Carlson, Karen

Abstract Background: Outcomes of patients with relapsed/refractory AML (RR-AML) have remained poor. Therapy with venetoclax based combinations in this setting leads to CR/CRi rates of 21-49% (DiNardo CD et al. Am J Hematol 2018, Aldoss I et al. Haematologica 2018, Stahl M et al. Blood Adv 2020). Preclinical studies with BCL-2 inhibitors indicate potential mechanisms of drug resistance including overexpression of the anti-apoptotic protein MCL-1 (Konopleva et al. Cancer Cell. 2006). Pevonedistat is a first in class inhibitor of Nedd8 activating enzyme that induces the pro-apoptotic protein NOXA leading to neutralization of MCL-1 and apoptosis. Preclinical studies evaluating the combination of pevonedistat and venetoclax against AML cell lines have demonstrated a synergistic effect (Knorr KL et al. Cell Death Differ. 2015). Hence, we designed a phase I study to assess the safety and tolerability of adding pevonedistat to the combination of azacitidine and venetoclax in patients with RR-AML. Study design and methods: We conducted a phase I study with the combination of pevonedistat, venetoclax and azacitidine in patients with RR-AML. Patients aged 18 years or above with morphologically documented RR-AML, ECOG performance status 0-2 and adequate organ function were eligible. Major exclusion criteria were isolated extramedullary relapse, hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) within 100 days of enrollment, and active acute GVHD. Previous therapy with hypomethylating agents (HMA) or venetoclax was not an exclusion criterion. The dose escalation phase was conducted using 3+3 design. Treatment included azacitidine (75 mg/m 2 daily x 7 days), venetoclax (400 mg daily x 28 days), and pevonedistat in escalating doses (10-20 mg/m 2 IV days 1,3,5 of each cycle) with a cycle length of 28 days. Pevonedistat was given at 10 mg/m 2 dose in cohort 1, 15 mg/m 2 dose in cohort 2 and 20 mg/m 2 dose in cohort 3. The primary endpoint is to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and toxicity profile of pevonedistat, azacitidine and venetoclax. Other endpoints included determination of response rates, duration of response, survival, pharmacokinetics, correlation of response rates with AML genomic profile, correlation of pretreatment levels of BCL2, BCLXL, MCL1, BAX or BAK with response, determination of changes in NOXA (PMAIP1) mRNA and protein expression pre-and post-pevonedistat treatment, evaluation of BH3 mimetic profiling on bone marrow samples by flow cytometry and assessing the sensitivity of leukemia and leukemic stem/progenitor cells to pevonedistat ex vivo. Results: Thirteen patients participated in the dose escalation phase, 12 of whom were evaluable. Median age was 69 years (61-91), 30.8% had secondary/therapy related AML, 69.2% with adverse risk disease, 53.8% previously received venetoclax/HMA and 23.1% had relapse after prior allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) (Table 1). Seven patients were enrolled into cohort 1 (pevonedistat 10 mg/m 2 dose) of which one was not evaluable, three patients enrolled into cohort 2 (pevonedistat 15 mg/m 2 dose), and three patients enrolled into cohort 3 (pevonedistat 20 mg/m 2 dose). Grade 3 or higher AEs included febrile neutropenia (23%), infection (15%), anemia (38%), neutropenia (54%), thrombocytopenia (38%). There was 1 dose limiting toxicity (DLT) in cohort 1 (atrial fibrillation) that triggered cohort expansion. However, subsequent patients did not experience DLT despite planned dose escalation. Of the 12 evaluable total patients, CR/CRi was observed in 5 (41.6%) patients. Notably, patients with RR-AML who were venetoclax/HMA naïve had a CR/CRi 83.3% (5/6 patients). The response rates for each cohort are summarized in Table 2. Three of the five patients with CR/CRi (60%) achieved MRD negativity by flow cytometry. Four patients who achieved CR/CRi proceeded to allogeneic HCT after therapy. Median OS of the cohort was 5.4 months (1.8-14) and median OS was not reached in patients with CR/CRi. Conclusions: The addition of pevonedistat to venetoclax and azacitidine backbone is safe and well tolerated in patients with RR-AML. Dose escalation yielded encouraging efficacy in venetoclax/HMA naïve RR-AML patients. The study is currently in the dose expansion phase. Details on correlative studies examining mechanisms of therapeutic efficacy and resistance will be reported in the main meeting. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Guru Murthy: Cardinal health: Honoraria; TG Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board meeting; DAVA Oncology: Honoraria; CancerExpertNow: Honoraria; Qessential: Honoraria; Techspert: Consultancy; Curio Sciences: Honoraria; Guidepoint: Consultancy. Abedin: AltruBio: Research Funding; Helsinn: Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria; Pfizer: Research Funding; Agios: Honoraria; Actinium: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding. Litzow: Jazz: Other: Advisory Board; Pluristem: Research Funding; Actinium: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Omeros: Other: Advisory Board; Biosight: Other: Data monitoring committee. Atallah: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy.

Abstract Background: Outcomes of adults with relapsed/refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma (T-ALL or T-LBL respectively) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have remained poor despite the availability of newer agents. CD38 is a 45 kDa transmembrane glycoprotein expressed by lymphoid and myeloid cells with several important functions including a role in immune escape from tumor cells [Chillemi A et al. Front Immunol 2017, Furano A et al. J Immunol 1990]. Several studies have demonstrated that CD38 is expressed in tumor cells of patients with T-ALL and AML and potentially targetable using CD38 blocking agents [Naik J et al. Haematologica 2019, Bride KL et al. Blood 2018, Tembhare et al. J Immunother Cancer 2020, Farber M et al. ASH 2018]. XmAb18968 is structurally distinct CD3-CD38 bi-specific T-cell engager with a full fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain modified to minimize Fcγ receptor binding and non-selective activation of T cells and other immune effector cells. XmAb18968 has optimized relative affinities for both CD3 and CD38 which results in reduced cytokine release without compromising target cell killing. We hypothesize targeting CD38 in relapsed/refractory- T-cell ALL/LBL and AML is safe and feasible using XmAb18968, a novel CD3-CD38 bispecific antibody. Study design and methods: This is an investigator-sponsored multi-institutional phase I study evaluating the safety and tolerability of XmAb18968. Patients aged 18 years or above with T-ALL, T-LBL or AML (including undifferentiated leukemia and bi phenotypic leukemia), in relapsed/refractory status (at least one line of prior therapy) including measurable residual disease relapse, CD38 expression ≥ 20%, and adequate organ function will be eligible. Major exclusion criteria are hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) within 6 months of enrollment, active acute GVHD, veno-occlusive disease, and acute promyelocytic leukemia. The study is planned to be conducted at 6 sites in United States. The primary endpoint is to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and toxicity profile of XmAb18968. The secondary endpoints include determination of response rates, duration of response, survival and pharmacokinetics. Exploratory endpoints include correlation of responses with genomic profile, assessment of serum cytokine response, identifying the changes in phenotypic expression of activated T-cells and leukemic cells, correlation of the phenotypic expression with changes in the transcriptome at the single-cell level, proteomics evaluation of cytokine secretion at the single-cell level and correlation of response with N-glycan profiling, quantitative site-occupancy and direct glycopeptide analysis. The study will follow 3+3 design for dose escalation and de-escalation in case of dose limiting toxicity (DLT). Dose escalation will proceed in two separate groups: Group A for subjects with T-ALL and T-LBL and Group B for subjects with AML. Patients will be entered sequentially to each dose level, starting with the first dose level. The DLT observation period for dose-escalation will be 28-days. RP2D will be defined as the highest dose level at which none of the first 3 treated subjects, or no more than 1 of the first 6 treated subjects experience a DLT. A minimum of 24 and a maximum of 60 patients will be needed for the dose escalation phase. Disclosures Guru Murthy: Curio Sciences: Honoraria; Techspert: Consultancy; Qessential: Honoraria; CancerExpertNow: Honoraria; DAVA Oncology: Honoraria; TG Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board meeting; Cardinal health: Honoraria; Guidepoint: Consultancy. Johnson: Miltenyi Biotec: Research Funding. Abedin: AltruBio: Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria; Agios: Honoraria; Helsinn: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Actinium: Research Funding. 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. Shah: Precision Biosciences: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Expenses, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics/Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Expenses; Acrotech/Spectrum: Honoraria; BeiGene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Other: Expenses; Novartis: Consultancy, Other: Expenses; Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Expenses; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Servier Genetics: Other; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding. Leonard: Amgen: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Pratz: Agios: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millenium: Research Funding; University of Pennsylvania: Current Employment; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Luger: Syros: Honoraria; Agios: Honoraria; Daiichi Sankyo: Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Brystol Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Acceleron: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Onconova: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Biosight: Research Funding; Hoffman LaRoche: Research Funding; Kura: Research Funding. Badar: Pfizer Hematology-Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Atallah: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding.