Raje, Noopur

Abstract Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies have demonstrated robust and sustained clinical responses in several hematologic malignancies. Data suggest that achieving acceptable benefit:risk profiles depends on several factors, including the specificity of the antigen target and characteristics of the CAR itself, including on-target, off-tumor activity.To test the safety and efficacy of CAR T cells in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), we have designed a second-generation CAR construct targeting B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) to redirect T cells to MM cells. BCMA is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that is expressed primarily by malignant myeloma cells, plasma cells, and some mature B cells. bb2121 consists of autologous T cells transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding a novel CAR incorporating an anti-BCMA scFv, a 4-1BB costimulatory motif and a CD3-zeta T cell activation domain. Methods: CRB-401 (NCT02658929) is a multi-center phase 1 dose escalation trial of bb2121 in patients with RRMM who have received ≥ 3 prior regimens, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, or are double-refractory, and have ≥ 50% BCMA expression on malignant cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells are collected via leukapheresis and shipped to a central facility for transduction, expansion, and release testing prior to being returned to the site for infusion. Patients undergo lymphodepletion with fludarabine (30 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2) daily for 3 days then receive 1 infusion of bb2121. The study follows a standard 3+3 design with planned dose levels of 50, 150, 450, 800, and 1,200 x 106 CAR+ T cells. The primary outcome measure is incidence of adverse events (AEs), including dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). Additional outcome measures were quality and duration of clinical response assessed according to the IMWG Uniform Response Criteria for Multiple Myeloma, evaluation of minimal residual disease (MRD), overall and progression-free survival, quantification of bb2121 in blood, and quantification of circulating soluble BCMA over time. Results: Asof May 4, 2017, 21 patients (median 58 [37 to 74] years old) with a median of 5 (1 to 16) years since MM diagnosis, had been infused with bb2121, and 18 patients were evaluable for initial (1-month) clinical response. Patients had a median of 7 prior lines of therapy (range 3 to 14), all with prior autologous stem cell transplant; 67% had high-risk cytogenetics. Fifteen of 21 (71%) had prior exposure to, and 6 of 21 (29%) were refractory to 5 prior therapies (Bort/Len/Car/Pom/Dara). Median follow-up after bb2121 infusion was 15.4 weeks (range 1.4 to 54.4 weeks). As of data cut-off, no DLTs and no treatment-emergent Grade 3 or higher neurotoxicities similar to those reported in other CAR T clinical studies had been observed. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), primarily Grade 1 or 2, was reported in 15 of 21 (71%) patients: 2 patients had Grade 3 CRS that resolved in 24 hours and 4 patients received tocilizumab, 1 with steroids, to manage CRS. CRS was more common in the higher dose groups but did not appear related to tumor burden. One death on study, due to cardiopulmonary arrest more than 4 months after bb2121 infusion in a patient with an extensive cardiac history, was observed while the patient was in sCR and was assessed as unrelated to bb2121. The overall response rate (ORR) was 89% and increased to 100% for patients treated with doses of 150 x 106 CAR+ T cells or higher. No patients treated with doses of 150 x 106 CAR+ T cells or higher had disease progression, with time since bb2121 between 8 and 54 weeks (Table 1). MRD negative results were obtained in all 4 patients evaluable for analysis. CAR+ T cell expansion has been demonstrated consistently and 3 of 5 patients evaluable for CAR+ cells at 6 months had detectable vector copies. A further 5 months of follow up on reported results and initial data from additional patients will be presented. Conclusions: bb2121 shows promising efficacy at dose levels above 50 x 106 CAR+ T cells, with manageable CRS and no DLTs to date. ORR was 100% at these dose levels with 8 ongoing clinical responses at 6 months and 1 patient demonstrating a sustained response beyond one year. These initial data support the potential of CAR T therapy with bb2121 as a new treatment paradigm in RRMM. CT.gov study NCT02658929, sponsored by bluebird bio and Celgene Disclosures Berdeja: Teva: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Vivolux: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Constellation: Research Funding; Bluebird: Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding. Siegel: Celgene, Takeda, Amgen Inc, Novartis and BMS: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Consultancy. Jagannath: MMRF: Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Medicom: Speakers Bureau. Turka: bluebird bio: Employment, Equity Ownership. Lam: bluebird bio: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hege: Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Morgan: bluebird bio: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Quigley: bluebird bio: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Kochenderfer: Bluebird bio: Research Funding; N/A: Patents & Royalties: I have multiple patents in the CAR field.; Kite Pharma: Research Funding.

Abstract In the phase 3 ENDEAVOR study, carfilzomib-dexamethasone (Kd) improved survival over bortezomib-dexamethasone (Vd) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), regardless of baseline renal function. This real-world study compared renal response in patients with RRMM (1-3 prior lines) and renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤50 mL/min) treated with Kd vs Vd. Electronic medical records data from the Oncology Services Comprehensive Electronic Records database were assessed (from January 2012 through February 2018). Time to renal response (defined according to International Myeloma Working Group criteria) was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for renal overall response (ROR) and renal complete response (RCR) using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for baseline covariates. Included were 543 Kd-treated and 1005 Vd-treated patients. In line 2 (2L), compared with Vd, Kd achieved significantly higher ROR (51.4% vs 39.6%; P < .0001) and RCR (26.6% vs 22.2%; P = .0229). After baseline covariate adjustment, 2L patients receiving Kd vs Vd were 45% more likely to achieve ROR (IRR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.18-1.78), and 68% were more likely to achieve RCR (IRR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.24-2.28). The renal response benefit with Kd remained consistent in 2L to line 4 (4L). In a combined analysis of patients receiving Kd and Vd (2L and 2L-4L), renal responders had longer overall survival and time to next treatment than renal nonresponders. These results demonstrate improved real-world effectiveness of Kd over Vd in RRMM renal rescue, and the positive association between renal response and improved survival.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) occurs most commonly among the older population, with a median age of 69 years at diagnosis. Advanced age has been shown to negatively affect prognosis and limit treatment options for patients with hematologic malignancies, including MM. Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121), a BCMA-directed CAR T cell therapy, demonstrated deep and durable responses in the pivotal phase 2 KarMMa study of patients with triple-class exposed relapsed and refractory MM (RRMM; Munshi et al. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38[suppl, abstr]:8503). The overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR) rate, median duration of response (DOR), and median progression-free survival (PFS) were 73%, 33%, 10.7 months, and 8.8 months, respectively, among all 128 patients treated across the target dose levels of 150-450 × 106 CAR+ T cells, and 82%, 39%, 11.3 months, and 12.1 months at the highest target dose of 450 × 106 CAR+ T cells. The safety profile of ide-cel was consistent with the mechanism of action of CAR T cell therapies, with the most common toxicities across all dose levels being cytopenia (97%) and cytokine release syndrome (84%). In the present analyses, the efficacy and safety of ide-cel in elderly patients in the KarMMa study were evaluated. Methods: Patients enrolled in the KarMMa trial (NCT03361748) were required to have ≥3 prior lines of therapy, including an immunomodulatory drug, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 antibody, and were refractory to their last regimen per International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria. Patients received ide-cel at target doses of 150, 300, or 450 × 106 CAR+ T cells after 3 days of lymphodepletion with cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2/day) and fludarabine (30 mg/m2/day) followed by 2 days of rest. The primary endpoint was ORR, and the key secondary endpoint was CR rate. Additional secondary endpoints included DOR, PFS, and safety. Patients were classified into ≥65 years and ≥70 years subgroups for analysis. Responses were assessed according to IMWG guidelines, and DOR and PFS were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods. Results: Of the 128 patients treated with ide-cel, 45 (35%) were aged ≥65 years and 20 (16%) were aged ≥70 years. The median age within these age groups was 69 years (range, 65-78) and 73 years (range, 70-78), the median number of prior antimyeloma regimens was 6 and 5, and the median time since initial diagnosis was 6.7 years and 6.1 years, respectively. Baseline characteristics were generally similar between age groups with the exception of tumor burden. Response rates for both age groups were comparable with those of the overall ide-cel treated population, with ORRs of 84% to 90% and CR rates of 31% to 35% (Table). Likewise, median DOR among responders in both age groups (10.9 months in patients aged ≥65 years and 11.0 months in patients aged ≥70 years) was similar to that of the overall ide-cel treated population. Median PFS was 8.6 months (95% CI, 4.9-12.2) in patients aged ≥65 years and 10.2 months (95% CI, 3.1-12.3) in patients aged ≥70 years. At the time of analysis, overall survival data were still immature. No new safety signals were observed in either of the older age groups compared with those in the overall ide-cel treated population (Table). Conclusions: These results demonstrate deep and durable responses with ide-cel treatment together with a manageable safety profile in triple-class exposed patients with RRMM aged ≥65 years and ≥70 years. Outcomes were comparable with those observed in the overall ide-cel treated population. These data suggest ide-cel is safe and effective in older patients and provide further evidence supporting ide-cel as a promising treatment option in RRMM. Figure 1 Disclosures Berdeja: Karyopharm: Consultancy; Kite Pharma: Consultancy; Cellularity: Research Funding; Acetylon: Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; Prothena: Consultancy; Teva: Research Funding; Servier: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Lilly: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; EMD Sorono: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Glenmark: Research Funding; Kesios: Research Funding; Legend: Consultancy; Vivolux: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Bioclinica: Consultancy; Bluebird: Research Funding; CURIS: Research Funding; Constellation: Research Funding; CRISPR Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Poseida: Research Funding. Raje:Takeda: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Immuneel: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Immuneel: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caribou: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; bluebird bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy. Siegel:Karyopharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celulatiry: Consultancy. Lin:Gamida Cells: Consultancy; Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Vineti: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sorrento: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Research Funding; Legend BioTech: Consultancy; Juno: Consultancy; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy, Research Funding. Anderson:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Rodriguez-Otero:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Honoraria; Medscape: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company). Manier:Amgen: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; Jenssen: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding; GSK: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Einsele:Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Cavo:Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel accomodations, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel accomodations, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Truppel-Hartmann:bluebird bio, Inc: Current Employment, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); F. Hoffmann La Roche: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months. Rowe:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Current Employment. Sanford:BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Wang:Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Campbell:BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Jagannath:Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Legend Biotech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria.

Background: Ide-cel, a BCMA-directed CAR T cell therapy, showed tolerability and promising efficacy in patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in the first-in-human phase 1 CRB-401 study (Raje et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;380:1726) and the pivotal phase 2 KarMMa study (Munshi et al. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38[suppl, abstr]:8503). Ide-cel demonstrated a favorable benefit-risk profile with an overall response rate (ORR) of 85%, a complete response (CR) rate of 45%, and a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 11.8 months in the first 33 patients treated in CRB-401. Reported here are updated safety and efficacy results for 62 patients who received ide-cel in the ongoing CRB-401 study. Methods: CRB-401 (NCT02658929) is a 2-part, phase 1 dose-escalation and -expansion study. The expansion phase enrolled patients who had received ≥3 prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory drug, and an anti-CD38 antibody, and were refractory to their last line of therapy. Eligibility criteria for the dose-escalation phase were described previously (Raje et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;380:1726). After lymphodepletion with fludarabine (30 mg/m2/day) and cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2/day) for 3 days followed by 2 days of rest, patients received ide-cel at target doses of 50, 150, 450, or 800 × 106 CAR+ T cells in the dose-escalation phase and 150 to 450 × 106 CAR+ T cells in the dose-expansion phase. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints included tumor response according to the International Myeloma Working Group criteria. Exploratory endpoints included PFS, overall survival (OS), and minimal residual disease (MRD). Results: As of January 14, 2020, 21 patients had received ide-cel in the dose-escalation phase, and 41 patients received ide-cel in the dose-expansion phase. The median age was 61 years, and 44% of patients had high tumor burden (≥50% bone marrow CD138+ plasma cells). Of the 62 patients, 45% received >6 prior regimens, 90% were daratumumab-exposed, and 77% were daratumumab-refractory. As of the cutoff date, 13 patients were ongoing, and 49 patients had discontinued the study. Reasons for study discontinuation were progressive disease (58%), withdrawal by patients (10%), and death (10%). Based on safety and efficacy in the dose-escalation phase, target dose levels of 150 to 450 × 106 CAR+ T cells were selected for the dose-expansion phase. The most frequent adverse events (AEs) were neutropenia (92%), cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 76%), anemia (76%), and thrombocytopenia (74%). The most frequent grade 3/4 AEs were neutropenia (89%), leukopenia (61%), anemia (57%), and thrombocytopenia (57%). Most CRS events were grade 1 or 2 (Table). Four patients (7%) had grade 3 CRS; there were no grade >3 CRS events. The incidence of CRS generally increased with target dose level. Neurologic toxicity (NT; clustered term) occurred in 27 patients (44%) and was primarily grade 1/2 with 1 patient having grade 3 and 1 patient having grade 4 NT. Among all 62 patients in the dose-escalation and -expansion phases, the ORR was 76%, including 24 patients (39%) with a CR or better and 40 patients (65%) with a very good partial response or better. The median duration of response was 10.3 months. Of 37 responders evaluable for MRD, 30 were MRD negative (≤10−4 nucleated cells) at 1 or more time point, and 7 responders were MRD positive. With a median follow-up of 14.7 months for all patients in the dose-escalation and dose-expansion phases, median PFS was 8.8 months and median OS was 34.2 months. Overall, a dose-dependent effect was observed on responses and survival outcomes, with greater efficacy reported at ≥150 × 106 CAR+ T cells (Table). Conclusions: Ide-cel demonstrated deep and durable responses in heavily-pretreated RRMM patients. Efficacy and safety reflect prior reports and support a favorable clinical benefit-risk profile for ide-cel at target dose levels ≥150 × 106 CAR+ T cells. Table Disclosures Lin: Novartis: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Vineti: Consultancy; Sorrento: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gamida Cells: Consultancy; Takeda: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Legend BioTech: Consultancy; Juno: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding. Raje:Caribou: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Consultancy; Bluebird, Bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Immuneel: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Astrazeneca: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy. Berdeja:Abbvie: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Vivolux: Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; Bluebird: Research Funding; Lilly: Research Funding; Constellation: Research Funding; Glenmark: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Legend: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; Poseida: Research Funding; Prothena: Consultancy; Teva: Research Funding; Servier: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bioclinica: Consultancy; EMD Sorono: Research Funding; Acetylon: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cellularity: Research Funding; Kesios: Research Funding; CURIS: Research Funding; Kite Pharma: Consultancy; CRISPR Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Siegel:Karyopharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celulatiry: Consultancy. Jagannath:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Legend Biotech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Madduri:Legend: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Speaking Engagement, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kinevant: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Speaking Engagement, Speakers Bureau; Foundation Medicine: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Speaking Engagement, Speakers Bureau. Liedtke:Pfizer: Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caelum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Rosenblatt:Celgene: Research Funding. Maus:arcellx: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; kite: Consultancy, Research Funding. Massaro:bluebird, bio: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Petrocca:bluebird, bio: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Caia:Celgene a BMS company: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Yang:Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Celgene: Ended employment in the past 24 months. Campbell:BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Hege:Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Patents & Royalties: numerous, Research Funding; Celgene (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb): Ended employment in the past 24 months; Mersana Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Arcus Biosciences (Former Board of Directors): Divested equity in a private or publicly-traded company in the past 24 months. Munshi:BMS: Consultancy; OncoPep: Consultancy, Current equity holder in private company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; AbbVie: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; C4: Current equity holder in private company; Amgen: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy. Kochenderfer:Celgene: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; bluebird, bio: Patents & Royalties; Kite, a Gilead company: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding.

Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy directed against B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) has shown promising results for the treatment of relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). bb21217 is an anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy that uses the same CAR molecule as idecabtagene vicleucel (bb2121), but adds the PI3K inhibitor bb007 during ex vivo culture to enrich the drug product (DP) for memory-like T cells, thereby reducing the proportion of highly differentiated or senescent T cells. To investigate whether DP properties correlate with clinical outcomes including duration of response (DOR), we conducted extensive molecular characterization of patient DPs. Methods: CRB-402 (NCT03274219) is an ongoing, multi-center phase 1 dose escalation trial of bb21217 in RRMM patients who received ≥3 prior regimens, including proteasome inhibitor and immunomodulatory agent, or are double-refractory to both classes. In the expansion cohort, patients additionally required prior exposure to an anti-CD38 antibody and were required to be refractory to last line. Planned enrollment is 74 patients, including 50 in the expansion cohort. Patients undergo lymphodepletion with fludarabine (30 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2) daily for 3 days, then receive a single infusion of bb21217 at 150, 300 or 450 x 106 CAR+ T cells. The primary outcome measure is incidence of adverse events (AEs), including dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). Additional outcome measures include overall response rate and DOR by IMWG Uniform Response Criteria. We profiled DP and apheresis starting material (PBMC) by RNAseq and cyTOF and correlated expression of memory/senescence markers from apheresis to DP with clinical outcomes, including DOR. Results: Asof March 1, 2020, 46 patients (median age 62 [33-74]) received bb21217, 24 in escalation (12 at 150, 6 at 300 and 6 at 450) and 22 in expansion (8 at 300 and 14 at 450); median follow up for all patients is 8.5 (<1-29) months. Patients had a median of 6 (3-17) prior lines of therapy with 26/46 (57%) triple refractory. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) developed in 31/46 (67%) patients and included one death (14 G1, 15 G2, 1 G3 and 1 G5). Median time to first onset was 3 days (1-20); tocilizumab (18 pts) +/- corticosteroids (6 pts) was used to manage CRS. Ten (22%) patients developed neurotoxicity [5 G1, 2 G2, 2 G3, 1 G4] with median time to first onset of 7 (3-24) days. Response was assessed per investigator for 44 patients with ≥ 2 months of follow up or PD/death within 2 months. Twenty-four (55%) patients had confirmed response per IMWG criteria including 8 (18%) with ≥CR and 13 (30%) with VGPR. Median time to CR was 2.5 (1-24) months. The median DOR was 11.9 (95% CI: 8.1-17.0) months across target dose levels of 150-450 x106 CAR+ T cells. The 450 target dose was selected as the RP2D and dose expansion is ongoing. bb21217 DPs from 44 patients were characterized. Paired analysis of T cells from PBMC and DP showed bb21217 DP is significantly enriched for memory-like T cells (LEF1+, CD27+, CCR7+) and depleted of highly differentiated or senescent CD57+ T cells. Patients with DPs most enriched for early memory markers (LEF1+, CCR7+ and CD27+) and with low expression of effector/exhaustion markers (EOMES+, GZMA+, CD57+) were more likely to have higher peak CAR+ T cell expansion. To evaluate the association of these DP markers with DOR, we split the 24 responders (≥PR) on median marker expression (high vs low) and analyzed DOR in these exploratory subgroups. High CD127 expression, associated with long-lasting memory T cell formation, was positively correlated with DOR, while multiple markers associated with differentiated T cells (e.g. EOMES+, TBET+) were negatively correlated with DOR. Conclusions: The adverse events observed are consistent with known toxicities of CAR T cell therapies. Initial efficacy results with bb21217 are encouraging, with 48% of patients treated across target dose levels of 150-450 obtaining ≥VGPR. The presence of T cell markers associated with memory and the absence of T cells markers associated with differentiation/senescence in DP correlated positively with peak expansion and DOR. These preliminary correlative data support the mechanistic hypothesis that enrichment for memory like T cells in bb21217 DP may result in improved clinical outcomes. Data for approximately 14 additional patients at the 450 target dose will be presented. Disclosures Alsina: Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding. Shah:GSK, Amgen, Indapta Therapeutics, Sanofi, BMS, CareDx, Kite, Karyopharm: Consultancy; BMS, Janssen, Bluebird Bio, Sutro Biopharma, Teneobio, Poseida, Nektar: Research Funding. Raje:Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Immuneel: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Caribou: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy; Astrazeneca: Consultancy; Bluebird, Bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy. Jagannath:Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Legend Biotech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria. Madduri:Janssen: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy; Kinevant: Consultancy; Foundation Medicine: Consultancy. Kaufman:Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Tecnopharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi/Genyzme: Consultancy, Honoraria. Siegel:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharma: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celulatiry: Consultancy. Munshi:BMS: Consultancy; OncoPep: Consultancy, Current equity holder in private company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; C4: Current equity holder in private company; Janssen: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Lin:Novartis: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Juno: Consultancy; Legend BioTech: Consultancy; Merck: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Gamida Cells: Consultancy; Sorrento: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vineti: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding. Jakubowiak:AbbVie, Amgen, BMS/Celgene, GSK, Janssen, Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive, Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria. Timm:bluebird bio: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Turka:bluebird bio: Current Employment. Mao:bluebird bio: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Martin:BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Campbell:BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Hege:Arcus Biosciences: Divested equity in a private or publicly-traded company in the past 24 months; Mersana Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses, Patents & Royalties: Numerous, Research Funding. Bitter:Novartis AG, Predicant Biosciences, Biospect, F Hofmann-La Roche: Ended employment in the past 24 months; bluebird bio: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Novartis: Ended employment in the past 24 months, Patents & Royalties. Petrocca:bluebird, bio: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Berdeja:Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cellularity: Research Funding; Constellation: Research Funding; CRISPR Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; CURIS: Research Funding; EMD Sorono: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Servier: Consultancy; Teva: Research Funding; Prothena: Consultancy; Poseida: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Lilly: Research Funding; Legend: Consultancy; Kite Pharma: Consultancy; Kesios: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Glenmark: Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bioclinica: Consultancy; Bluebird: Research Funding; Acetylon: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Vivolux: Research Funding.

8503 Background: Outcomes are poor in triple-class exposed RRMM patients (pts) who progress on immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs), proteasome inhibitors (PIs), and CD38 antibodies (mAbs). Ide-cel, a BCMA targeted CAR T cell therapy, showed promising tolerability and efficacy in RRMM pts in the phase I CRB-401 study ( NEJM2019;380:1726). We present primary efficacy and safety data from the pivotal phase II KarMMa trial of ide-cel in RRMM (NCT03361748). Methods: Enrolled pts had ≥3 prior regimens (including IMiD, PI, and CD38 mAb) and were refractory to their last regimen per IMWG criteria. After lymphodepletion (cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2+ fludarabine 30 mg/m2 x 3), pts received 150─450 × 106 CAR+ T cells (target dose range). Endpoints included overall response rate (ORR; primary), complete response (CR) rate, duration of response (DoR), and PFS. Results: Of 140 pts enrolled, 128 received ide-cel. Median age was 61 y; median no. of prior regimens was 6; 84% were triple- and 26% were penta-refractory. Most pts (88%) had bridging therapy. At data cutoff (16 Oct 2019), median follow up was 11.3 mo. ORR was 73% and median PFS was 8.6 mo; both increased with higher dose (Table). All subgroups had an ORR ≥50%, including older and high-risk pts. Most common any-grade (Gr) toxicities were cytopenias (97%) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 84%). CRS was mainly Gr 1/2; 5 pts (5%) had Gr 3, 1 had Gr 4, and 1 had Gr 5 (at 300 × 106). Neurotoxicity developed in 23 pts (18%); 4 (3%) Gr 3 and 0 Gr ≥4. Median peak CAR+ T cell expansion occurred at 11 d. Expansion was higher in responders and parameters (AUC0−28d, Cmax) increased with higher dose, with exposure overlap across doses. Persistence was durable, with CAR+ T cells detected in 29/49 (59%) and 4/11 pts (36%) at 6 and 12 mo. Conclusions: Ide-cel demonstrated deep, durable responses in heavily pretreated RRMM pts. Efficacy and safety reflected prior reports and support a favorable ide-cel clinical benefit-risk profile across the target dose range. Clinical trial information: NCT03361748 . [Table: see text]

Abstract BAFF is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family and plays a role in B cell survival including MM cells. We have previously established a role for BAFF in localization and survival of MM cells in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. (Cancer Res2006; 66(13): 6675–82). Here we validate the role of BAFF in MM patients and demonstrate the in vivo activity of anti-BAFF antibody in a SCID-hu MM model. We first performed gene expression profiling (GEP) on CD 138+ plasma cells isolated from 90 MM patients and 11 healthy controls using the Affymetrix U133A arrays. GEP analysis demonstrated increased BCMA expression (p<0.0001, student T test) on newly diagnosed and relapsed MM versus normal plasma cells. Flow cytometry performed on MM patient cells demonstrated the presence of all 3 receptors on CD 138+ cells. ELISA assays confirmed increased plasma BAFF levels in 51 MM plasma (mean: 1049 pg/ml; range: 176–4252 pg/ml) compared to 11 normal donors (mean: 461pg/ml; range: 317–652pg/ml) [p<0.001]. To understand the functional significance that BAFF might play in the biology of MM, we studied the effects of recombinant BAFF (rh-BAFF) on MM cells directly and in the context of its BM microenvironment. Our data demonstrate that rh-BAFF confers a survival advantage to MM cells and protects them against dexamethasone-induced cytotoxicity. Importantly, anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl2 and XIAP were upregulated, as were growth and survival signals belonging to the AKT and MAPKinase pathways. Because of the survival advantage conferred by BAFF on MM cells we evaluated the use of a clinical grade-neutralizing antibody to BAFF. To evaluate the in vivo activity of anti-Baff in MM we used the SCID-hu model, where MM cells grow in the context of human BM microenvironment. A cohort of SCID-hu mice bearing INA-6 MM cells, were treated i.p. weekly with anti-BAFF neutralizing antibody (10 mg/kg, n=3) or control isotype (10 mg/kg, n=3), respectively, for four weeks. Serum levels of soluble human IL-6 receptor (shuIL-6R) released by MM cells into the murine serum were monitored as a measure of MM growth. At the end of treatment we observed a significant (p=0.048) reduction in shuIL-6R level. This translated into a survival advantage of 3.1 weeks in the anti-BAFF treated animals versus the control group (p= 0.02). We also evaluated in vivo effects of anti-BAFF on the bone compartment by radiographic analysis and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining of human bone implants. Our results demonstrate a decrease in radiologically evident lytic lesions in the anti-BAFF treated animals. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in TRAP + osteoclasts in bone sections from treated mice when compared to control mice. Our data therefore suggests that anti-BAFF antibody may impact MM cell growth directly and/or via effects on the BM microenvironment by impacting bone resorption. Taken together, these data show a role for BAFF mediating MM cell survival and its in vivo anti-tumor activities provide a preclinical rational for its clinical evaluation in MM.

Abstract BAFF is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family and is critical for the maintenance and homeostasis of normal B-cell development. Importantly, BAFF promotes the generation of rapidly dividing immunoglobulin secreting plasmablasts from activated memory B cells by enhancing their survival. Given that MM is a cancer of plasma cells and that the signaling cascades implicated in receptor ligand interactions of BAFF are crucial in MM cell biology, we hypothesized that this cytokine may play a critical role in MM cell development, survival, and proliferation. We performed gene expression profiling (GEP) on CD 138+ plasma cells isolated from 90 MM patients (45 newly diagnosed and 45 relapsed) and 11 healthy controls using the Affymetrix U133A arrays. Our data demonstrates increased expression of transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) and B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), 2 receptors used by BAFF to exert its effects. Our data also shows an increased expression of a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), another member of the TNF family with homology to BAFF. Expression levels of BAFF and BAFF-R could not be determined because of lack of these probe sets on the Affymetrix U133A arrays. GEP analysis shows increased BCMA expression (p<0.0001, student T test) on newly diagnosed and relapsed MM versus normal plasma cells. Flow cytometry on MM cell lines demonstrated a differential expression of the three receptors of BAFF, with BCMA present on most cell lines but BAFF-R expressed at low levels only on LR5 cells and DOX40 MM cells. In contrast, flow cytometry performed on MM patient cells demonstrated the presence of all 3 receptors on CD 138+ cells. ELISA assays performed on 30 MM sera demonstrated a mean BAFF level of 618 pg/ml (range: 128–2126pg/ml) versus 235pg/ml (range: 158–326pg/ml) in 7 normal donor sera. Fifty six% (17/30) of MM patients had BAFF levels in excess of the highest value noted in normals. To understand the role BAFF might play in the biology of MM, we studied the effects of recombinant BAFF (rh-BAFF) on MM cells directly and in the context of its bone marrow microenvironment. (abstract # 554746) rh-BAFF conferred a survival advantage to MM cells and protected them against dexamethasone-induced cytotoxicity. Importantly, anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl2 and Mcl-1 were upregulated, as were growth and survival signals belonging to the JAK/STAT and MAPKinase pathways. Conversely, neutralizing antibody to BAFF blocked, at least in part, blocked the upregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins with associated growth and survival, confirming that these effects were due to BAFF. Importantly, all of these signals were downregulated even in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). These data therefore show a role for BAFF mediating MM cell survival and provide the framework for inhibiting BAFF, either alone or in combination with dexamethasone, to improve patient outcome in MM.

Abstract Ribonucleotide reductase is the rate-limiting enzyme of deoxynucleoside triphosphate synthesis and is therefore an excellent target for cancer chemotherapy. Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase results in inhibition of DNA synthesis and has anti-neoplastic effects. Several ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors (RRIs) are already in clinical practice, including Hydroxyurea and Gemcitabine. Here we examine the anti-MM activity of a novel RRI, Didox. Our data shows that Didox has potent cytotoxicity against MM cells in 48-hour cultures. Apoptosis induced in MM cell lines by Didox (200mmol/l), evidenced by increased sub-G1 cell fraction, is caspase dependent, confirmed by blocking experiments with Z-VAD-FMK. Unlike other RRIs which mainly target the pyrimidine metabolism pathway (hydroxyurea and gemcitabine), didox targets both the purine and pyrimidine metabolism pathways in MM, as demonstrated by transcriptional profiling using the Affymetrix U133A 2.0 gene chip. Specifically, our data shows a ≥ 2 fold downregulation of genes in these pathways as early as 12 hours after exposure to Didox. Importantly, ribonucleotide reductase (RR) M1 component transcript was downregulated, associated with downregulation of this enzyme by Western Blot analysis, and inhibition of DNA synthesis. Furthermore, genes involved in DNA repair mechanisms were also downregulated after exposure to Didox, demonstrated by heirachial clustering of gene chip data and further validation by western blotting. Specifically RAD 51 homologue, which is involved in nucleotide excision repair and recombination repair, was downregulated in MM cells both transcriptionally as well as at the protein level. This was accompanied by downregulation of the BCL family protein including Bcl-2, Bclxl, and XIAP both at the transcriptional and post transcriptional levels. Since Didox acts on MM cells by inhibiting DNA synthesis and repair, combination studies with melphalan, an alkylating agent commonly used in MM, were next performed. Our data shows a strong in vitro synergism, with combination indices of <0.7 by the Chou Talahay method. When combined with DNA damaging agents like doxorubicin, additive cytotoxicity was noted. These studies therefore provide the preclinical rationale for evaluation of Didox, alone and in combination with alkylating agents and anthracyclines, to improve patient outcome in MM.

Abstract The importance of bone marrow angiogenesis in multiple myeloma (MM) provided the initial rationale for using thalidomide in this disease, given its anti-angiogenic properties. Thalidomide (α-N-[phthalimido] glutarimide, C 13 H 10 N 2 O 4), a glutamic acid derivative, has proved useful in the treatment of both newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory MM, however, its potential for teratogenicity lays a huge burden on its use as a therapeutic agent. Ongoing efforts have been directed towards development of analogues, which retain anti-MM activity without teratogenic effects. A product of cytochrome P450 2C19 isozyme biotransformation of thalidomide, 5′-OH-thalidomide, has been shown to be partly responsible for the anti-angiogenic effect of thalidomide. Based on the structure of this metabolite several N-substituted and tetraflourinated thalidomide analogues have been synthesized as potential anti-angiogenic agents and have shown pre-clinical activity in prostate cancer. In this study, we demonstrate potent anti-MM activity and delineate potential mechanisms of two such compounds, CPS11 (an N-substituted thalidomide) and CPS49 (a tetraflourinated thalidomide). Both CPS11 and CPS49 showed inhibition of proliferation of several MM cell lines as well as primary tumor cells from relapsed/refractory MM patients. These drugs had significant activity in myeloma cell lines resistant to conventional chemotherapy agents (dexamethasone, adriamycin, mitoxantrone and melphalan). Both the drugs were able to overcome the protective effects of growth factors like IL-6, IGF-1, and VEGF, and co-culture with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), demonstrating their activity against myeloma cells in conditions simulating the natural microenvironment. In most of the cytotoxicity experiments, CPS49 was more potent compared to CPS11. An additive cytotoxic effect was noted when these agents were combined with dexamethasone and melphalan. Apoptosis was noted in MM1.S cells as evidenced by annexin and PI staining and a time- and dose-dependent increase in cleavage of poly ADP-ribosepolymerase (PARP) and caspase-8. Additionally, Z-VAD-FMK partially blocked these effects. Importantly, apoptosis triggered by these drugs was associated with down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins like Mcl1 and XIAP. In matrigel based angiogenesis assays both drugs demonstrated anti-angiogenic activity, CPS49 being more potent than CPS11. To further delineate their molecular mechanism of actions, we evaluated the effect of these drugs on various intracellular signaling pathways known to be important in myeloma. Both the drugs were able inhibit the PI3K/Akt and JAK/STAT pathways in MM1.S myeloma cells line. These encouraging in vitro data will provide the platform for testing these analogues initially in animal models and subsequently in the clinic.