Citations

Abstract We recently reported that the induction of polyploidization of malignant megakaryocytes shows great promise as a new therapy for acute leukemia. Polyploidization inducers such as dimethylfasudil (diMF) and MLN8237, both of which target Aurora A kinase (AURKA), induce proliferation arrest, polyploidization, expression of megakaryocyte differentiation markers and apoptosis of leukemic megakaryocytes in vitro and in vivo. Since megakaryocytes in primary myelofibrosis (PMF) show impaired polyploidization and maturation, and likely directly contribute to the disease, we predicted that polyploidization inducers would provide a new therapeutic strategy. To determine the effect of these compounds on the growth of MPN cells, we first treated the JAK2 V617F mutant megakaryocytic SET2 cell line with varying doses of MLN8237 and diMF. Both compounds effectively and dose dependently inhibited proliferation, induced polyploidization and upregulation of lineage specific markers CD41 and CD42, and increased apoptosis. Furthermore, MLN8237 synergized with ruxolitinib to induce apoptosis of the SET2 cells and also potently induced growth arrest of JAK2 inhibitor persistent SET2 cells. We observed a similar polyploidization and differentiating activity of MLN8237 and diMF on megakaryocytes derived from primary human PMF progenitors. The ability of these agents to induce polyploidization was specific, as the non-megakaryocyte fractions of the cultures were not affected. Next, we assayed the activity of polyploidization inducers on progression of MPNs in two mouse models: JAK2V617F conditional knockin mice and mice engrafted with MPLW515L expressing bone marrow progenitors. Of note, spleens from both mouse models displayed a robust increase in both total and phosphorylated forms of AURKA relative to control animals, further suggesting that AURKA is a rational target in this disease. We first assayed the activities of MLN8237 and diMF in the MPLW515L bone marrow transplantation model. Recipient mice develop a rapid MPN characterized by leukocytosis, thrombocytosis and bone marrow fibrosis. Both MLN8237 and diMF reduced the disease burden, as evidenced by significant reductions in the liver and spleen weights, white cell counts and platelet counts. Both compounds also led to a significant decrease of fibrosis in the bone marrow, diminished infiltration of megakaryocytes and granulocytes in the liver, and a profound reduction in the numbers of megakaryocytes within the spleen. Moreover, plasma levels of TGF-β a known myelofibrogenic cytokine, were decreased by more than 3-fold by the drug treatment. Both diMF and MLN8237 led to selective polyploidization of megakaryocytes in the spleen as well as marked reductions in the levels of p-AURKA. Of note, neither agent affected the extent of phosphorylation of STAT3 or STAT5. Therefore, we tested whether the combined use of a JAK inhibitor and a polyploidy inducer would show enhanced activity in vivo. Indeed, the combination of MLN8237 and ruxolitinib led to greater reductions in tumor burden in the MPLW515L mouse model than either agent alone. Similar results were obtained using the JAK2V617F knock-in model. To further validate our conclusion that AURKA is a target in PMF, we infected Aurkafl/fl floxed bone marrow progenitors with MPLW515L and transplanted the cells to irradiated recipients. Excision of both alleles of Aurka by Cre mediated recombination completely resolved the disease, while heterozygous deletion of Aurka significantly reduced the disease burden, in a manner similar to treatment with MLN8237. Given that heterozygous deletion of Aurka does not alter normal hematopoiesis in mice, the fact that a 50% reduction in kinase expression was associated with a significant decrease in disease burden suggests that there is an effective therapeutic window in which AURKA inhibitors will be effective against MPN while sparing normal hematopoiesis. Although JAK inhibitors provide symptomatic relief, it is becoming clear that they are not curative. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new agents to use in combination with JAK inhibitors. Our data reveal that inducing polyploidization and differentiation of dysplastic megakaryocytes in PMF ameliorates features of the disease both in vitro and in vivo. These results support the initiation of clinical studies that combine a JAK inhibitor with an AURKA inhibitor. Disclosures: Crispino: Sanofi: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: Allogeneic stem cell transplant is an intensive procedure, offered in a limited number of medical centres. We sought to describe how sociodemographic variables impacted access to transplant across the United States, and if disadvantaged populations had inferior access to transplant. Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) was integrated to determine the rate of unrelated donor transplantation between 2000 and 2010 in each of the 612 counties included in the SEER registry. Patients under the age of 65 with AML, ALL, and MDS were included, and the analysis was restricted to unrelated donors due to limited availability of ZIP code in CIBMTR data. New incident cases were determined from SEER, and the number of transplants was determined from CIBMTR. The transplant rate was calculated (transplants performed divided by incident cases) for each county. County attributes (percent minority, rural/urban status, percentage below the poverty line, and median family size) were obtained from US Census data. Poisson regression was used to describe how county attributes impacted transplant rates. Transplant rates were calculated separately for AML, White residents, and pediatric ALL. Results: 3147 patients were identified in the CIBMTR dataset that met inclusion criteria. The estimated ZIP code completeness was 75%. There were 30,468 new incident diagnoses of ALL, AML, and MDS. For AML, patients from rural areas (less than 20,000 residents) and patients from areas with higher poverty levels had lower transplant rates (Table 1). Minority status and family size did not impact transplant rate. In regression models, higher levels of poverty remained associated with lower transplant rates, while rurality did not (Table 2). The results were similar among White residents. In contrast, in pediatric ALL, no county attributes (poverty, rurality, percent minority, and family size) were significantly associated with a difference in transplant rate (Table 1). However, numbers of transplants were smaller, limiting power. Discussion: Patients with AML from disadvantaged areas had lower rates of unrelated donor transplant. While patients from disadvantaged areas were also more likely to be non-White, and non-White Americans are less likely to have an available unrelated donor, this difference was also seen in White Americans from disadvantaged areas. This suggests the lower transplant rate is due impaired access to transplant. Poverty rate was the most important predictor of transplant rate. The results of this study suggest that improving access to transplant in disadvantaged populations should be a priority for health care administrators. Based on these results, approximately 2500 Americans do not undergo allogeneic transplant annually due to inferior access associated with higher poverty rates. Table 1 Univariate Analysis Table 1. Univariate Analysis Table 2 Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Regression Model * Metropolitan = county > 50,000 people, micropolitan = county > 20,000, rural county < 20,000. Table 2. Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Regression Model. / * Metropolitan = county > 50,000 people, micropolitan = county > 20,000, rural county < 20,000. Disclosures Hahn: Novartis: Equity Ownership; NIH: Research Funding.

Abstract It is well-recognized that Helicobacter pylori infection causes gastrointestinal blood loss and iron deficiency. H. pylori gastritis has also been implicated in iron deficiency refractory to oral iron replacement therapy. Although H. pylori infection is common in multiple populations, less is known about the extent to which H. pylori contributes to iron deficiency in different racial/ethnic groups. To address this question, we tested the serum collected from men aged ≥ 25 y and women ≥ 50 y in the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening (HEIRS) Study to identify those with iron deficiency (defined as serum ferritin ≤ 12 mg/L [cases]) and iron-replete controls (serum ferritin > 100 mg/L in men, serum ferritin > 50 mg/L in women). All samples were tested for H. pylori IgG antibodies and for antibodies to CagA (cytotoxin-associated gene-bearing strain). We tested 571 cases and 1142 controls. Participants were considered to have evidence of H. pylori infection if they had positive results for both antibodies or for either antibody alone. Participants who did not have a result for either test were excluded. We examined the association between the presence of H. pylori in cases and controls among Caucasians, Asian/Pacific Islanders, African Americans, and Hispanics. Among Caucasians, evidence of H. pylori infection was comparable in cases and controls; 170 of 735 controls (23.1%) and 97 of 363 cases (26.7%), respectively, were positive. Similar results were found in African Americans (56.3% of 144 controls; 55.8% of 77 cases) and Hispanics (66.7% of 159 controls; 59.5% of 79 cases). However, in Asian/Pacific Islanders, the prevalence of H. pylori was higher among cases (62.8% of 51) than controls (44.1% of 102), p=0.029 by the likelihood ratio Chi-Square test. The relative risk (RR) of iron deficiency among those with H. pylori-positivity was significantly greater than in those without (RR, 1.66; 95% CI [1.04, 2.66]). A comparison of subgroups by positivity for IgG or CagA showed that the relative risk of iron deficiency was increased among those with IgG positivity, with or without Cag A positivity (RR, 1.80 and 1.90, respectively), but not among those with CagA positivity alone (RR, 1.00). H. pylori infection is a frequent contributor to iron deficiency but is also common in the general population. Our results indicate that among HEIRS Study Asian/Pacific Islander participants, H. pylori infection is more prevalent in cases with iron deficiency than in controls. In contrast, there was no difference in the prevalence of H. pylori infection between cases and controls among Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics. These results have implications for the investigation of iron deficiency in Asians and Pacific Islanders. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

INTRODUCTION: An unmet need exists to find effective therapy in more severe ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, especially those who have failed multiple therapies. The efficacy and safety of upadacitinib, a selective Janus Kinase 1 inhibitor, has been assessed in an 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging, phase 2b induction study in adult patients with moderately-to-severely active UC (U-ACHIEVE). 1,2 METHODS: In U-ACHIEVE, adult patients with moderately-to-severely active UC as determined by the Adapted Mayo Score (5-9 points and centrally-read endoscopy subscore 2-3) were randomized to receive extended-release upadacitinib 7.5, 15, 30, 45 mg once daily (QD) or placebo for 8 weeks. In the current sub-analysis, the efficacy of upadacitinib in more severe and/or more refractory patient populations was assessed. Patients who at baseline had failed ≥2 prior biologic agents, had pancolitis, and/or an Adapted Mayo score >7, were included. Pairwise comparisons between upadacitinib doses and placebo for the primary endpoint, clinical remission per Adapted Mayo Score at Week 8 (defined as stool frequency subscore ≤1, rectal bleeding subscore = 0, and endoscopic subscore ≤1) and secondary endpoints were conducted using the Fisher's Exact test and no multiplicity adjustments were applied. Non-responder imputation was utilized for missing values. RESULTS: At baseline, 142 (56.8% of the total study population) patients had failed ≥2 prior biologics, 135 (54.0%) patients had pancolitis, and 90 (36.0%) patients had an Adapted Mayo score >7. The proportions of patients achieving endoscopic improvement, clinical response per Adapted Mayo score, and clinical response per Partial Mayo score were significantly higher (nominal P -value < 0.05) with upadacitinib doses ≥30 mg QD versus the placebo group in patients who failed ≥2 biologics or had pancolitis at baseline (Table 1). Trends of higher proportions of patients achieving clinical remission per Adapted Mayo score, endoscopic improvement, clinical response per Adapted Mayo score, and clinical response per Partial Mayo score were observed with all upadacitinib groups versus placebo in all the sub-analyses. CONCLUSION: In this dose-ranging induction study, upadacitinib demonstrated greater efficacy compared to placebo with dose response in the more severe and refractory population; significantly greater efficacy was demonstrated with upadacitinib at doses ≥30 mg QD for most of the endpoints evaluated.

The management of glioblastomas (GBMs) is challenged by the development of therapeutic resistance and early disease recurrence, despite multi-modal therapy. This may be attributed to the presence of glioma stem cells (GSCs) which are known to survive radio- and chemotherapy, by circumventing death signals and inducing cell re-population. Recent findings suggest GSCs may be enriched by certain treatment modality. These necessitate the development of novel therapeutics capable of targeting GBM cell plasticity and therapy-resistant GSCs. Here, aided by computer-assisted structure characterization and target identification, we predicted that a novel 5-(2′,4′-difluorophenyl)-salicylanilide derivative, LCC-09, could target dopamine receptors and oncogenic markers implicated in GBMs. Bioinformatics data have indicated that dopamine receptor (DRD) 2, DRD4, CD133 and Nestin were elevated in GBM clinical samples and correlated to TMZ (Temozolomide) resistance and increased ALDH (Aldehyde dehydrogenase) activity (3.5–8.9%) as well as enhanced (2.1–2.4-fold) neurosphere formation efficiency in U87MG and D54MG GBM cell lines. In addition, TMZ-resistant GSC phenotype was associated with up-regulated DRD4, Akt, mTOR, β-catenin, CDK6, NF-κB and Erk1/2 expression. LCC-09 alone, or combined with TMZ, suppressed the tumorigenic and stemness traits of TMZ-resistant GBM cells while concomitantly down-regulating DRD4, Akt, mTOR, β-catenin, Erk1/2, NF-κB, and CDK6 expression. Notably, LCC-09-mediated anti-GBM/GSC activities were associated with the re-expression of tumor suppressor miR-34a and reversal of TMZ-resistance, in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these data lay the foundation for further exploration of the clinical feasibility of administering LCC-09 as single-agent or combinatorial therapy for patients with TMZ-resistant GBMs.

Abstract Purpose: Previous studies have suggested that higher circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels are associated with decreased colorectal cancer risk and improved survival. However, the influence of vitamin D status on disease progression and patient survival remains largely unknown for patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. Experimental Design: We prospectively collected blood samples in 1,041 patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer participating in a randomized phase III clinical trial of first-line chemotherapy plus biologic therapy. We examined the association of baseline plasma 25(OH)D levels with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for prognostic factors and confounders. Results: At study entry, 63% of patients were vitamin D deficient (&lt;20 ng/mL) and 31% were vitamin D insufficient (20–&lt;30 ng/mL). Higher 25(OH)D levels were associated with an improvement in OS and PFS (Ptrend = 0.0009 and 0.03, respectively). Compared with patients in the bottom quintile of 25(OH)D (≤10.8 ng/mL), those in the top quintile (≥24.1 ng/mL) had a multivariable-adjusted HR of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.53–0.83) for OS and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.66–1.00) for PFS. The improved survival associated with higher 25(OH)D levels was consistent across patient subgroups of prognostic patient and tumor characteristics. Conclusions: In this large cohort of patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer, higher plasma 25(OH)D levels were associated with improved OS and PFS. Clinical trials assessing the benefit of vitamin D supplementation in patients with colorectal cancer are warranted.