Mantis, Christine

Abstract Background Etentamig is a second-generation B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) x CD3 bispecific antibody that has shown promising efficacy and a favorable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Etentamig possesses a unique combination of 2 high-affinity BCMA binding domains, coupled to a low-affinity CD3 binding domain that have been shown to reduce the negative impact of soluble BCMA (sBCMA), decrease risk for cytokine release syndrome (CRS), and drive sustained T-cell activation with reduced immune exhaustion in preclinical models of MM (Blood 2023;142 [suppl 1]:4666). Here, we describe correlative biomarker analyses from Phase 1 (NCT03933735) and Phase 1b (NCT05650632) clinical trials of etentamig in RRMM designed to assess the impact of sBCMA on clinical response and pharmacodynamic changes in proinflammatory cytokines, and T-cell redistribution, activation, proliferation, and exhaustion. Methods Peripheral blood and serum samples from patients with RRMM enrolled in Phase 1 and Phase 1b open-label studies who received etentamig monotherapy were collected at baseline, on treatment, and at disease progression. The Phase 1b study consisted of dose-optimization (DO) and dose-expansion (DE) phases. During DO, patients received a single step-up dose (SUD) of intravenous etentamig (2 or 4 mg) on Cycle (C) 1 Day (D) 1, followed by the target dose of 60 mg on D4. In DE, based on DO findings, patients received the recommended etentamig SUD (2 mg) on C1D1, followed by 60 mg on D4 with modified dexamethasone predosing. Samples were analyzed by flow cytometry for immune cell populations, Luminex® for cytokines, and electrochemiluminescence for sBCMA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) at baseline and on-treatment were subjected to single-cell Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes sequencing (scCITEseq) and single-cell T-cell receptors (scTCR) / B-cell receptors clonality analyses. Results While baseline serum sBCMA levels did not correlate with clinical response to etentamig at the selected dose level of 60 mg every 4 weeks (Q4W) with 2 mg SUD, a reduction in sBCMA levels over time was associated with best International Myeloma Working Group response. Etentamig treatment led to a rapid and transient increase of proinflammatory cytokines and promoted T-cell redistribution, activation, and proliferation. Maximum reduction in peak levels of CRS-related cytokines, including (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor–a), were observed in DE compared with DO and 60 mg Q4W without SUD. Peak induction levels of proinflammatory cytokines during C1 correlated with occurrence of CRS (≥Grade [G] 1) as well as clinical response across dose levels. A modified dexamethasone premedication schedule of 2 mg/60 mg Q4W cohort for C1 resulted in significantly reduced baseline levels of IL-6 and key macrophage-associated cytokine/chemokines (eg, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-3 beta). Incidence of CRS was lowest in the 2 mg/60 mg Q4W cohort (26% G1, 4% G2, 0% ≥G3). Higher T-cell to myeloma cell ratio in BMMCs at baseline correlated with better response to etentamig. scCITEseq and scTCR analysis revealed that at baseline, responders also had greater CD8+ T-cell cytotoxic activities, increased TCR clonality, and elevated inflammatory signatures in T-cells from both peripheral blood and bone marrow. Etentamig at a dosage of 60 mg Q4W resulted in significant clonal expansion of CD8+ effector T-cells and enhanced gene expression signatures related to activation and cytotoxicity in both CD8+ T effector and natural killer cells. Along treatment cycles, responders maintained their T-cell fitness, high clonality, and low T-cell exhaustion levels. Frequency of baseline CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell exhaustion (programmed cell death receptor 1+/ T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 +) did not impact clinical response at optimal dose level of 2 mg/60 mg Q4W etentamig. Conclusions Responses to etentamig were independent of baseline sBCMA levels and resulted in rapid and transient proinflammatory cytokine production that promoted robust T-cell redistribution, activation, and proliferation indicating that the optimal dose of etentamig (2 mg/60 mg Q4W) maximizes its clinical potential as a convenient, safe, and effective therapy for MM.

7532 Background: ABBV-383 is a BCMA x CD3 bispecific antibody with 2 high-affinity BCMA-binding domains and a low-affinity CD3 engaging arm that has been shown to decrease the negative impact of soluble BCMA (sBCMA) and drive sustained T-cell activation with reduced cytokine release in preclinical models of MM. Here, we describe correlative biomarker results of baseline and longitudinal sBCMA levels and immune profiles in the ongoing first-in-human trial that supports 60 mg Q4W as the optimal therapeutic dose of ABBV-383 monotherapy. Methods: Peripheral blood and serum samples from patients with RRMM enrolled in the phase 1 open-label, dose-expansion study (NCT03933735) who received ABBV-383 at 20, 40, or 60 mg Q3W or 60 mg Q4W were collected at baseline (post-dexamethasone, pre–ABBV-383), on treatment, and at disease progression. Samples were analyzed by flow cytometry for immune cell populations, Luminex for cytokines, and electrochemiluminescence ligand binding for sBCMA. Results: Median sBCMA levels at baseline were highly variable among patients, but did not associate with clinical response (≥ partial response [PR]) to ABBV-383 at the selected optimal dose level of 60 mg Q4W (<PR: 244.7 ng/mL; ≥PR: 52.2 ng/mL; P=0.13). Reduction in sBCMA levels over time associated with clinical response (Cmin at cycle 5: <PR, 244.7 ng/mL; ≥PR, 4.7 ng/mL; P=0.04). ABBV-383 treatment led to a rapid and transient increase of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α (Cmax within cycle 1: 29, 349.5, 1375, 456.5 pg/mL, respectively), and promoted T-cell redistribution (89% reduction of CD8+ T cells from periphery), activation (1.9-fold increase in CD69+CD8+ T cells), and proliferation (2-fold increase in Ki67+CD8+ T cells) within cycle 1 in 60-mg Q4W-treated patients. The frequency of baseline CD8+ T-cell exhaustion (PD-1/TIM3) did not impact clinical response at the optimal dose level of 60 mg Q4W ABBV-383 (<PR: 3.5%; ≥PR: 3.9%; P=0.9). Peak induction levels of proinflammatory cytokines during cycle 1 correlated with occurrence of cytokine release syndrome (≥G1) as well as clinical response across dose levels. Conclusions: High-avidity BCMA binding coupled to low-affinity T-cell engagement distinguishes the resulting mechanism of action for ABBV-383. Responses to 60 mg Q4W ABBV-383 were independent of baseline sBCMA levels and resulted in rapid and transient proinflammatory cytokine production that promoted robust T-cell redistribution, activation, and proliferation, indicating that the optimal dose of ABBV-383 maximizes its clinical potential as a convenient, safe, and effective therapy for MM. Clinical trial information: NCT03933735 .

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal plasma cell malignancy characterized by a complex genomic landscape with molecular and clinical heterogeneity. Venetoclax (Ven) is a selective, potent, oral BCL-2 inhibitor currently under investigation as a potential targeted therapy for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (RR) MM. Using a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based approach, the mutational landscape and gene expression profile (GEP) of patients (pts) with RRMM in BELLINI was evaluated for potential impact on observed clinical outcomes in key biomarker subgroups. Methods: BELLINI (NCT02755597) is a randomized, double-blind, multicenter Phase 3 study of bortezomib + dexamethasone (Bd) + either Ven or placebo (Pbo) in pts with RRMM who received 1-3 prior therapies and were sensitive or naïve to proteasome inhibitors. Pts were randomized 2:1 to receive Ven 800 mg/d or Pbo + Bd. The following biomarker analyses were performed by central laboratory assessments of CD138-enriched bone marrow mononuclear cells collected at baseline: BCL2 gene expression by quantitative PCR (qPCR), cytogenetic abnormalities by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), identification of somatic mutations by whole-exome sequencing (WES), and transcriptomic analysis by RNA sequencing (RNAseq). Correlation between mutational status, BCL2high status (Harrison et al. Blood. 2019:134 suppl:142), cytogenetics, GEP, and survival outcomes were examined by pairwise t-test and by hazard ratio (HR) from Cox proportional hazard model. Results: As of the data cutoff (13 Sep 2019), 291 pts were randomized (194 to Ven and 97 to Pbo); 262 pts (90.0%) were evaluable by FISH, 257 pts (88.3%) by qPCR, 197 pts (67.7%) by WES, and 184 pts (63.2%) by RNAseq. The mutational landscape of evaluable pts was highly heterogeneous (Figure 1A). MAPK pathway mutations were the most prevalent (62/197 pts; 31.5%); however, recurrent mutations in the NF-kB pathway (TRAF3 or CYLD) were also observed (12/197 pts; 6.1%). Within the MAPK pathway, the most frequently mutated genes were KRAS (39/197 pts; 19.8%), NRAS (8/197 pts; 4.1%), BRAF (8/197 pts; 4.1%), and NF1 (12/197 pts; 6.1%). Although a higher rate of pts with a MAPK mutation was observed in the t(11;14) and BCL2high subgroup compared to pts without these biomarkers (39/101 pts [38.6%] vs 23/95 pts [24.2%]; P=.04), improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) with Ven+Bd was observed in pts with (HR=0.08; 95% CI, 0.02-0.31; P&lt;.001) or without (HR, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.16-0.63]; P=.001) a MAPK pathway mutation. High somatic mutation loads are associated with increased genomic instability, resistance to therapy, and decreased overall survival (OS) in MM. High tumor mutation burden (TMB), defined as ≥20 mutations/megabase of sequenced DNA, was observed in 12/197 pts (6.1%). Although there were a limited number of high TMB pts, reduced PFS (HR, 4.55 [95% CI, 2.33-8.88]; P&lt;.001) and OS (HR, 3.89 [95% CI, 1.76-8.56]; P&lt;.001) compared to low TMB pts was observed regardless of treatment arm. WES detected a recurrent BCL2 mutation (Ala43Thr) in 15/197 pts (7.6%). This BCL2 mutation has not previously been identified in MM and did not appear to affect survival outcomes among pts in either arm. Supervised clustering of RNAseq data grouped pts into respective MM GEP (Zhan et al. Blood. 2006;108:2020) at the following frequencies: CD-1 (2.7%), CD-2 (8.2%), HY (40.2%), MF (1.6%), MS (10.9%), LB (5.4%), and PR (31.0%). As shown in Figure 1B, 16/20 pts (80%) allocated to the CD-1/CD-2 cluster had a t(11;14) mutation, but 17/20 pts (85%) and 2/3 pts (67%) in MS and MF GEP groups had t(4;14) or t(14;16) mutations, respectively. The HY GEP group was primarily (56/74 pts; 76%) hyperdiploid by FISH. Though a higher rate of pts with a HY GEP (50/98 pts [51.0%] vs 24/86 pts [27.9%]; P&lt;.001) and a lower rate of PR GEP (11/98 pts [11.2%] vs 46/86 pts [53.5%]; P&lt;.001) were observed in the t(11;14) and BCL2high subgroups compared with non-t(11;14) and BCL2low subgroups, respectively, improvement in PFS with Ven+Bd was independent of GEP classification. Conclusion: Using an integrative approach of genomic and transcriptomic profiling, response to Ven+Bd in key biomarker subgroups was shown to be independent of concurrent mutations in key oncogenic signaling pathways and GEPs known to be prognostic in MM; however, high mutation load appears to be a clinically relevant risk factor that negatively affects survival in MM. Disclosures O'Dwyer: Celgene: Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); BMS: Research Funding; Carrick Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Janssen: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); AbbVie: Consultancy; ONK Therapeutics: Consultancy, Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding. Spencer:Roche: Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pharmamar: Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Secura Bio: Consultancy, Honoraria; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; HaemaLogiX: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Kumar:Janssen Oncology: Other: Research funding for clinical trials to the institution, Consulting/Advisory Board participation with no personal payments; Celgene/BMS: Other: Research funding for clinical trials to the institution, Consulting/Advisory Board participation with no personal payments; Takeda: Other: Research funding for clinical trials to the institution, Consulting/Advisory Board participation with no personal payments; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Tenebio: Other, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Other: Independent Review Committee; IRC member; Kite Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Other: Research funding for clinical trials to the institution, Consulting/Advisory Board participation with no personal payments; Amgen: Consultancy, Other: Research funding for clinical trials to the institution, Consulting/Advisory Board participation with no personal payments, Research Funding; Genecentrix: Consultancy; Cellectar: Other; MedImmune: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Sanofi: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Carsgen: Other, Research Funding; Dr. Reddy's Laboratories: Honoraria; Genentech/Roche: Other: Research funding for clinical trials to the institution, Consulting/Advisory Board participation with no personal payments; Novartis: Research Funding. Popat:AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel support, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria. Moreau:Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Dail:Genentech: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Jalaluddin:AbbVie: Current Employment, Other: may hold stock or stock options. Yang:Abbvie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Lu:AbbVie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Zha:Abbvie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dunbar:Abbvie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Vishwamitra:AbbVie, Inc.: Current Employment, Other: may hold stock or other options. Mantis:Abbvie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Melhem-Bertrandt:AbbVie: Current Employment; Astellas: Ended employment in the past 24 months. Ross:AbbVie: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Harrison:F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; CRISPR Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Patents & Royalties: wrt panobinostat; Janssen: Honoraria; Haemalogix: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria.