Runcie, Karie

Abstract Background: Despite efficacy in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), immunotherapy currently has no role in the neoadjuvant setting. Suppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are known to mediate resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in ccRCC. In preclinical studies, IL-1β blockade reprograms TAMs toward an anti-tumor phenotype and promotes T cell activation, creating a tumor microenvironment (TME) more sensitive to ICB. To test this in patients, we conducted a correlative-rich neoadjuvant trial of IL-1β + PD-1 inhibition in localized ccRCC. Methods: SPARC-1 is a single-center, phase 1b study assessing the safety and feasibility of neoadjuvant canakinumab (αIL-1β) and spartalizumab (αPD-1) in patients with localized ccRCC (T1b-T4NanyM0 or TanyN1M0). All patients received 2 doses of canakinumab (300mg IV, Q4w) and spartalizumab (400mg IV, Q4w), 6 weeks (±7 days) prior to nephrectomy. The primary endpoint was safety and feasibility. Key secondary and exploratory endpoints included 12-month metastasis-free survival rate, pathologic response rate, and quantification of immune cell infiltration. To characterize immunologic reprogramming, fresh tumor specimens were collected at nephrectomy for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and multiparametric flow cytometry. Tissue from a treatment naïve cohort was collected for comparative analysis (n=16). Results: From August 15th, 2018, to January 30th, 2025, 14 patients were enrolled. There were no severe treatment-related adverse events (Grade ≥ 3) attributed to canakinumab or spartalizumab. At a median follow-up of 12.0 months (range, 6.3-12.0 months), the 12-month metastasis-free survival was 100%. Based on the ASSURE nomogram, the mean predicted 12-month recurrence risk was 16.7% (range, 4.7-46.5%). ScRNAseq revealed that treatment with αIL-1β + αPD-1 increased the frequency of TREM2+APOE+ TAMs (p=0.035), a population typically associated with immune suppression. However, these TAMs exhibited a phenotypic shift toward a less immunosuppressive state, with reduced IL-1β expression and increased CXCL9:SPP1 ratio, consistent with anti-tumor TAM polarization. Immune profiling revealed an increased CD8/CD4 T cell ratio (p=0.042) with modest enrichment of activated CD8+ T cells after treatment, supporting a more pro-inflammatory TME. Conclusions: The neoadjuvant combination of canakinumab (αIL-1β) and spartalizumab (αPD-1) is well-tolerated, feasible, and demonstrated promising clinical activity with no progression of disease observed in a localized ccRCC population at high risk of recurrence. Correlative analyses demonstrated that combined IL-1β and PD-1 blockade reprograms immunosuppressive TAMs, providing evidence that dual IL-1β and PD-1 inhibition can overcome myeloid-driven resistance in ccRCC. Clinical Trial Information: NCT04028245 Citation Format: Patrick J. McCann, Aleksandar Obradovic, Casey R. Ager, David H. Aggen, Catherine S. Spina, Chelsea L. Rahiman, Kaitlyn R. Campbell, Caroline Laplaca, Peyton C. Johnston, Amanda Kim, Katherine Gomez, Kriti Bagri Manjrekar, Mark N. Stein, Charles G. Drake, Karie Runcie, Matthew Dallos. Neoadjuvant IL-1β and PD-1 inhibition in localized clear-cell renal cell carcinoma: Clinical and correlative analyses of the phase 1b SPARC-1 trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(8_Suppl):Abstract nr CT017.

Abstract Background: Men with high-risk localized prostate cancer are at significant risk for disease recurrence and there is currently no role for neoadjuvant therapy. Although androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is immunomodulatory and can increase CD8 T cell infiltration, these effects are counterbalanced by the expansion of suppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs). We therefore designed a correlative-rich clinical trial for men with high-risk localized prostate cancer to test whether BMS-986218 - a novel afucosylated anti-CTLA-4 antibody optimized for antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) - depletes Tregs and augments response to ADT. Methods: Neo-Red-P is a single-center, two-arm, open-label pilot study assessing degarelix (ADT) versus ADT + anti-CTLA-4-NF (BMS-986218) in patients with treatment naïve high-risk localized prostate cancer. Key eligibility criteria included histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma with Gleason sum of ≥4+3 and clinical stage T1c-T3bN0M0. All patients received degarelix (ADT; 240mg SQ) 2 weeks before radical prostatectomy (RP). Patients were randomized to Arm A (ADT only), or Arm B (ADT + BMS-986218 [20mg IV] 2 doses Q2w starting 3 weeks before RP). The primary endpoint was the safety and feasibility of neoadjuvant BMS-986218 in prostate cancer. Secondary endpoints included the pathologic complete response rate, rate of undetectable PSA at 12 months, PSA response rate (>50% decrease pre-RP), and time-to-PSA recurrence. Fresh tumor specimens were collected at RP for single-cell RNA-sequencing, cytometry by time-of-flight, next-generation sequencing, and multiplex immunofluorescence. A treatment naïve cohort of matching demographic and pathological characteristics was collected for comparative analysis (n=14). Results: Between February 26, 2020, and November 15, 2022, 24 patients were enrolled. Severe treatment-related adverse events (TRAE; Grade ≥ 3) were rare in both arms; 0% in the ADT alone arm and 4% in the combination arm, suggesting a tolerable safety profile with the addition of BMS-986218. In the combination arm, 54% of subjects achieved a 50% reduction in PSA versus 33% in the ADT alone arm. In the ADT alone arm, 80% of patients had an undetectable PSA at 12 months, with a median recurrence-free survival of 1.61 years (IQR: 1.50-1.99 years). In the combination group, 75% had an undetectable PSA at 12 months, with a median recurrence-free survival of 1.82 years (IQR: 0.89-2.07 years). The overall recurrence rate in patients treated with combination therapy was 25% (3 of 12 patients) versus 20% (2 of 10 patients) in the ADT alone arm. Correlative studies suggest that aCTLA4-NF mitigates ADT-induced Treg accumulation through enhanced Fc receptor activity and augmented CTL activation, indicating an enhanced anti-tumor response with combination therapy. Conclusions: The neoadjuvant combination of ADT + aCTLA-4-NF (BMS-986218) is feasible, well tolerated, and induces significant remodeling of the immune TME through enhanced Fc receptor and CTL activity. Rates of disease recurrence following surgery were low in this high-risk population, warranting further investigation of combination immuno-hormonal therapy in the neoadjuvant setting for high-risk prostate cancer. Clinical Trial Information: NCT04301414 Citation Format: Patrick J. McCann, Casey R. Ager, Aleksandar Z. Obradovic, Matthew G. Chaimowitz, Samuel Pan, Caroline J. Laplaca, Parin Shah, Renu K. Virk, Christopher B. Anderson, Catherine S. Spina, Karie D. Runcie, Mark N. Stein, Charles G. Drake, Matthew C. Dallos. Efficacy and immunological outcomes of non-fucosylated anti-CTLA-4 (BMS-986218) + degarelix acetate vs. degarelix acetate alone in men with high-risk localized prostate cancer (Neo-Red-P) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr CT137.