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22 citation(s) found for "Tan, Melinda".

Early Treatment Failure in Patients Receiving Ciltacabtagene‐Autoleucel for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Lim, Kenneth J C , Kumar, Shaji, Chhabra, Saurabh , Tan, Melinda Si Yun , Dooley, Katharine, Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Gertz, Morie A. , Hwa, Yi L. , Stephens, Haily, Kapoor, Prashant , Kourelis, Taxiarchis, Warsame, Rahma, Abdallah, Nadine , Bergsagel, P. Leif, Yadav, Udit, Geyer, Susan M. , Ailawadhi, Sikander, Lin, Yi, Zanwar, Saurabh , Chhabra, Saurabh , Tan, Melinda , Gertz, Morie A , Hwa, Lisa, Cook, Joselle M , Binder, Moritz , Abdallah, Nadine H , Wiedmeier-Nutor, Julia E , Geyer, Susan , Rajkumar, S Vincent , Fonseca, Rafael , Zanwar, Saurabh S , Lim, Kenneth J C , Kumar, Shaji , Parrondo, Ricardo D , Dooley, Katharine , Stephens, H. J. B., Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Warsame, Rahma , Cook, Joselle , Binder, Moritz , Bergsagel, P. Leif , Yadav, Udit , Wiedmeier, Julia E. , Rajkumar, S. Vincent , Ailawadhi, Sikander , Fonseca, Rafaël

American Journal of Hematology | June 26, 2026 | Volume: 101 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 2269-2279

10.1002/ajh.70425 | PMID 42351384 Get It

ABSTRACT Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta‐cel) has demonstrated excellent efficacy and long‐term disease control in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). However, a proportion of patients experience early treatment failures. We investigated clinical factors associated with early progression or death (within 12 months) in patients with RRMM receiving standard‐of‐care cilta‐cel across the three Mayo clinic centers. Patients with a follow‐up of at least 12 months or progression or death within 12 months from infusion were included. Of the patients with early treatment failure ( n = 52), 69% had progressive disease and 31% had a non‐relapse mortality (NRM) event. In patients without early treatment failure ( n = 164), 13% of events were NRM. Among pretreatment factors, prior BCMA‐directed therapy, presence of extramedullary disease and a CAR‐HEMATOTOX score of ≥ 2 were independent predictors of early progression or death. The utilization of cilta‐cel in earlier lines of treatment (1–3 vs. 4 or more) demonstrated comparable PFS (12‐month PFS 73% vs. 77%, p = 0.94). Measurable residual disease positivity in the bone marrow at 3 months (11/197 patients) identified a small but high‐risk group with an increased risk of early treatment failure (OR 5.68; p = 0.012). Patients with less than a complete response on a FDG PET/CT at 3 months also had an increased risk of early treatment failure (OR 11.8; p < 0.0001). Our findings may help identify patients at high‐risk for early adverse outcomes despite receiving highly effective therapy, and support consideration of novel therapeutic strategies within a clinical trial setting.
Clinical course, risk factors, and therapeutic response in multiple myeloma with central nervous system involvement
Xiao, Alexander , Zanwar, Saurabh , Lin, Yi, Kapoor, Prashant , Abdallah, Nadine , Baudi, Francis, Dingli, David, Gertz, Morie A. , Gonsalves, Wilson I, Hayman, Suzanne R. , Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Tan, Melinda SY, Warsame, Rahma , Rajkumar, S Vincent, Kumar, Shaji , Dingli, David , Buadi, Francis K. , Lin, Yi , Lin, Yi , Buadi, Francis K , Binder, Moritz , Dispenzieri, Angela , Dingli, David , Gertz, Morie A , Gonsalves, Wilson , Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Leung, Nelson , Muchtar, E , Siddiqui, Mustaqeem A , Tan, Melinda , Warsame, Rahma , Rajkumar, S Vincent , Kumar, Shaji K , Xiao, Alexander H , Binder, Moritz , Dispenzieri, Angela , Gonsalves, Wilson I. , Leung, Nelson , Muchtar, Eli , Siddiqui, Mustaqeem , Rajkumar, S. Vincent

Blood Advances | June 25, 2026 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 17 | Pages: 5828-5833

10.1182/bloodadvances.2026020668 | PMID 42348786 Get It

Abstract Extramedullary disease (EMD) is increasingly recognized in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM), with central nervous system involvement (CNS-MM) representing a rare but highly aggressive manifestation associated with dismal outcomes. Data on its incidence and optimal management, particularly in the era of cellular and bispecific therapies, remain limited. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with MM with pathology-confirmed EMD treated at our institution between January 2000 and December 2023. CNS-MM was defined by parenchymal or leptomeningeal involvement. Clinical features, cytogenetics, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed, with predictors of CNS involvement evaluated among patients with EMD. Among 304 patients with EMD, 20 (6.5%) had CNS-MM. CNS involvement occurred a median of 19.2 months after MM diagnosis, though 15% presented at diagnosis. CNS-MM was strongly associated with high-risk cytogenetics (odds ratio [OR], 3.7) and additional visceral EMD (OR, 4.6). Median overall survival (OS) from CNS-MM diagnosis was 4.2 months. Outcomes were significantly improved in patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy or bispecific antibodies, with a median OS of 19.2 months vs 1.2 months in those who did not receive immune effector therapies. Intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy demonstrated limited and transient benefit. In conclusion, CNS-MM is an aggressive complication enriched in high-risk, multifocal EMD with extremely poor prognosis. Cellular and bispecific therapies show promising activity and may meaningfully improve survival, whereas IT therapy appears to have limited efficacy. Prospective studies are needed to define optimal treatment strategies for CNS-MM.
Impact of prophylactic cyclophosphamide on ALC and delayed neurotoxicity after cilta-cel.
Tan, Melinda, Schaefers, Christoph, Lim, Kenneth J. C., Chhabra, S, Gertz, MA, Kapoor, Prashant , Kourelis, T., Warsame, Rahma , Cook, Joselle, Bergsagel, Leif P., Wiedmeier-Nutor, Julia Erin, Zanwar, Saurabh , Abdallah, Nadine, Ailawadhi, Sikander, Fonseca, Rafael, Kumar, Shaji, Anastasia, Zekeridou, Lin, Yi, Tan, Melinda Si Yun , Schaefers, Christoph , Lim, Kenneth J C , Chhabra, Saurabh , Parrondo, Ricardo D , Gertz, Morie A. , Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Cook, Joselle , Binder, Moritz , Bergsagel, P. Leif , Abdallah, Nadine , Ailawadhi, Sikander , Fonseca, Rafaël , Kumar, Shaji

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 7543-7543

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.7543 Get It

7543 Background: Delayed neurotoxicity (DNT) after ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) is associated with severe morbidity and mortality occurring in 10-15% of patients. A high post-infusion peak absolute lymphocyte count (ALCpeak ≥3x10 9 /L; ALC hi ) is correlated with an increased risk of DNT (25-30%). We previously examined prophylactic dexamethasone (PPX DEX) administered for 3 days when ALC hi was reached and found no reduction in ALC expansion, DNT incidence or severity. Here, we report the use of prophylactic cyclophosphamide (PPX CTX) on ALC kinetics and DNT. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients (pts) treated with cilta-cel at Mayo Clinic (09-12/2025; n =60). Pts with ALC hi received CTX 500 mg IV/PO once (n = 22). Outcomes and ALC kinetics including ALCpeak, ALC D28 (ALC D28 ), and area under the curve D1-D28 (ALC AUC ) were compared with PPX DEX cohort (12/2024-08/2025; n =50) and a historical cohort without PPX (04/2022-11/2024; n =116). Results: Pre-lymphodepletion (LD) demographics were similar across historical ALC hi , PPX DEX, and PPX CTX groups. Pre-LD CRP was higher in the historical ALC hi cohort; however, baseline ferritin, CRS, and ICANS, and disease burden did not differ significantly between groups. There were no statistically significant differences in time to ALCpeak or ALC kinetics among the 3 cohorts. Among pts with ALC < 3×10⁹/L treated during the PPX CTX study period, 2 developed cranial nerve palsy (IEC-CNP; 2/38, 5%). Both presented with unilateral facial nerve palsy and were treated with corticosteroids. One pt resolved symptoms by one month, while the second had persistent symptoms at 2 weeks and remains on follow-up. Among ALC hi patients in the PPX CTX cohort, DNT occurred in 4/22 pts (18%), including 1 case of IEC-CNP (5%) and 3 with parkinsonism (IEC-PKS, 14%). Within the PPX CTX cohort, baseline characteristics and post-infusion CRS or laboratory parameters did not differ between patients with and without DNT. Among patients who developed DNT, ALC kinetics were similar across PPX CTX, PPX DEX, and historical cohorts. PPX CTX was well tolerated, with 2 cases of grade 1 nausea reported. The incidence of DNT did not differ significantly between the PPX DEX (14/61, 23%) and PPX CTX (4/22, 18%) cohorts. However, DNT presentations in the PPX CTX cohort appeared milder and were responsive to treatment. Two of three patients (67%) presented with mild symptoms (one with dynamic dysphasia; second with flat affect) that responded to DEX. A third patient presented with typical parkinsonian features (hypomimia, bradykinesia, rigidity) and demonstrated clinical improvement following high-dose CTX. Conclusions: PPX CTX was well tolerated. While it did not significantly impact ALC expansion kinetics or DNT rates, first few cases of IEC-PKS suggest that the presentation may be milder and amenable to less toxic treatment. Larger cohorts are needed to refine optimal prophylactic strategies.
Diagnosis and management of immune effector cell–associated enterocolitis after ciltacabtagene autoleucel
Lim, Kenneth J C , Lee, Hee Eun , Chen, Zongming Eric, Bledsoe, Adam C. , Parrondo, Ricardo , Chhabra, Saurabh , Dooley, Katharine , Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Gertz, Morie A. , Hwa, Y., Stephens, Haily, Kapoor, Prashant , Tan, Melinda S.Y., Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Warsame, Rahma , Yadav, Udit , Wiedmeier-Nutor, Julia Erin, Geyer, Susan, Kumar, Shaji , Chowla, Navreet , Lin, Y., Bledsoe, Adam C , De Menezes Silva Corraes, Andre , Gertz, Morie A , Hwa, Lisa, Cook, Joselle M , Binder, Moritz , Bergsagel, P. Leif , Yadav, Udit , Wiedmeier-Nutor, Erin, Fonseca, Rafael , Kumar, Shaji K , Chowla, Navreet , Parrondo, Ricardo D , Chhabra, Saurabh , Lim, Kenneth J C , Stephens, H. J. B., Cook, Joselle , Binder, Moritz , Bergsagel, P. Leif , Geyer, Susan M. , Ailawadhi, Sikander , Fonseca, Rafaël

Blood Advances | April 10, 2026 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 13 | Pages: 4495-4507

10.1182/bloodadvances.2025018853 | PMID 41961998 Get It

Abstract Immune effector cell–associated enterocolitis (IEC-EC) has been observed after ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel [Carvykti]) chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. It is associated with dismal outcomes and is poorly characterized. Here, we examined its clinical features, risk factors, and proposed management strategies. Among the 229 consecutive patients who received cilta-cel at Mayo Clinic, 9 (3.9%) presented with a nonresolving, nonbloody, grade 3 diarrhea, often requiring prolonged total parenteral nutrition. Gastrointestinal coinfections were seen in most patients. Median time from CAR-T infusion to symptom onset was 85 days (range, 35-166), and there appeared to be a latency from symptom onset to endoscopic evaluation. Histopathology findings resembling a graft-versus-host disease pattern of mucosal injury were most seen on duodenal biopsies, whereas 2 cases had patterns akin to a T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (1 CD4+ and 1 CD8+). Independent associated factors for IEC-EC included high-risk disease as defined by the International Myeloma Society and International Myeloma Working Group, prolonged cytokine release syndrome, and antecedent delayed neurotoxicity. Response to first-line therapy comprising IV or oral corticosteroids, bile acid sequestrants, IV immunoglobulin, and antimicrobial-directed therapy was poor, with no durable responses. Biologic therapy appeared to induce durable responses in 3 of the 5 patients (2/2 vedolizumab; 1/3 infliximab); none of the responders had gastrointestinal coinfection. Early gastroenterology input for endoscopic evaluation with the inclusion of duodenal biopsy is a key component for diagnosis. Early institution of biologic therapy after failure of a short course of corticosteroids should be considered.
Determinants of gastrointestinal disease burden and survival in systemic AL amyloidosis
Steinhardt, Maximilian , Muchtar, Eli , Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Warsame, Rahma , Mauermann, Michelle Lynn, Buadi, Francis K. , Dingli, David, Leung, Nelson , Cook, Joselle , Go, Ronald S., Hayman, Suzanne R. , Gonsalves, Wilson I, Kapoor, Prashant , Zanwar, Saurabh , Hellou, Tamer , Tan, Melinda S.Y., Halawi, Houssam, Fonder, A C, Hobbs, Miriam, Abdallah, Nadine , Lin, Y., Siddiqui, Mustaqeem, Kyle, R., Einsele, Hermann, Rajkumar, S Vincent, Kumar, Shaji , Steinhardt, Maximilian , Binder, Moritz , Hellou, Tamer , Fonder, Amie , Abdallah, Nadine H , Siddiqui, Mustaqeem A , Kortüm, Martin , Kumar, Shaji K , Gertz, Morie A , Dispenzieri, Angela , Leung, Nelson , Muchtar, E , Buadi, Francis K , Cook, Joselle M , Mauermann, Michelle L. , Dingli, David , Go, Ronald S. , Gonsalves, Wilson I. , Binder, Moritz , Halawi, Houssam , Siddiqui, Mustaqeem , Kortüm, K. Martin , Einsele, Hermann , Rajkumar, S. Vincent , Gertz, Morie A. , Dispenzieri, Angela

Blood Advances | April 9, 2026 | Volume: 10 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 4009-4019

10.1182/bloodadvances.2026019722 | PMID 41954624 Get It

Abstract Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is a clinically relevant but undercharacterized manifestation of systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL). We aimed to define the clinical spectrum, histologic patterns, and outcomes of symptomatic GI involvement in AL. We retrospectively analyzed 4396 patients with AL from 2010 to 2024, of whom 521 (11.9%) had provider-attributed symptomatic GI involvement; 66% had biopsy-proven GI AL. Symptoms most commonly included early satiety (61%), bowel irregularities (58%), nausea (35%), abdominal pain (28%), and dysphagia (23%). Autonomic neuropathy was frequent (43% clinician attributed; 23% via autonomic reflex testing) and contributed to dysmotility-related symptoms, often without GI biopsy positivity. Among 747 GI biopsies, mucosal infiltration predominated (71%) and was associated with bleeding (22% vs 9%), cachexia, and inferior survival, whereas vascular involvement was associated with lower bleeding risk. Combined involvement of mucosa, submucosa, and vessels conferred the worst prognosis (median overall survival [mOS], 2.4 vs 5.1 vs 7.8 years for 3 vs 2 vs 1 layer); mOS was 6.8 years and was primarily driven by cardiac stage and hematologic response (very good partial response [VGPR] or better: hazard ratio, 0.20; 95% CI 0.13-0.32), with more favorable outcomes in patients with isolated GI involvement. Cachexia and persistent diarrhea were the main drivers of morbidity, need for nutritional support, and GI-related mortality (odds ratio, 2.7 for the combined end point). GI bleeding rarely recurred after achieving VGPR or better. Overall, mucosal involvement, cachexia, and dysmotility define clinically meaningful GI AL and support systematic assessment of autonomic dysfunction as well as evaluation of the need for nutritional support as a GI-specific end point for AL trials.
Abstract 6467: Myeloma cells with therapy-induced senescence-like phenotype are associated with resistance to CAR-T therapy
Arbelaez, Sofia, Corraes, Andre de Menezes Silva, Wu, Chen , Schaefers, Christoph, Gupta, Malvika , Shao, Zuoyi, Regan, Kevin M., Kamal, Rayaan, Guilatco, Angelo Jose, Sannuli, Neal I., Li, Ying, Kourelis, T., Gonsalves, Wilson, Tan, Melinda, Abdallah, Nadine, Weivoda, Megan , Lin, Yi, Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Borges, Gabriel Álvares , Schaefers, Christoph , Kamal, Rayaan, Li, Ying, Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Gonsalves, Wilson I. , Binder, Moritz , Tan, Melinda, Abdallah, Nadine

Cancer Research | April 3, 2026 | Volume: 86 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 6467-6467

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-6467 Get It

Abstract Background: Patients (pts) with myeloma (MM) receiving CAR-T therapy have usually been exposed to many prior therapies. Melphalan (HDM) and other chemotherapies can induce cellular senescence. It has recently been shown that MM cells can also exhibit features of therapy-induced senescence (TIS). TIS tumor cells are associated with resistance to therapy and relapse. To investigate the presence of TIS MM cells prior to CAR-T and association with response, we examined the transcriptome and phenotype of MM prior to CAR-T. Method: We used scRNA-seq data from bone marrow (BM) MM cells: Boiarsky, et al. (GSE193531, dbGaP: phs001323.v3.p1) newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) pts; Dhodapkar, et al. (GSE210079), pre- and post CAR-T; pts who received CAR-T at Mayo Clinic, pre- (N=10) and post- (N=2). To evaluate TIS, single-cell gene set enrichment analysis (scGSEA) for several gene sets (PMID: 40164720): SenUp (Senescence Upregulated), SenGA (Senescence Growth Arrest), and SCAPs (Senescent Cell Anti-apoptosis Pathways); and a Plasma Cell Senescence (PCSen) gene set (GSE5900, GSE47552). To assess TIS and myeloid phenotype, BM MM cells (CD138+) were stained for CD14, CD16, KLRG1 and GPNMB and analyzed by CytoFlex and Kaluza. Results: In the integrated dataset, scGSEA showed significantly higher enrichment of PCSen, SenUp, SenGA, and SCAPs in late-stage MM cells (both pre- and post-CAR-T) compared to NDMM and healthy donors (p&lt;0.05, Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn’s posttest). Conversely, the Normal gene set was significantly enriched in healthy plasma cells relative to MM (p&lt;0.05). Expression of CDKN2A, which encodes the senescence marker p16, was also increased in late-stage MM relative to NDMM or healthy plasma cells. Notably, in our newly generated scRNA-seq samples collected within 6 months before CAR-T, a significant inverse correlation between senescence marker expression and progression free survival (PFS) post-CAR-T was seen, suggesting that MM cells exhibiting TIS may be more resistant to T cell mediated cytotoxicity. We found that 62.5% (25/40) of pts had &gt;1% MM cells that were CD14+. Among them, the median CD14+ MM cells were 5.5% (1-71%); and median CD14+CD16+ MM cells were 2.14% (0.4-67%). Among 7 pts with available samples for KLRG1 and GPNMB assessment, 100% (7/7) had KLRG+ MM cells (median: 59% (24-99%)) and 57% (4/7) had GPNMB+ MM cells (median: 15% (3.9-30%)), and KLRG1+GPNMB+ MM cells (median: 9.6% (3.8-17%)). Conclusion: Our study shows that late-line MM cells exhibit transcriptional and phenotype profiles consistent with TIS. This senescent phenotype may contribute to resistance to immunotherapies, including CAR-T. Additional phenotype data is collected and will be presented. A phase II clinical trial is ongoing (NCT06940297) to assess for the combined treatment with senolytic drugs dasatinib and quercetin peri-CART to deepen clinical response. Citation Format: Sofia Arbelaez, Andre De Menezes Silva Corraes, Gabriel Alvares Borges, Chen Wu, Christoph Schaefers, Malvika Gupta, Zuoyi Shao, Kevin Regan, Rayaan Kamal, Angelo Jose Guilatco, Neal I. Sannuli, Ying Li, Taxiarchis Kourelis, Wilson Gonsalves, Moritz Binder, Melinda Tan, Nadine Abdallah, Megan Weivoda, Yi Lin. Myeloma cells with therapy-induced senescence-like phenotype are associated with resistance to CAR-T therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 6467.
Abstract 6475: Myeloma cells with therapy-induced senescence-like phenotype have increased resistance to killing by T cell directed therapies
Schaefers, Christoph, Guilatco, Angelo Jose, Arbelaez, Sofia, Wu, Chen , Corraes, Andre de Menezes Silva, Gupta, Malvika , Shao, Zuoyi, Regan, Kevin M., Kamal, Rayaan, Sannuli, Neal I., Li, Ying, Kourelis, T., Gonsalves, Wilson, Tan, Melinda, Abdallah, Nadine, Lin, Yi, Weivoda, Megan , Schaefers, Christoph , Borges, Gabriel Álvares , Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Kourelis, Taxiarchis , Gonsalves, Wilson I. , Tan, Melinda, Abdallah, Nadine

Cancer Research | April 3, 2026 | Volume: 86 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 6475-6475

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-6475 Get It

Abstract Background: Therapy-induced senescence (TIS), a tumor cell state associated with distinct gene expression patterns and implicated in therapy resistance, may be activated in Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients (pt) by genotoxic chemotherapies, such as high-dose melphalan (HDM). We investigated whether TIS is activated in MM cells following chemotherapy and linked to resistance to T-cell directed therapies. Method: We integrated scRNA-seq data from healthy donors (CNTRL) and MM pts (newly-diagnosed (NDMM), pre/post-CAR-T) bone marrow plasma cells (PCs) using two public datasets (Boiarsky, et al.; Dhodapkar, et al.) and a newly generated pt dataset. Senescence was evaluated using scGSEA with published gene sets (SenUp, SenGA, and SCAPs). For in vitro MM cytotoxicity assay, human H929 MM cells were treated with vehicle (Veh) or HDM (3µM, IC90) for 6h and examined for TIS features. H929VEH or H929HDM were co-cultured with CNTRL T cells with or without teclistamab (Tec, 10 nM) or with day 14 PBMCs from MM pts post-CAR-T (E:T 5:1). CAR+ T cells were high among the day 14 PBMC (median±SD: 93.4±7.2% of CD3+ cells, n=6). Results: scGSEA revealed significantly higher enrichment of SenUp, SenGA, and SCAPs in late-stage MM cells compared to NDMM and CNTRL (p&lt;0.05). Expression of CDKN2A, encoding the senescence marker p16, was also increased in late-stage MM relative to NDMM/CNTRL PCs. Of interest, cells enriched for senescence also exhibited enrichment for myeloid markers (TET2, CEBP family). Notably, in pre-CAR-T, increased baseline senescence or myeloid marker expression showed an inverse association with CAR-T progression-free survival (PFS), suggesting TIS confers resistance to T cell mediated cytotoxicity. This may be due to myeloid plasticity. TIS MM cells generated in vitro, H929HDM, exhibited a distinct morphology characterized by increased cell size and enhanced cytoplasmic granularity. Increased CD14 expression was seen in 4 of the 6 experiments (median, range % increase: 11.2%, 2.5%-21%), consistent with myeloid plasticity; Increased KLRG1 expression was seen in 5 of the 7 experiments (median MFI ratio, range: 3.7, 1.3-471). No significant change was seen in GPNMB expression. Compared to H929VEH, H929HDM had a reduction in killing by CAR-T cells (median±SD: 22.8±32.94% n=6, p=0.016, Wilcoxon paired test). Similarly, H929HDM had a 10.69% decrease in Tec-mediated T-cell killing compared to H929VEH (n=8, p=0.02, Wilcoxon paired test). Conclusions: Late-stage MM cells exhibit transcriptional signatures consistent with TIS, which can be associated with decreased PFS to CAR-T. We report an in vitro model of TIS MM cells for testing of resistance to T cell killing. Based on these findings, a phase II trial (NCT06940297) is underway to test the hypothesis that peri-CAR-T senolytic therapy with dasatinib and quercetin will deepen responses by targeting this resistant TIS MM population. Citation Format: Christoph Schaefers, Angelo Jose Guilatco, Sofia Arbelaez, Gabriel Alvares Borges, Chen Wu, Andre de Menezes Silva Corraes, Malvika Gupta, Zuoyi Shao, Kevin Regan, Rayaan Kamal, Neal I. Sannuli, Ying Li, Taxiarchis Kourelis, Wilson Gonsalves, Melinda Tan, Nadine Abdallah, Yi Lin, Megan Weivoda. Myeloma cells with therapy-induced senescence-like phenotype have increased resistance to killing by T cell directed therapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 6475.
Abstract 2740: Applications of large language models to CAR-T cell therapy clinical data using Google cloud computing.
Jankowski, Matthew, Corraes, Andre de Menezes Silva, Gupta, Malvika , Shaw, Monica, Iqbal, Madiha , Chhabra, Saurabh, McLean, Jody, Riester, Kim R., Joseph, Kayla, Tan, Melinda, Ross, Holly, Barnett, Cleyonia, Carter, Sylvia L., Girmay, Semy, Wolan, Rachel M., Ramsey, Milana, Downhour, Christian, Morgan, Kristy, Sibley, Shae, Rushing, Erica C., Holmes, Lucy , Burgstahler, Allison R., Ansell, Stephen M., Hathcock, Matthew, Bruno, Ramona L., Johnston, Patrick B., Paludo, J., Lin, Yi, Guzman, Emmanuel Contreras , Jankowski, Matthew, Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Hilal, Talal , Chhabra, Saurabh , Parrondo, Ricardo D , Riester, Kimberly, Tan, Melinda, Holmes, Lucy, Ansell, Stephen M. , Alkhateeb, Hassan B. , Hathcock, Matthew , Rosenthal, Allison , Murthy, Hemant S. , Johnston, Patrick B, Paludo, Jonas

Cancer Research | April 3, 2026 | Volume: 86 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 2740-2740

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-2740 Get It

Abstract Large Language Models (LLM) are being widely adopted into the medical field for their impressive ability to analyze and summarize large amounts of text data. These models enable clinicians and researchers to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets and may assist with decision making. Here we present our workflows and application of LLM for the interpretation and summarization of clinical data related to CAR-T cell therapy. Using an LLM (Gemini 2.5 pro) in the Google Cloud Computing (GCP) environment, two applications were developed to analyze CAR-T cell therapy clinical data: 1) extracting and summarizing CRS and ICANS event-related data to streamline the compliance team workflow, and 2) identifying features available at time of CAR-T infusion able to classify patients into high- or low-monitoring needs 14 days post CAR-T. Patient data (vitals, labs, hematology notes, and EKGs) were extracted from the electronic medical record (EMR) using Google BigQuery into SQL tables in GCP. For each application, relevant data fields were retrieved, formatted into JSON objects, and embedded in the LLM prompt for context-aware processing. Both applications have undergone iterative prompt engineering after analyzing the LLM output against ground truth data in the EMR. For the application extracting and summarizing CRS and ICANS events, the LLM was optimized on Mayo Clinic Rochester data. When compared to the IEC compliance database, the LLM achieved 100% accuracy and F1 score for CRS events, and 96% accuracy and 82% F1 score for ICANS events. The match rate for CRS and ICANS grades were 83% and 89% respectively. We applied the same LLM to Mayo Clinic Arizona (MCA) and Mayo Clinic Florida (MCF) cases, who document clinical notes and toxicity flowsheet differently, and achieved an accuracy (MCA: 93%, MCF:93%) and F1 score (MCA: 96%, MCF: 96%) for CRS and accuracy (MCA: 81%, MCF:82%) and F1 score (MCA: 76%, MCF: 75%) for ICANS. LLM was able to capture events missed by manual reviews. For most of the discrepancies where compliance team final adjudication is needed, LLM will be updated to flag discrepancies for review by the compliance team. For the application related to the monitoring needs 14 days post CAR-T, the LLM identified 5 categories predictive of high or low monitoring needs post CAR-T infusion (disease status, inflammatory and tumor burden markers, hematologic status, renal function and performance status). Our model achieved a sensitivity of 85.7%, specificity of 23.8%, and F1 score of 65.5% for our first cohort, compared with data extracted by the LLM from the EMR. For our second cohort, with demographics statistically similar to cohort 1 and using the same 5 categories, the LLM achieved a sensitivity of 83.3%, a specificity of 28.6%, and F1 score of 65.4%. Our workflow and applications of LLM’s provide examples and guidance to others interested in applying LLM’s for clinical and research applications. Citation Format: Emmanuel Contreras Guzman, Matthew Jankowski, Andre De Menezes Silva Corraes, Malvika Gupta, Monica L. Shaw, Madiha Iqbal, Talal Hilal, Saurabh Chhabra, Ricardo Daniel Parrondo, Jody K. Mclean, Kim R. Riester, Kayla Joseph, Melinda Tan, Holly Ross, Cleyonia Barnett, Sylvia Carter, Semy Girmay, Rachel Wolan, Milana Ramsey, Christian Downhour, Kristy Morgan, Shae Sibley, Erica Rushing, Lucy Holmes, Allison Burgstahler, Stephen M. Ansell, Hassan Alkhateeb, Matthew Hathcock, Ramona Bruno, Allison C. Rosenthal, Hemant Murthy, Patrick B. Johnston, Jonas Paludo, Yi Lin. Applications of large language models to CAR-T cell therapy clinical data using Google cloud computing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 2740.
Abstract 3278: Metabolic pathway signatures defining response to CD19 CAR T-Cell therapy in aggressive B-cell non-hodgkin lymphoma
Tan, Melinda S.Y., Wang, Panwen , Corraes, Andre de Menezes Silva, Wu, Chen , Shao, Zuoyi, Regan, Kevin M., Audrey, Ma, Khurana, Arushi , Benanni, Nora N, Wang, Y., Hampel, P., Paludo, J., Kenderian, Saad J., Johnston, Patrick B., Villasboas, Jose Caetano, Ansell, Stephen M., Li, Ying , dong, Haidong, Zeng, Hu, Lin, Yi, Mondello, Patrizia , Turner, Jacqueline A. , Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Ma, Audrey, Wang, Yucai , Hampel, Paul J. , Paludo, Jonas , Durani, Urshila , Johnston, Patrick B, Ansell, Stephen M. , Dong, Haidong , Zeng, Hu

Cancer Research | April 3, 2026 | Volume: 86 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 3278-3278

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-3278 Get It

Abstract Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy achieves high response rates in relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, yet only 40% of patients achieve durable remission. Identifying biological programs linked to long-term response remains critical. As metabolic fitness underlies T-cell persistence and effector function, we profiled metabolic pathways associated with clinical outcomes following commercial CD19 CAR T-cell therapy. Single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected at baseline (BL), peak CAR-T expansion (PK), and one-month post-infusion (M1) was analyzed using CellRanger v7.0.1, immunopipe. Seurat v4.3.0 was applied for unsupervised clustering to delineate cell subsets based on top differentially expressed genes. Patients were categorized as durable complete remission (CR ≥6 months; n = 16), primary refractory (PD1; n = 4), or relapse after initial response (PD2; n = 12). Gene-set enrichment analysis defined metabolic pathway activity across T-cell, monocyte, dendritic cell (DC), and natural killer (NK) subsets. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) emerged as the dominant metabolic program distinguishing clinical outcomes. At BL and PK, OXPHOS was consistently enriched in PD1 relative to CR across T-cell, monocyte, and DC subsets, suggesting early oxidative activation in non-responders. By M1, this pattern inverted, with higher OXPHOS activity in CR. PD2 largely paralleled PD1, but several subsets including CD8 T central memory, classical monocytes TGFβ, intermediate monocytes CD38, monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell (mMDSC) HIF1A, and mMDSC SIRPA, showed OXPHOS enrichment in CR at BL and/or PK that persisted through M1. In contrast, DC and NK subsets exhibited the opposite pattern: OXPHOS was enriched in CR at PK (conventional DC 2 (cDC2), plasmacytoid DC (pDC), NK, proliferating NK), but shifted toward enrichment in PD2 at M1 (cDC2, NK, NK CD56bright). Glycolysis (GLY) followed a similar trajectory in monocytes and NK cells, with enrichment in PD1/PD2 at BL and PK, followed by enrichment in CR at M1. In T-cells, PD1 maintained GLY enrichment from BL through PK, with no significant differences observed at M1. The inositol-phosphate metabolism pathway showed a more static pattern and was consistently enriched in multiple PD2 effector and memory T-cell subsets without reversal at M1. Taken together, these data reveal distinct, lineage-specific metabolic signatures that differentiate durable remission from early and late progression. Dynamic OXPHOS and GLY programming, characterized by lower activity early and enhanced activity at M1 in CR, may reflect adaptive metabolic programming that supports sustained antitumor immunity. Immune-metabolic profiling may therefore serve as a biomarker of response and highlight actionable metabolic pathways to enhance CAR T-cell durability. Citation Format: Melinda S.Y. Tan, Panwen Wang, Patrizia Mondello, Jacqueline Turner, Andre de Menezes Silva Corraes, Chen Wu, Zuoyi Shao, Kevin Regan, Ma Audrey, Arushi Khurana, Nora N. Benanni, Yucai Wang, Paul Hampel, Jonas Paludo, Saad J. Kenderian, Urshila Durani, Patrick B. Johnston, Jose Caetano Villasboas, Stephen M. Ansell, Ying Li, Haidong Dong, Hu Zeng, Yi Lin. Metabolic pathway signatures defining response to CD19 CAR T-Cell therapy in aggressive B-cell non-hodgkin lymphoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 3278.
Abstract 1213: Mitochondrial transcriptome profiles associated with clinical responses to CAR-T therapy in aggressive lymphoma.
Wang, Panwen , Tan, Melinda, Schaefers, Christoph, Wu, Chen , Corraes, Andre de Menezes Silva, Regan, Kevin M., Shao, Zuoyi, Audrey, Ma, Khurana, Arushi , Benanni, Nora N, Wang, Y., Hampel, P., Kenderian, Saad J., Paludo, J., Johnston, Patrick B., Villasboas, Jose Caetano, Ansell, Stephen M., dong, Haidong, Li, Ying, Hu, Zeng , Lin, Yi, Turner, Jacqueline A. , Mondello, Patrizia , Tan, Melinda, Schaefers, Christoph , Corraes, Andre De Menezes Silva , Ma, Audrey, Wang, Yucai , Hampel, Paul J. , Paludo, Jonas , Durani, Urshila , Johnston, Patrick B, Ansell, Stephen M. , Dong, Haidong

Cancer Research | April 3, 2026 | Volume: 86 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 1213-1213

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-1213 Get It

Abstract Introduction: Therapeutic outcomes in B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B-NHL) have substantially improved with the introduction of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. Yet, persistent immune dysfunction and underlying metabolic dysregulation remain major obstacles to achieving durable clinical responses in B-NHL. We hypothesize that mitochondrial pathways play a critical role in mediating anti-tumor immunity during CAR-T therapy. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from healthy controls (CNTRL, n=5) and patients with advanced stage lymphoma (LYM) who received FDA approved CAR-T (n=32). Samples were collected before lymphodepletion (BL), at peak CAR-T expansion (PK) and one-month post-infusion (M1). Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to interrogate differential mitochondrial gene expression. Samples were obtained from LYM patients with complete remission for &gt;6 months (CR), primary refractory (PD1), or relapsed (PD2) disease. Results: Compared to CNTRLs, LYM patients exhibited reduced expression of cytochrome c oxidase. At BL, CR patients demonstrated broader mitochondrial differential gene expression across all T-cell subsets relative to PD1 and PD2 and showed higher expression of MT-ATP-6, MT-ATP-8, and MT-CO3. Following CAR-T infusion, global mitochondrial gene expression increased across patients corresponding with expansion of CD8 effector T cells (Tem tumor circulating) and activated peripheral memory T cells (Tpm). Certain mitochondrial genes, such as MT-CO1, were durably expressed across LYM patients at BL, PK, and M1 in peripheral and central memory T cells (Tpm, Tcm). At PK, cytochrome c oxidase and ATP synthase genes were upregulated in CR Tpm and Tcm. At M1, MT-ATP-6, MT-ATP-8, MT-CO3 were significantly upregulated in CD8 memory precursor effector T-cells (MPECs) of CR patients compared to both PD1 and PD2. While CR and PD2 patients appeared clinically responsive at M1, CR samples maintained significantly higher MT-ATP-8 expression across T cell subsets (CD8 MPECS, Tpm, Tcm) compared to PD2 (p values 0.008; &lt;0.0001; &lt;0.0001). Conclusions: We report a temporal shift in immunometabolism with CAR-T therapy in LYM. Clinical responders exhibited sustained mitochondrial activity characterized by persistent expression of ATP synthase in CD8 MPECs and cytochrome c oxidase in Tpm and Tcm. In sum, mitochondrial programming may distinguish effective versus dysfunctional T cells and identify targets for therapeutic development. Citation Format: Jacqueline Turner, Panwen Wang, Patrizia Mondello, Melinda Tan, Christoph Schaefers, Chen Wu, Andre de Menezes Silva Corraes, Kevin Regan, Zuoyi Shao, Ma Audrey, Arushi Khurana, Nora N. Benanni, Yucai Wang, Paul Hampel, Saad J. Kenderian, Jonas Paludo, Urshila Durani, Patrick B. Johnston, Jose Caetano Villasboas, Stephen M. Ansell, Haidong Dong, Ying Li, Zeng Hu, Yi Lin. Mitochondrial transcriptome profiles associated with clinical responses to CAR-T therapy in aggressive lymphoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 1213.