 risk category compared to EZH2-wt patients. Based on cytogenetics according to the 2017 ELN criteria, 35% of EZH2-mut patients were categorized with favorable risk, 28% had intermediate and 37% adverse risk. No association was seen with -7/7q-. In the group of EZH2-mut AML patients, significantly higher rates of co-mutations were detected in RUNX1 (25%), ASXL1 (22%) and NRAS (25%) compared to EZH2-wt patients (with 10%; 8% and 15%, respectively). Vice versa, concomitant mutations in NPM1 were (non-significantly) more common in EZH2-wt patients (33%) vs EZH2-mut patients (21%). For other frequently mutated genes in AML there was no major difference between EZH2-mut and -wt patients, e.g. FLT3ITD (13%), FLT3TKD (10%) and CEBPA (24%), as well as genes encoding epigenetic modifiers, namely, DNMT3A (21%), IDH1/2 (11/14%), and TET2 (21%). The correlation of EZH2 mutational status with clinical outcomes showed no effect of EZH2 mutations on the rate of complete remission (CR), relapse free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) (with a median OS of 18.4 and 17.1 months for EZH2-mut and -wt patients, respectively) in the univariate analyses. Likewise, the multivariate analysis with clinical variable such as age, cytogenetics and WBC using Cox proportional hazard regression, revealed that EZH2 mutations were not an independent risk factor for OS or RFS. Conclusion EZH mutations are recurrent alterations in patients with AML. The association with certain clinical factors and typical mutations such as RUNX1 and ASXL1 points to the fact that these mutations are associated with secondary AML. Our data do not indicate that EZH2 mutations represent an independent prognostic factor. Disclosures Middeke: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rollig:Bayer: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding. Scholl:Jazz Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbivie: Other: Travel support; Alexion: Other: Travel support; MDS: Other: Travel support; Novartis: Other: Travel support; Deutsche Krebshilfe: Research Funding; Carreras Foundation: Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Hochhaus:Pfizer: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Brümmendorf:Janssen: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding. Burchert:AOP Orphan: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Krause:Novartis: Research Funding. Hänel:Amgen: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Platzbecker:Celgene: Research Funding. Mayer:Eisai: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding. Serve:Bayer: Research Funding. Ehninger:Cellex Gesellschaft fuer Zellgewinnung mbH: Employment, Equity Ownership; Bayer: Research Funding; GEMoaB Monoclonals GmbH: Employment, Equity Ownership. Thiede:AgenDix: Other: Ownership; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding.

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