Citations

Background and Aims: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy arising from the biliary epithelium with limited therapeutic options and poor long-term survival rates. To address the limitations of CCA treatment, we investigated cell-targeted nanovesicles as a delivery platform for transcriptome-targeting therapeutics. Approach and Results: Milk-derived nanovesicles were loaded with short interfering RNAs targeting Yes-associated protein (YAP), the downstream effector of the Hippo pathway; LCK, an upstream regulator of YAP; and tafazzin, a protein critical for the integrity of the inner mitochondrial membrane. These transcriptome-targeting nanovesicles were decorated with a lipid-coupled RNA aptamer to epithelial cell adhesion molecule, including a tracking fluorophore. In vitro studies were conducted using multiple CCA cell lines. In vivo studies were performed using C57BL/6 and non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice to evaluate delivery and efficacy in both an immunocompetent syngeneic murine and a patient-derived xenograft model. We demonstrated that transcriptome-targeting nanovesicles were selectively taken up by liver tumor cells, which was augmented by the incorporation of a targeting aptamer, and that milk-derived nanovesicles loaded with short interfering RNA effectively downregulated target gene expression, both in vitro and in vivo. Downstream effects of target gene inhibition were observed, including downregulation of YAP-TEAD target genes and an increase in reactive oxygen species production at the mitochondrial level. Administration of transcriptome-targeting nanovesicles targeting YAP, LCK, and tafazzin inhibited CCA growth and further synergized with chemotherapy in 2 preclinical CCA models. Conclusions: Herein, we show that aptamer-directed, nanovesicle-mediated targeting of YAP, LCK, and tafazzin potentiates chemosensitivity in 2 CCA models when delivered using aptamer-guided milk-derived nanovesicles.

Background/Objectives: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for skull base reirradiation is particularly challenging, as patients have already received substantial radiation doses to the region, and nearby normal organs may have approached their tolerance limit from prior treatments. In this study, we reviewed the characteristics and capabilities of four advanced external beam radiation delivery systems and four modern treatment planning systems and evaluated the treatment plan quality of each technique using skull base reirradiation patient cases. Methods: SBRT plans were generated for sixteen skull base reirradiation patients using four modalities: the GK plan for the Elekta Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion/ICON, the CyberKnife (CK) plan for the Accuray CyberKnife, the intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plan for the Hitachi ProBeat-FR proton therapy machine, and the volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan for the Varian TrueBeam STx. These plans were evaluated and compared using two novel gradient indices in addition to traditional dosimetry metrics for targets and organs at risk (OARs). The steepest border gradient quantified the percent prescription dose fall-off per millimeter at the boundary between the target and adjacent critical structures. This gradient index highlighted the system’s ability to spare nearby critical OARs. The volume gradient assessed the extent of dose spread outside the target toward the patient’s body. Results: All plans achieved comparable target coverage and conformity, while IMPT and VMAT demonstrated significantly better uniformity. The GK plans exhibited the highest border gradient, up to 20.9%/mm, followed by small-spot-size IMPT plans and CK plans. Additionally, IMPT plans showed the benefit of reduced dose spread in low-dose regions and the lowest maximum and mean doses to the brainstem and carotid artery. Conclusions: The advanced external beam radiotherapy modalities evaluated in this study are well-suited for SBRT in skull base reirradiation, which demands precise targeting of tumors with highly conformal doses and steep dose gradients to protect nearby normal structures.

ABSTRACT Genes involved in the regulation of chromatin structure are frequently disrupted in cancer, contributing to an aberrant transcriptome and phenotypic plasticity. Yet, therapeutics targeting mutant forms of chromatin-modifying enzymes have yielded only modest clinical utility, underscoring the difficulty of targeting the epigenomic underpinnings of aberrant gene regulatory networks. Here, we sought to identify novel epigenetic vulnerabilities in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Through phenotypic screens and biochemical analysis, we demonstrated that inhibition of the H3K9 demethylases KDM4A and KDM4C elicits potent, subtype-agnostic cytotoxicity by antagonizing transcriptional networks associated with B-cell identity and epigenetically rewiring heterochromatin. KDM4 demethylases associated with the KRAB zinc finger ZNF587, and their enzymatic inhibition led to DNA replication stress and DNA damage-induced cGAS-STING activation. Broad surveys of transcriptional data from patients also revealed KDM4 family dysregulation in several other cancer types. To explore this potential therapeutic avenue, we performed high-throughput small molecule screens with H3K9me3 nucleosome substrates and identified novel KDM4 demethylase inhibitors. AI-guided protein-ligand binding predictions suggested diverse modes of action for various small molecule hits. Our findings underscore the relevance of targeting fundamental transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms for anti-cancer therapy. HIGHLIGHTS Phenotypic screens identified JIB-04 as a potent anti-cancer agent for multiple subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma JIB-04 binds and inhibits KDM4 demethylases resulting in epigenomic rewiring of heterochromatin KDM4 demethylases cooperate with KRAB zinc fingers to limit DNA replication stress, and KDM4 inhibition instigates DNA-damage and cGAS-STING activation in several human cancers High-throughput small molecule screens with semi-synthetic nucleosome substrates and AI-guided molecular docking simulations identify novel KDM4 inhibitors

Key Points Loss-of-function ALG8 and ALG9 variants were enriched in polycystic kidney/liver groups and International Classification of Diseases–coded cystic individuals in population cohorts. The ALG8 and ALG9 kidney phenotypes were usually mild to moderate, and lower eGFR or kidney failure was rare. ALG8 pathogenic variants sometimes resulted in severe polycystic liver disease. Background Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common, inherited nephropathy often resulting in kidney failure. It is genetically heterogeneous; along with the major genes, PKD1 and PKD2 , at least eight others have been suggested. ALG8 pathogenic variants have been associated with autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease and implicated in ADPKD, while ALG9 has been suggested as an ADPKD gene, but details of the phenotypes and penetrance are unclear. Methods We screened >3900 families with cystic kidneys and/or livers using global approaches to detect ALG8 or ALG9 pathogenic variants. In addition, population cohorts with sequence data (Genomics England 100K Genomics Project, UK Biobank, and Mayo Clinic Biobank [MCBB]) were screened for ALG8 / ALG9 pathogenic variants. Results Multicenter screening of individuals with polycystic kidney and/or liver disease identified 51 (1.3%) ALG8 (7 multiplex) and 23 (0.6%) ALG9 (5 multiplex) families—frequencies that were approximately 10× and approximately 24× greater than nonpolycystic kidney disease controls. Analysis of individuals with polycystic kidney disease phenotypes in 100K Genomics Project, UK Biobank, and MCBB identified nine ALG8 (0.39%) and nine ALG9 (0.39%) families, an enriched frequency over controls. Two individuals had PKD1 and ALG8 pathogenic changes. Eighty-nine percent of individuals with ALG8 mutations with imaging in the entire MCBB had kidney cysts (50%, >10 cysts), with greater median kidney and liver cyst numbers than controls. For ALG9, 78% had kidney cysts (27%, >10 cysts). Individuals with ALG8 mutations typically had mild cystic kidneys with limited enlargement. Liver cysts were common (71%), with enlarged livers (>2L) found in 11 of 62 patients, although surgical intervention was rare. The ALG9 kidney phenotype was also of mild cystic kidneys, but enlarged livers were rare; for both genes, CKD or kidney failure were rare. Conclusions ALG8 and ALG9 are defined as cystic kidney/liver genes but with limited penetrance for lower eGFR.

Migraine with aura(MwA) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and adverse vascular outcomes compared to those with migraine without aura (MwoA). AI-ECG prediction models developed at our institution can evaluate the probability of atrial fibrillation (AF) and estimate a patient’s age based on a normal sinus rhythm (NSR) ECG. Delta age, AI-ECG estimated age minus chronological age, indicates endothelial dysfunction and is associated with cardiovascular mortality. We aim to assess how AI-ECG prediction model outputs, specifically the AF probability and delta age, are associated with adverse vascular outcomes in patients with migraine. Adult patients diagnosed with MwA and MwoA from 2000-2020 with at least one digital, standard 12-lead ECG were identified. The first ECG that showed NSR is used as the index ECG. Patients with any adverse vascular outcomes before the index ECG were excluded. Adverse vascular outcomes used as endpoints include acute ischemic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, AF, and carotid artery dissection. A total of 31301 patients (13783 MwA, 17518 MwoA) were included in our analysis. The mean age at the time of the index ECG was 44.3 (14.5), and the average follow-up time was 71.6 (69.8) months. Based on the index ECG, the mean AF probability was significantly higher in MwA compared to MwoA (2.39 vs 2.06, p< 0.001), while the delta age was lower in MwA compared to MwoA (3.7 vs 4.2, p <.001). The prevalences of all vascular outcomes are summarized in Table 1. Multivariate Cox regression models showed that a higher AF prediction model output (every 10% increase), as well as a higher delta age (every 10-year increase), are associated with an increased risk of composite vascular outcomes (HR1.20, 95%CI 1.17-1.23, p<.001, and HR1.19, 95%CI 1.14-1.23, p < .001) [Table 2]. The Kaplan-Meier curve of adverse vascular outcome-free survival by AF prediction model output, using 1% as the cutoff (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.41, 1.57, p<.001), and by delta age, using 2-year as the cutoff (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.08, 1.21, p <. 001) are presented in Figure 1. Having aura, older age, male, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, and tobacco use were also associated with a higher risk of adverse vascular outcomes. Our results demonstrated the potential of using AI-ECG AF prediction model output and delta age to identify migraine patients at risk for adverse vascular outcomes.

Abstract Background Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) is common, with a prior CDI linked to a risk of up to 65% for subsequent recurrences. Fecal microbiota, live-jslm (RBL) is the first microbiota-based product approved in the US for the prevention of rCDI in adult patients following antibiotic treatment for rCDI. This study reports the characteristics and outcomes of patients with rCDI who were administered RBL in a real-world setting. Methods Adult patients with rCDI who received RBL either at home or a clinic from healthcare professionals affiliated with a home-care provider network were included. Patients were required to have at least 8 weeks of follow-up after RBL administration, with CDI recurrence status assessed at week 8. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, administration setting, prior medication use, and prior healthcare resource utilization were collected. The primary outcome was CDI recurrence within 8 weeks post-RBL administration. All variables were summarized descriptively using median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous outcomes and count and percentage for categorical variables. Results Between July 2023 and March 2024, 136 patients with rCDI received RBL, of whom 73 had at least 8-week follow up and reported CDI recurrence status at week 8. Patients had a median age of 63.0 years (IQR = 47.0, 76.0), 68.5% were female, most (74.0%) had ≥ 3 prior CDI recurrences, 5.5% had received fecal microbiota transplant, and 9.6% had received bezlotoxumab (Table). One third of patients (32.9%) had previously been hospitalized and 38.4% had prior emergency room visits due to CDI. Most patients were previously treated with antibiotics for rCDI: 39.7% with vancomycin only, 11.0% with fidaxomicin only, and 43.8% with both vancomycin and fidaxomicin. All patients, except for 4 with missing data, received RBL 24-72 hours post-antibiotics. Most patients (83.6%) received RBL at home. At week 8, the overall treatment success rate (no CDI recurrence) was 87.7% (87.3% [62/71] in RBL-naïve; 100% [2/2] in previously RBL-treated). Conclusion RBL was effective in preventing recurrence of CDI at 8 weeks in a real-world setting, where most patients received RBL at home. These results suggest that RBL is effective in managing rCDI, including in a home care setting. Disclosures Sahil Khanna, MBBS, MS, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Grant/Research Support|Finch: Grant/Research Support|Immuron: Advisor/Consultant|Niche: Advisor/Consultant|Pfizer: Grant/Research Support|Probio Tech, LLC: Advisor/Consultant|Seres Therapeutics: Grant/Research Support|Takeda: Advisor/Consultant|Vedanta: Grant/Research Support Sanghyuk Seo, PharmD, MS, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employee Min Yang, MD, PhD, Analysis Group, Inc.: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which has received consulting fees from Ferring for the conduct of this study. Viviana García-Horton, PhD, Analysis Group, Inc.: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which has received consulting fees from Ferring for the conduct of this study. Yipeng Gao, PhD, Analysis Group, Inc.: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which has received consulting fees from Ferring for the conduct of this study. Hannah Kim, PhD, Analysis Group, Inc.: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which has received consulting fees from Ferring for the conduct of this study. Loren Ormenaj, n/a, Analysis Group, Inc.: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which has receivedconsulting fees from Ferring for the conduct of this study. Amy Guo, PhD, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employee

Background and Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease affects about a third of adults worldwide and is projected soon to be the leading cause of liver cirrhosis. It occurs when fat accumulates in hepatocytes and can progress to metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and HCC. Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease pathogenesis is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms have been implicated, but non-syndromic monogenic causes are lacking. Approach and Results: We identified a novel genetic variant in a familial case of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis and performed deep variant functional analysis, including protein modeling, dynamics, and cell-based assays to assess molecular mechanisms of dysfunction and altered cellular signaling. We analyzed exome sequencing data of 3904 individuals with steatotic liver disease (SLD) to identify additional cases and establish the link between specific gene variants and SLD diagnosis. We discovered and functionally validated the NM_000245.4:c.3505A>T; p.(Ile1169Phe) variant in the MET (mesenchymal-epithelial transition) kinase domain as a monogenic cause of SLD. Subsequently, we detected additional ultra-rare, previously uninterpreted, and likely deleterious variants in MET from screening sequencing data. Among individuals with confirmed SLD based on electronic record review, 1.1% (45/3904) had rare predicted deleterious MET variants. Eight of 45 (17.7%) individuals had predicted deleterious variants in the MET kinase domain confirmed to be functionally like the familial case variant. Conclusions: We report the first germline nonmalignant rare MET -driven disease, a monogenic form of SLD.

AbstractDefining the CSF cytokine/chemokine and injury biomarker signature of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) autoimmunity can inform immunopathogenesis. CSF GFAP‐IgG‐positive samples (N = 98) were tested for 17 cytokines/chemokines, neurofilament light chain (NfL), and GFAP (ELLA, Bio‐Techne). Controls included non‐inflammatory (N = 42), AQP4‐IgG‐positive (N = 83), CNS infections (N = 13), and neurosarcoidosis (N = 32). IL5, IL6, IL10, IL8/CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL13, BAFF, GM‐CSF, IFN‐gamma, and TNF‐alpha concentrations were higher compared to non‐inflammatory controls (P < 0.01). GFAP concentrations were similar to those of AQP4‐IgG‐positive patients; NfL was higher (P < 0.001) and correlated with MRI changes and outcomes. CSF cytokine/chemokine findings in GFAP autoimmunity correlate with histopathology; GFAP and NfL hold promise as disease biomarkers.

668 Background: After the approval of 177Lu DOTATATE, a new generation of radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT) utilizing alpha-emitting radiometals is being developed as front-line therapies for advanced NETs with the hope of higher clinical efficacy. In this Phase I study, [ 212 Pb]VMT-α-NET, a novel targeted alpha radionuclide therapy (TAT) to SSTR2, is being evaluated in SSTR2-expressing NETs tumors in patients with no prior PRRT treatment. Here we present interim safety and the first efficacy results from dose escalation cohorts 1 and 2. Methods: In this first-in-human dose-escalation study, safety, PK, and efficacy of [ 212 Pb]VMT-α-NET were investigated in a population of well-differentiated adult NETs of any grade which progressed after prior standard of care therapy as assessed by RECIST v1.1 (NCT05636618). No patient may have received prior 177 Lu-DOTATATE or PRRT. The dose escalation design includes four cohorts, 3 mCi, 5 mCi, 7.5 mCi and 10 mCi based on a Bayesian modified toxicity probability interval (mTPI-2) design. Subjects in cohorts 1 and 2 underwent dosimetry evaluations using the therapeutic surrogate [ 203 Pb]VMT-a-NET. Therapeutic [ 212 Pb]VMT-a-NET was administered for 4 cycles Q8W in combination with reno-protective amino acids. The DLT assessment period is defined as the first 6 weeks of cycle 1. The primary objectives include the evaluation of safety and tolerability, the PK and RP2D of [ 212 Pb]VMT-a-NET as well as ORR as assessed by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Results: The current data cut occurred on September 19 th , 2024. A total of 9 patients were enrolled (2 in cohort 1 and 7 in cohort 2). Median exposure for cohort 1 was 2.5 mCi (2.5 mCi, 2.5 mCi) and for cohort 2 was 5.1 mCi (4.7 mCi, 5.2 mCi). No DLTs were observed. Two grade 3 AEs occurred in Cohort 2 (diarrhea, syncope). The most frequent related TEAE were alopecia, fatigue, anemia, lymphopenia and nausea (all grade 1 or 2). One subject in Cohort 2 was discontinued due to progressive disease. Landmark PFS at 9 months is 89%. ORR is not yet mature and will be shown at the time of the meeting. Safety Monitoring Committee (SMC) meeting was held on July 17 th , 2024, recommended dose escalation to cohort 3 at 7.5 mCi. No nephrotoxicity was reported in either cohort. Conclusions: [ 212 Pb]VMT-α-NET is safe up to 185 MBq (5 mCi) dose level, and the SMC supported dose escalate to cohort 3 at 277.5 MBq (7.5 mCi) following a mandated FDA review in fall. Cohort 2 remains open for dose level expansion. Early efficacy results demonstrate encouraging progression-free survival. Clinical trial information: NCT05636618 .