Nemunaitis, John

Background This phase I multicenter study was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and translational effects on the tumor microenvironment of itacitinib (Janus-associated kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor) in combination with epacadostat (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitor) or parsaclisib (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ) inhibitor). Methods Patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors were enrolled and received itacitinib (100–400 mg once a day) plus epacadostat (50–300 mg two times per day; group A), or itacitinib (100–400 mg once a day) plus parsaclisib or parsaclisib monotherapy (0.3–10 mg once a day; group B). Results A total of 142 patients were enrolled in the study. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached for either the combination of itacitinib plus epacadostat (n=47) or itacitinib plus parsaclisib (n=90). One dose-limiting toxicity of serious, grade 3 aseptic meningitis was reported in a patient receiving itacitinib 300 mg once a day plus parsaclisib 10 mg once a day, which resolved when the study drugs were withdrawn. The most common treatment-related adverse events among patients treated with itacitinib plus epacadostat included fatigue, nausea, pyrexia, and vomiting, and for patients treated with itacitinib plus parsaclisib were fatigue, pyrexia, and diarrhea. In the itacitinib plus epacadostat group, no patient had an objective response. Among patients receiving itacitinib 100 mg once a day plus parsaclisib 0.3 mg once a day, three achieved partial response for an objective response rate (95% CI) of 7.1% (1.50 to 19.48). Treatment with itacitinib plus epacadostat demonstrated some increase in tumor CD8+ T cell infiltration and minor changes in six plasma proteins, whereas treatment with itacitinib plus high-dose parsaclisib resulted in downregulation of 20 plasma proteins mostly involved in immune cell function, with no observed change in intratumoral CD8+ T cell infiltration. Conclusion Adverse events with JAK1 inhibition combined with either IDO1 or PI3Kδ inhibition were manageable, but the combinations demonstrated limited clinical activity or enhancement of immune activation in the tumor microenvironment. Trial registration number NCT02559492.

Abstract CD27, a costimulatory molecule on T cells, induces intracellular signals mediating cellular activation, proliferation, effector function, and cell survival on binding to its ligand, CD70. Varlilumab, a novel, first-in-class, agonist immunoglobulin G1 anti-CD27 antibody, mediates antitumor immunity and direct killing of CD27+ tumor cells in animal models. This first-in-human, dose-escalation, and expansion study evaluated varlilumab in patients with hematologic malignancies. Primary objectives were to assess safety and the maximum tolerated and optimal biologic doses of varlilumab. Secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, immunogenicity, and antitumor activity. In a 3 + 3 dose-escalation design, 30 patients with B-cell (n = 25) or T-cell (n = 5) malignancies received varlilumab (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, or 10 mg/kg IV) as a single dose with a 28-day observation period, followed by weekly dosing (4 doses per cycle, up to 5 cycles, depending on tumor response). In an expansion cohort, 4 additional patients with Hodgkin lymphoma received varlilumab at 0.3 mg/kg every 3 weeks (4 doses per cycle, up to 5 cycles). No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Treatment-related adverse events, generally grade 1 to 2, included fatigue, decreased appetite, anemia, diarrhea, and headache. Exposure was linear and dose-proportional across dose groups and resulted in increases in proinflammatory cytokines and soluble CD27. One patient with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma experienced a complete response and remained in remission at >33 months with no further anticancer therapy. These data support further investigation of varlilumab for hematologic malignancies, particularly in combination approaches targeting nonredundant immune regulating pathways. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01460134.

8523 Background: ISIS 481464 is a synthetic bicyclic nucleic acid-containing antisense oligonucleotide that is complementary to the mRNA for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Methods: Primary objective of the dose-escalation study (3+3 design) was to establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose (RP2D). Secondary objectives included safety, tumor response, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) using IL-6 and tumor markers. Patient (pt) eligibility included : >18 yrs old, solid tumors or lymphomas refractory to at least 1 prior systemic therapy. ISIS 481464 was administered IV as a loading dose on Days 1, 3, and 5 and then weekly. Results: 15 pts were dosed (4 at 2 mg/kg and 11 at 4 mg/kg). 6 pts had advanced lymphoma (3 DLBCL, 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 1 mantle cell lymphoma) and 9 pts solid tumors. There was one dose limiting toxicity (DLT), a possibly related thrombotic microangiopathy at 4 mg/kg. Treatment emergent thrombocytopenia was observed with an average reduction of approximately 70% from baseline. Three pts, 1 at 2 mg/kg and 2 at 4 mg/kg, experienced nadirs in platelet count below 50x109/L (range 16 to 33x109/L). MTD was not reached; however, given the thrombocytopenia at 4mg/kg, the RP2D was 2mg/kg. Partial responses were observed in 2/3 DLBCL pts. The 1st DLBCL pt (2 mg/kg) with 10 prior treatments had a durable 55% reduction in tumor size and is ongoing treatment at 11 months. This pt had a 76% reduction in IL-6. The 2nd DLBCL pt (4 mg/kg) with 2 prior treatments had a 65% reduction for 4 months and was able to undergo autologous stem cell transplantation. There were no responses in the solid tumor pts. PKs revealed increased plasma trough levels (indicative of tissue concentrations) with increased dose. Conclusions: ISIS 481462 was well-tolerated and the RP2D was determined to be 2 mg/kg. Initial tumor activity was observed in DLBCL pts and a dose expansion in advanced lymphomas is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT01563302.

Purpose CD27, a costimulatory molecule on T cells, induces intracellular signals that mediate cellular activation, proliferation, effector function, and cell survival upon binding to its ligand, CD70. Varlilumab is a novel, first-in-class, agonist CD27 antibody that stimulates the CD27 pathway, which results in T-cell activation and antitumor activity in tumor models. This first-in-human, dose-escalation and expansion study evaluated the safety, pharmacology, and activity of varlilumab in patients with advanced solid tumors. Methods In a 3 + 3 dose-escalation design (n = 25), patients received a single dose of varlilumab (0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, or 10 mg/kg intravenously) with a 28-day observation, followed by up to five multidose cycles (one dose per week for 4 weeks), depending on tumor response. Expansion cohorts were initiated at 3.0 mg/kg in patients with melanoma (n = 16) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC; n = 15). Primary objectives were to assess the safety and the maximum tolerated and optimal biologic doses of varlilumab. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and clinical antitumor activity of varlilumab. Results Exposure to varlilumab was linear and dose proportional across dose groups. Only one patient experienced a dose-limiting toxicity—grade 3 transient asymptomatic hyponatremia at the 1.0-mg/kg dose level. Treatment-related adverse events were generally grade 1 or 2 in severity. Evidence of biologic activity consistent with CD27 stimulation—chemokine induction, T-cell stimulation, regulatory T cell depletion—was observed at all dose levels. A patient with metastatic RCC experienced a partial response (78% shrinkage, progression-free survival > 2.3 years). Eight patients experienced stable disease > 3 months, including a patient with metastatic RCC with progression-free survival of > 3.9 years. Conclusion Dose escalation of varlilumab to 10 mg/kg was well tolerated without identification of a maximum tolerated dose. Varlilumab was biologically and clinically active.