Abstract Background: Isolation of malignant plasma cells from bone marrow of patients with monoclonal gammopathies is critical for studies into the disease biology. The isolation of plasma cells have generally been performed by positive selection using plasma cell markers such as CD138 or by negative selection by removing other marrow cells using a cocktail of antibodies. We have previously demonstrated differences in apoptotic rates in plasma cells with and without this enrichment step. Here we have examined the effect of CD138 magnetic bead selection on the surface phenotype of plasma cells by flow cytometry. Methods: Bone marrow aspirates from patients with myeloma (n=12) were first washed, and then lysed with ACK to eliminate red cells. The samples were split with a portion of the cells further processed for CD138 selection. ACK lysed only whole bone marrow (WBM) and sorted cells were stained with CD38, CD45, CD56, activation markers CD71 and CD69, adhesion markers CD49d, CD11b, and CD66, B cell markers CD19 and CD20, and clonality (kappa and lambda). Gates were drawn around the plasma cells and plasma cell subsets on the basis of CD38/45 expression for both sorted and unsorted samples. In addition, an aliquot of the sorted preparation was examined by immunohistochemistry to calculate the purity of the sorted sample. Results: Significant differences were observed in terms of the percentage of plasma cells expressing the different antigens when the cells were selected using CD138. This difference included a greater than 10% difference in expression between the two preparations as well as a change from positive to negative in several cases. There was a substantial loss in the expression of CD20, CD71 and CD11b on plasma cells following CD138 based sorting (Table). Among the other markers, CD49d remains unchanged and changes are variable for the other markers. In addition, in 8 of the 12 cases, there was a nearly complete loss of the CD45 positive subset with a loss of discrimination between CD45 negative and CD45 positive plasma cell subsets in the remaining CD138 sorted preparations (figure: unsorted left, sorted right). Conclusion: In conclusion, the process of CD138 sorting of plasma cells appears to change important markers on the plasma cells and may even eliminate a key subset from further analysis. This should be kept in mind when isolating plasma cells using CD138 positive selection for analysis such as gene expression profiling. Consideration should be given to negative selection using antibodies against other cell types to deplete them. Marker Unsorted % Sorted % CD56 74 67 CD69 11 2 CD71 23 8 CD49d 95 92 CD11b 33 4 CD66 5 1 CD20 16 6 Figure Figure
Thymoglobulin (Polyclonal Rabbit Anti Thymocyte Globulin) Has In Vivo Activity in a Mouse Model of Myeloma.
Abstract Background: Multiple myeloma remains incurable with current approaches and newer therapies are needed to improve the outcome of these patients. While monoclonal antibody based therapies have been successful in some of the hematological malignancies, such approaches have had limited efficacy in the setting of myeloma. Thymoglobulin (polyclonal rabbit antithymocyte globulin, Genzyme) (Thymo) has been extensively evaluated in the setting of allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation and solid organ transplants. Given the polyclonal nature of this product, with antibodies against different B cell antigens, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo activity of Thymo in myeloma. Methods: MM cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 containing 10% fetal bovine serum supplemented with L-Glutamine, penicillin, and streptomycin. The KAS-6/1 cell line was also supplemented with 1 ng/ml IL-6. Cytotoxicity following drug treatment was measured using the MTT viability assay. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry using Annexin V/PI in cell lines and Apo 2.7 in primary patient plasma cells. Shifts in expression of a variety of different B cell and plasma cell antigens were examined on several different myeloma cell lines following Thymo treatment in order to identify the potential antigenic targets. In vivo activity of thymo was evaluated in a SCID plasmacytoma model injected with RPMI myeloma cell lines. Results: rATG was cytotoxic in vitro to several MM cell lines (RPMI 8226, U266, OPM1, OPM2) including the IL-6 dependent cell line Kas6/1 with LC50 of around 1 mg/mL. Additionally, thymo was cytotoxic MM cell lines resistant to conventional agents such as doxorubicin (Dox40), melphalan (LR5) and dexamethasone (MM1R). Thymo induced apoptosis in MM cell lines and in patient derived primary myeloma cells. When tested in combination with other anti-myeloma agents an additive effect was seen with doxorubicin, PS341 and melphalan. Using competitive flow cytometry, we identified CD138, CD38, Cd45, CD126, CD49d (VLA4), as well as CD20 as antigens likely to be targeted by Thymo. Tumor bearing mice injected with Thymo at two different doses (5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg for five days) had significantly delayed tumor growth compared to non-injected mice, and this translated into a better survival for these mice. Mice receiving 10 mg/kg dose had a slower tumor growth compared to 5 mg/kg dose (Figure). Conclusions: Thymoglobulin has promising in vitro and in vivo activity in the setting of myeloma. These studies will provide the rational for future clinical development of this agent in myeloma alone or in combination with other agents. Based on these results, we are in the process of initiating a clinical trial combining Thymo with Melphalan. Figure Figure
Simultaneous Inhibition of cIAP1, cIAP2 and XIAP Is Required for Inducing Apoptosis in Multiple Myeloma Cells.
Abstract Abstract 2943 Background: Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins represents a conserved group of proteins that are important regulators of cell survival and apoptosis. X-linked IAP (XIAP) is the best studied IAP that inhibits pro-apoptotic caspases 3, 7 and 9. Multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines express high levels of XIAP. The levels of XIAP are further increased when stimulated by cytokines IL6 and IGF-1, both secreted in copious amounts in myeloma microenvironment. The other two main IAP proteins, namely cIAP1 and cIAP2 are not direct inhibitors of caspases. Instead, they modulate the levels of various signaling pathways by ubiquitinating proteins within the pathways. The NFKB pathway could be activated or inhibited by cIAP1 and 2. In MM, deletions of cIAP1 and cIAP2 have been shown to activate non-canonical NFKB pathway, which indicates a possible tumor suppressor role of these proteins. We wanted to investigate the role of the three IAPs by using a small molecule inhibitor. Our studies clearly indicate the importance of inhibiting all the three IAPs for the induction of apoptosis in MM cells. Methods: LCL161 was synthesized by Novartis Inc. (Basel, Switzerland). Stock solutions were made in DMSO, and subsequently diluted in RPMI-1640 medium for use. MM cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 containing 10% fetal bovine serum (20% serum for primary patient cells) supplemented with L-Glutamine, penicillin, and streptomycin. Cytotoxicity was measured using the MTT viability assay and proliferation using thymidine uptake. Apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) for cell lines and patient cells. Immunoblotting was done on cell extracts at various time points following incubation with the drug in order to study the cell signaling pathways. siRNA to cIAP2 was purchased from Invitrogen and was electroporated into MM1S cells. Results: We first examined baseline levels of cIAP1, cIAP2 and XIAP in several MM cell lines and a few patient cells. We observed that the IAPs were constitutively expressed in MM cells. We then wanted to examine the functional significance of these IAP proteins in MM cells. For this, we used an IAP inhibitor LCL161. We observed that LCL161 was able to induce cytotoxicity and inhibit proliferation of MM cells, albeit with differences observed between cell lines. We then examined the factors contributing to resistance in the less sensitive cell lines. For this we chose H929, a sensitive cell line and MM1S, a less sensitive cell line to LCL161. Upon treatment with LCL161, cIAP1 and XIAP were down regulated accompanied by increase in levels of activated caspases 9, 8 and 3 in both H929 and MM1S cells. Using LCL161 in combination with a caspase 9 or a caspase 8 or a pan caspase inhibitor showed clearly that the extrinsic pathway is more involved in the LCL161 induced cell death process. LCL161, however, was unable to inhibit cIAP2 in the less sensitive cell line MM1S whereas cIAP2 was not found to be expressed in H929 cells. It has been shown that cIAP1 is required for ubiquitination and degradation of cIAP2. Therefore, cIAP1 down regulation by LCL161 could actually be contributing to the lack of down regulation of cIAP2 and the observed resistance to LCL161. In order to test this, we used a siRNA to cIAP2 and transfected it into MM1S cells by electroporation. We observed that the siRNA reduced cIAP2 levels and in combination with LCL161 led to marked increase in cells undergoing apoptosis. We also examined signaling pathways after treatment with LCL161 and observed upregulation of both canonical and non-canonical NFKB pathways and Jak/Stat pathway in MM1S cells and not in H929 cells. Combining LCL161 with a Jak2 specific inhibitor SD-1029 synergized in inducing cell death in MM1S and other cell lines less sensitive to LCL161. We are currently testing this combination in MM patient cells. Conclusion: These studies demonstrate the importance of inhibiting cIAP1, cIAP2 and XIAP together in MM cells. Furthermore, by this study we were able to identify resistance mechanisms that are upregulated due to inhibiting the IAP proteins and the importance of using agents that inhibit the IAPs along with inhibitors of these pathways in inducing apoptosis in MM cells. The findings from these studies form the basis of evaluation of IAP inhibitors in combination with a Jak/Stat pathway inhibitor in patients with MM. Disclosures: Kumar: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding.
Phenotypic Characterization of the CD45+ and CD45− Plasma Cell Compartments in Monoclonal Gammopathies.
Abstract Background: Multiple myeloma cells are heterogenous in terms of the expression of CD45 and previous studies have suggested important clinical and biological implications of the CD45 expression. It has been shown that expression of CD45 on myeloma cells has prognostic value and that the CD45 positive cells contain the proliferative fraction of the myeloma cells. We have also demonstrated that the CD45+ population has a higher apoptotic rate compared to CD45− cells. Given the hypothesis that CD45+ cells represent myeloma cells earlier in their development and are more proliferative and more dependent on the marrow microenvironment we studied differences between the two populations in patients with different stages of monoclonal gammopathies and in normal plasma cells. Methods: Fresh bone marrow aspirates were subjected to ACK lysis for removal of RBCs subjected to multicolor flow cytometry to study the expression of different surface antigens on the plasma cells. Plasma cells were identified based on their characteristic CD38/45 expression. The surface expression of CD19 (B cell marker), CD56 (NCAM), CD87, (involved in cellular adhesion, cell motility and angiogenesis), CD126 (IL-6 receptor alpha chain), sVEGF (surface VEGF; surrogate measure of VEGF receptor expression), and CD71 (proliferation marker) were studied and compared between the CD45 + and CD45− cells by gating separately on these populations. Results: Patients with active myeloma (76), smoldering myeloma (32), MGUS/amyloid (44), and normal patients (23) were studied. Not all markers were performed on all patients. Among the patient samples, the expression of CD19, CD87, CD71, CD126, and sVEGF were higher among the CD45+ cells compared to CD45− cells (Table: % of cells with expression). There was no significant difference between the two in terms of the expression of CD56. Among the normal plasma cells, the expression of CD19, CD87, CD126 and sVEGF was greater on the CD45+ cells compared to CD45− plasma cells and CD56 was not different. When the patient cells were compared to normal cells, the expression of CD19 was higher among the normal CD45+ plasma cells and CD56, CD87 and CD126 were less. The expression sVEGF was comparable Conclusion: In this study we demonstrate differences between CD45+ and CD45− plasma cells in patients with monoclonal gammopathies. These findings are important for understanding the disease biology and provide an insight into the functional differences seen between these two populations. The increased expression of CD19 in the CD45+ cells supports the notion that these cells are likely to be at an earlier developmental stage. The comparable CD56 expression is not in accordance with previous studies and needs to be examined in a larger group of patients. Increased expression of sVEGF and CD126 as well as the adhesion molecules is in accordance with increased responsiveness and dependence of the CD45+ cells to VEGF and IL-6 and the increased proliferative rates. These findings indirectly support the hypothesis that CD45 negative cells are less dependent on the marrow microenvironment and the cytokine milieu that it provides.
Preclinical Evaluation of AT219, a Small Molecule Inhibitor of MDM2 As an Anti-Myeloma Agent.
Abstract Abstract 2948 Background: Deletions and mutations in the tumor suppressor protein p53 are an uncommon observation in new multiple myeloma (MM) patients and are observed more commonly in patients with advanced disease. p53 deletion has been observed to correlate with poor overall and progression free survival in MM patients. Wild type p53 modulates the expression levels of a broad array of proteins involved in cell cycle progression, apoptosis ultimately leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. p53 is negatively regulated by MDM2. MDM2 binds to and ubiquitinates p53 marking it for proteasomal degradation. In addition, MDM2 is a direct downstream regulator of p53. Targeting the p53-MDM2 interaction by developing agents that bind to the p53 binding motif of MDM2 and reactivating p53 has therefore been an active area of research. Here, we present results from our pre-clinical studies using AT219, a small molecule inhibitor that binds to MDM2 preventing its interaction with p53. Methods: AT219 was obtained from Ascenta Therapeutics. Stock solutions were made using DMSO and working stock solutions were made using RPMI 1640 media containing 10% fetal bovine serum (20% serum for primary patient cells) supplemented with L-Glutamine, penicillin, and streptomycin. Akt1/2 kinase inhibitor (Akti) was purchased from Sigma. MTT assay was performed to study drug induced cytotoxicity and thymidine uptake was used as a measure to study differences in proliferation. Flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) was used to measure drug induced apoptosis in cell lines and patient cells. In addition, apo-2.7 was also used to measure apoptosis in patient cells. Mitocapture and cytochrome-c assays were also performed to confirm the induction of apoptosis in MM cell lines. In order to study the mechanism of action of the drug, immunoblotting studies were performed on lysates made from cell lines incubated with the drug for various time points. Results: AT219 induced potent cytotoxicity in MM cell lines MM1S, MM1R and H929, all three expressing wild type p53 with IC50 values of 2.5–5μM. Similar effects were observed when the above mentioned cell lines were treated with AT219 and the inhibitory effect of proliferation of these cells were examined. When MM1S or H929 cells were cultured with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) derived from MM patients or with one of the three tumor promoting cytokines implicated in MM (IL6, IGF or VEGF) and treated with AT219, the drug was able to inhibit the proliferation of both cell lines to similar extents as observed when cultured independently without BMSCs or the cytokines. The increase in cytotoxicity was found to be due to cells undergoing apoptosis as observed when MM1S or H929 cells were cultured with AT219 and % apoptotic cells were measured as measured by annexin/PI, mitocapture and cytochrome c assays. AT219 was also observed to induce more potent apoptosis in primary cells obtained from new MM patients with wild type p53 than in cells obtained from relapsed MM patients with wild type p53. AT219 clearly upregulated p53 as observed by performing immunoblots after treatment with the drug in MM1S and H929 cells. In addition, MDM2 and p21 were also found to be significantly upregulated and Bax was slightly upregulated post drug treatment. Bcl2, Mcl1 and Xiap levels were down regulated. In MM1S cells AT219 treatment resulted in a slight down regulation of pAkt (Ser 473). However, in H929 cells we observed a transient upregulation of pAkt following AT219 treatment. This prompted us to test AT219 in combination with Akti on MM cell lines. Our results on both MM1S and H929 cells using AT219 in combination with Akti demonstrated synergy. We are currently testing this combination in primary cells drawn from MM patients with both wild type p53 and those with p53 deletions and mutations. Conclusions: Our studies validate the anti-MM activity of AT219 in MM patients with wild type p53. In addition to using AT219 in combination with Akti, we are testing AT219 in combination with existing anti- MM chemotherapeutic agents. Interesting results from our studies will form the basis for clinical evaluation of AT219 as a single agent or in combination with an Akt inhibitor or other agents in MM patients. Disclosures: Kumar: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding.
Aurora kinase and FGFR3 inhibition results in significant apoptosis in molecular subgroups of multiple myeloma
Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable malignancy of plasma cells. It is the second most common hematologic cancer, affecting nearly 30,000 people in the United States annually. Substantial progress has been made in the past fifteen years in the treatment of MM due to the approval of several new classes of drugs. However, patients inevitably relapse and become refractory to existing therapies. Hence, there is an immediate unmet need to develop novel therapies for MM based on a better understanding of the disease biology. Mutations in RAS have been found to occur in about 40% of newly diagnosed MM patients, with the frequency increasing to around 70% in relapsed/refractory patients. Such mutations are absent in patients with the premalignant conditions monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). Clearly, RAS mutations contribute to both disease progression and relapse. However, targeting the MEK/ERK pathway has been unsuccessful in MM patients to date. Given the high frequency of RAS mutations in MM, we hypothesized that targeting this pathway could still be a promising strategy when combined with existing agents that have multifaceted mechanisms to promote tumor cell death, such as the recently approved histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor LBH589 (panobinostat). Our results clearly demonstrate that low doses of LBH589 in combination with the MEK inhibitor AZD6244 induce BIM-dependent synergistic cell death in several MM cell lines and patient cells. Our studies also suggest that mutations in RAS/RAF could serve as a predictive biomarker for sensitivity to AZD6244/LBH589. RAS/RAF mutations appear to confer Mcl-1 dependence in MM cells, in part by driving up the phosphorylation of Mcl-1. The AZD6244/LBH589 combination is able to decrease the phosphorylation of Mcl-1 at several sites, which dissociates BIM-Mcl-1 complexes, ultimately leading to activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Additionally, we identified that wild-type RAS/RAF cells have relatively lower levels of phospho-Mcl-1, as well as higher levels of Bcl-2 and phospho-Bcl-2 when compared to mutated RAS/RAF cells. This seems to confer functional Bcl-2 dependence. Consequently, we found that wild-type RAS/RAF cells are sensitive to the BH3-mimetic ABT199 (venetoclax) when combined with LBH589. Through ongoing experiments, we hope to further confirm the mechanism of action of both these combinations, identify the particular HDAC that is required to be inhibited for the observed synergy, and validate RAS/RAF mutational status as a biomarker for predicting sensitivity to either combination. Our findings have broad therapeutic potential given the prevalence of RAS mutations in MM. Moreover, the ABT199/LBH589 combination could emerge as a targeted therapy for wild-type RAS patients, perhaps broadening the scope and capacity of Bcl-2 inhibition in MM. Citation Format: Kevin C. Miller, Jessica Haug, Teresa Kimlinger, Sanjay Kumar, Wilson Gonsalves, S. Vincent Rajkumar, Shaji K. Kumar, Vijay Ramakrishnan. HDAC inhibition in combination with MEK or BCL-2 inhibition as novel therapeutic strategies in multiple myeloma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3909.
Smac mimetic LCL161 overcomes protective ER stress induced by obatoclax, synergistically causing cell death in multiple myeloma
Abstract Introduction: Relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM) remains a significant clinical challenge and drugs with new mechanisms of action to overcome resistance are needed. Constitutive activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in MM promotes tumorigenesis through propagation of the cell cycle, protein synthesis, and inhibition of apoptosis. Anti-MM effects of rapalogs are limited due to feedback activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Agents capable of targeting PI3K and mTORC1 or both mTORC1/C2 are able to partially overcome such resistance mechanisms. However, the mTORC2 mediated increase in pAkt (Ser473) after PI3K/mTORC1 inhibition and the activation of PI3K after mTORC1/C2 inhibition could still contribute to resistance to such agents. We sought to investigate the effects of SPR965 (synthesized and provided by Sphaera Pharma, Singapore under an MTA), an orally bioavailable novel small molecule with inhibition of class 1 PI3 kinase and mTORC1/C2 kinases on MM cell lines and patient cells. Results: SPR965 induced cytotoxicity and inhibited proliferation in all MM cell lines examined with IC50 values between 25-500nM. To understand if SPR965 induced apoptotic cell death, annexin/PI staining followed by flow cytometric assays were performed, which showed a clear increase in cells undergoing apoptosis. Western blots showed increase in caspase-3, -9, and PARP cleavage confirming apoptotic induction by SPR965. Importantly, SPR965 caused potent increase in apoptosis in cytogenetically distinct MM patient cells. Next, we examined the mechanism of action of SPR965. SPR965 caused potent mTORC1 inhibition evidenced by decreased p4E-BP1, p-p70S6K, and pS6 at doses as low as 25nM. SPR965 was able to inhibit PI3K activity as shown by decreased pPDK1 and pBTK at slightly higher concentrations of 75nM. Phosphorylation of Akt S473, a TORC2 substrate, increased at initial low concentrations of SPR965, but was attenuated at concentrations of 100 nM and above, demonstrating dose-dependent inhibition of mTORC2. Such effects were also observed when we performed western blots on MM patient derived primary plasma cells. Increased levels of p27 (KIP1) were observed suggestive of G1 growth arrest, which was confirmed on cell cycle analysis. Since SPR965 caused an increase in pAkt (both T308 and S473) at doses up to 75nM, we examined if SPR965 was able to synergize with an Akt inhibitor MK2206 at doses lower than 75nM. Our results showed potent synergy suggesting that the pAkt up regulation contributes to partial resistance, which is inhibited by SPR965 at doses of 100nM and higher, doses that are still clinically achievable. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate SPR965 induces apoptosis of MM cells through the inhibition of PI3K and mTORC1/C2 activity. Further studies are underway to better characterize the mechanism of action of SPR965, all of which will be informative for the drug to be used as a single agent or in combination with other agents in relapsed MM. Citation Format: Jeremy T. Larsen, Vijay Ramakrishnan, Jessica Haug, Teresa Kimlinger, Somdutta Sen, Dinesh Mahajan, Sundeep Dugar, S. Vincent Rajkumar, Shaji K. Kumar. Preclinical activity of dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor SPR965 in multiple myeloma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2653. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2653
Abstract 5669: Mechanisms of activity and drug resistance with proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma: Comparison of bortezomib and the investigational drug MLN9708
Abstract Background: Therapy with proteasome inhibitors (PIs) is an effective strategy against multiple myeloma (MM), but a significant proportion of patients is primarily resistant or eventually becomes refractory. Paradoxical activation of phospho-Akt, induction of HSP27 and excessive proteasome activity in relation to polyubiquitinated protein burden are all mechanisms for bortezomib resistance in MM cells in vitro. Preclinical data showed investigational drug MLN9708, a specific, reversible, orally bioavailable, small molecule PI, to be active in MM cell lines, patient cells and mouse models and is currently under clinical investigation. We compared the signaling pathways induced by MLN2238, the biologically active form of MLN9708, and bortezomib to outline differences that could be employed to design rational combinations to overcome resistance. Results: We performed time course experiments in MM.1S cells with EC50 doses of MLN2238 and bortezomib and analyzed signaling pathways via western blotting. Compared to bortezomib, MLN2238 induced earlier cleavage of caspase 8, 9, 3 and PARP and a significant downregulation of XIAP starting at 12 hours. Early and persistent phosphorylation of Bad, known to protect from mitochondrial apoptosis, was observed in bortezomib-, but not MLN2238-treated cells, in which phospho-Bad was reduced at 24 hours. Similarly, MLN2238 decreased phosphorylated Akt and mTOR at 24 hours, while bortezomib-treated cells only showed subtle changes. Interestingly, both drugs caused downregulation of the mTOR downstream targets phospho-p70 S6 kinase and phospho-4E-BP1, albeit of different intensity. Induction of heat shock proteins was comparable with both PI, opening the possibilities for combination therapy of MLN2238 with HSP90 inhibitors. Importantly, the inhibitory effect on phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR and Bad persisted when MM.1S cells were treated with MLN2238 in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Conclusion: We observed differences in several crucial signaling pathways upon treatment of MM.1S cells with bortezomib or MLN2238. In particular, treatment with the latter inhibited phosphorylation of Bad, Akt and mTOR, suggesting a broader pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative profile, compared to bortezomib. MLN2238 retained the capability of targeting these substrates also in the presence of BMSC. Confirmatory data on patient-derived cells are under current investigation in our lab. We believe that these data help understanding the differences in PI pharmacodynamics and bortezomib escape. This will allow us to design new drug combinations in the future that overcome clinical resistance to PIs and improve MM patient survival. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5669. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5669