Citations 200

Abstract 1497: Long-read RNA-Seq reveals a novel isoform landscape of SRSF2 -mutant chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

Cancer Research | April 3, 2026 | Volume: 86 | Issue: 7_Supplement | Pages: 1497-1497

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-1497

Abstract While missense somatic mutations in the serine/arginine rich splicing factor 2 (SRSF2) occur early in the clonal development of myeloid neoplasms, they are uniquely enriched in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), an MDS/MPN overlap neoplasm, where their estimated prevalence is ∼50%. Short-read RNA-sequencing experiments have demonstrated that missense alterations of the proline 95 residue hotspot (SRSF2P95) globally dysregulate exon inclusion, though the full transcript structures induced by such alternative splicing events remain uncharacterized. Given the striking enrichment of SRSF2 mutations in CMML, we hypothesized that there exist unique splicing alterations contributing to the biology of this disease, and sought to profile the landscape of alternative transcription induced by SRSF2 mutations in CMML using long-read RNA-Seq. We conducted bulk long-read RNA-Seq on bone marrow mononuclear cells from 5 CMML patients with SRSF2P95H (n=3) and SRSF2P95L (n=2) mutations, with VAFs ranging 20-48%, along with 5 CMML splicing factor wildtype patients. Libraries were prepared with the Pacbio Kinnex full-length RNA kit and sequenced on a Revio SPRQ sequencer. Reads were processed and aligned using the IsoSeq pipeline, and isoform collapsing, quality control, reference comparison, and quantification were performed with IsoQuant and SQANTI3. Differential transcript and gene expression was assessed with DESeq2, while differential transcript usage was assessed with the DRIM-Seq and stageR packages. After long-read collapsing and quality control, we identified 255,505 unique transcript isoforms, of which 14,845 (∼5.8%) were novel to the reference transcriptome annotation (GENCODE v39). We identified 23 transcripts differentially expressed in SRSF2-mutant samples, including 9 novel transcripts, the majority of which (n=7) were upregulated in SRSF2-mutant cases. A higher number of transcripts (n=80) and genes (n=65) demonstrated significant changes in proportional transcript usage. Among transcripts with increased expression and usage in SRSF2-mutant cases, we identified a novel transcript of the gene YBX1, which encodes an RNA- and DNA-binding transcription factor required for cell survival and self-renewal in myeloid neoplasms. This novel transcript, which we termed YBX1ΔEx4, has an in-frame loss of exon 4, and is predicted to encode a full-length protein missing a 30 amino acid region of the cold-shock (DNA-binding) domain. Using short read RNA-Seq data from an additional 29 CMML patients, as well as an independent dataset (GSE251806) comprising 43 blast-phase CMML patients, we confirmed increased exclusion of YBX1 exon 4 in SRSF2-mutant cases, with an even greater loss of exon 4 in blast-phase SRSF2-mutant cases. We hypothesize an important role of this isoform in CMML disease progression and are currently performing functional studies to characterize the effect of YBX1ΔEx4. Citation Format: Nickolas Steinauer, Terra Lasho, Christy Finke, Pankaj Pradeep, Jenna Fernandez, Alejandro Ferrer, Moritz Binder, Abhishek Mangaonkar, Mrinal M. Patnaik, . Long-read RNA-Seq reveals a novel isoform landscape of SRSF2-mutant chronic myelomonocytic leukemia [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 1497.
Abstract 6467: Myeloma cells with therapy-induced senescence-like phenotype are associated with resistance to CAR-T therapy

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

10.1158/1538-7445.am2026-6467

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<0.05, Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn’s posttest). Conversely, the Normal gene set was significantly enriched in healthy plasma cells relative to MM (p<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 >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.
Biomarkers of Cellular Senescence and their Association with Frailty, Clinical Outcomes, and Survival in Multiple Myeloma

No container title available | March 19, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.21203/rs.3.rs-8605152/v1 | PMID 41890848

Abstract Frailty predicts adverse outcomes in multiple myeloma (MM), yet an objective frailty biomarker is lacking. Circulating senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors correlate with frailty and adverse outcomes in chronic diseases, but their relevance in MM is unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between 36 plasma SASP factors, frailty, and clinical outcomes in: (1) a historical cohort using stored specimens from 59 patients with newly diagnosed MM, and (2) a prospective cohort of 36 patients initiating new MM treatment. Several SASP factors were significantly associated with frailty after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index; GDF-15, TNF-RI, IL-6, and IL-8 showed positive correlations with both cumulative-deficit based and physical frailty indices. Additionally, significant age-adjusted associations were observed between SASP factors and treatment outcomes, including overall survival (OS), high-grade toxicity, and healthcare utilization. We developed a 5-factor SASP model that demonstrated superior predictive performance for OS compared to chronological age, R-ISS stage, and clinical frailty, and TNF-RI alone (5-year OS AUC: 0.90). These findings highlight the association between senescence biomarkers and frailty and OS, and support further investigation of SASP factors as objective frailty biomarkers in MM.
Cytogenetics-based Clinical Trajectories in Patients with MRD Negativity Post Autologous Transplant for Multiple Myeloma

No container title available | January 20, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.21203/rs.3.rs-8586124/v1

Abstract Measurable residual disease (MRD) assessment has become central to risk-adapted treatment strategies in multiple myeloma, yet the prognostic value of MRD negativity following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) across individual high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (HRCAs) remains unclear. We analyzed 351 newly diagnosed patients who achieved MRD negativity (sensitivity 2.4×10 − 6 ) at Day 100 following ASCT and had baseline cytogenetic data available. Median follow-up was 50.4 months. Standard-risk cytogenetics were present in 46% (n = 162), while 34% (n = 118) had one HRCA and 20% (n = 71) had ≥ 2 HRCAs. Despite uniform MRD negativity, several HRCAs continued to confer inferior progression-free survival (PFS). Compared with the standard-risk group (4-year PFS 84%), patients with del(17p), 1q21+, t(4;14), or MAF translocations [t(14;16)/t(14;20)] had significantly lower 4-year PFS rates: 56% (HR 2.89; p = 0.0001), 60% (HR 2.46; p = 0.0001), 43% (HR 3.50; p = 0.0001), and 58% (HR 2.51; p = 0.01), respectively. Isolated del(17p) and 1q21 + also conferred inferior PFS. The 4-year PFS was 65% for patients with one HRCA (HR 2.31; p = 0.0004) and 55% for those with ≥ 2 HRCAs (HR 2.75; p = 0.0001). In this large MRD-negative post-ASCT cohort, several HRCAs, including isolated HRCAs, remained clinically meaningful drivers of inferior PFS, highlighting that early MRD negativity does not uniformly mitigate the impact of high-risk biology.
AI multimodal large language model on CAR-T pre-leukapheresis evaluation to predict monitoring needs post infusion for early dismissal planning

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 6131-6131

10.1182/blood-2025-6131

Abstract Introduction: CAR-T therapy has transformed cancer therapy. with its first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved product in August 2017. Given the expanding indications and growing experience, particularly with management of immediate toxicities requiring specialized expertise such as Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), FDA recently removed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for CD19 and BCMA targeting CAR-T on June 26th2025. In particular, given that CRS and ICANS typically occur in the first 2 weeks post CAR-T infusion, the minimum required stay near CAR-T treatment center is reduced from one month to 2 weeks. While this could reduce treatment burden for patients (pts) who need to travel away from home to receive CAR-T, there is a need to update the transition of care from CAR-T center to pts' local oncology practice. Pts carry in their rate of recovery and have varying supportive care needs in the second half of the month post CAR-T infusion. To assist with care transition and planning, we examine the use of AI multimodal large language model (LLM) to predict patients' supportive care needs 2 weeks after CAR-T infusion based on the clinical data at the time of CAR-T evaluation, prior to leukapheresis. This timepoint was selected to also maximize travel, lodging and caregiver planning for pts and family as well. Methodology: Pts who were treated with FDA-approved CAR-T at Mayo Clinic Rochester between December 2022 and June 2025 were examined. Based on experiences with referral practices in the Midwest region, we defined patients with high monitoring needs as those who between day 14-30 post CAR-T had either hospital admission due to recurrent CRS or ICANS or required transfusion of more than 1 blood product per week (red blood cell or platelets). Others were classified as low monitoring needs. Clinical notes, labs, vital signs and electrocardiogram at the time of CAR-T evaluation were abstracted and summarized by Gemini LLM for association with patients with high versus low monitoring needs post CAR-T. Model was developed and tested for predicted needs and concordance with actual outcome of these pts. Results: Among the 362 pts who received FDA approved CAR-T in the timeframe, 84 pts had high monitoring needs. An additional 84 pts with low monitoring needs were randomly selected from 278 pts. These were divided into a training cohort and test cohort of 84 pts each, with 42 pts with high and 42 pts with low monitoring needs. Demographics of the two cohorts displayed no statistical difference. LLM analysis of the clinical data at the time of CAR-T eval identified 5 categories associated with risk for high monitoring needs: 1) Disease status (clinical notes about bulky, progressive disease or CNS involvement); 2) inflammatory and tumor burden markers (CRP, LDH); 3) hematologic status (platelet, plt; neutrophil count ANC); 4) renal function; 5) performance status. Using common clinical lab parameter convention (platelets <100, ANC< 1, CrCl< 30ml/min), and prioritizing for not missing pts with high monitoring needs, LLM model was defined to predict patients for high monitoring needs if high risk feature was identified in category 1 or any category combinations; whereas patients with no high risk feature or only 1 category that is not disease status was predicted as low monitoring needs. In this model, the sensitivity was 85.7%, specificity 23.8%, F1 score 65.5%. Applying this model to test cohort 2, the sensitivity was 83.3%, specificity 28.6%, and F1 score 65.4%. Discussion: We demonstrate proof-of-concept that LLM can be used to analyze clinical data at the time of evaluation for CAR-T eligibility to predict for supportive care needs post treatment. Not surprisingly, features identified by LLM to be associated with high monitoring needs are those previously reported by us and others at the time of CAR-T evaluation and or pre-lymphodepletion to be associated with risk for cytopenia, infection, hospitalization and non-relapse mortality. Based on the summary output generated by LLM, additional opportunities for classification methods were identified to improve specificity and balanced accuracy of the LLM model. This is a promising tool for further development to assist clinicians and patients to plan their treatment journey.
Real-world (RW) outcomes of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients (pts) treated with front-line daratumumab (dara), bortezomib (bor), lenalidomide (len) and dexamethasone (dex) (DVRd)

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 4585-4585

10.1182/blood-2025-4585

Abstract Background: The phase II and III GRIFFIN and PERSEUS studies evaluated DVRd vs. VRd in NDMM pts that were transplant eligible (TE). These studies included consolidation (cons) and dual agent maintenance (maint) with dara and len (DR). Little is known about the efficacy of DVRd in RW practice including frequency of bor use, use of cons, use of DR maint, and subsequent treatment after progression (PD) on DVRd. We aim to evaluate the RW efficacy of NDMM pts treated with DVRd across the tri-site Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer (MCCC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of pts treated with DVRd between June 2018 and June 2024 at the MCCC. Outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: 464 pts were included; 278 pts were male, and the median (m) age of MM diagnosis was 64 years (yr). 114 pts had ISS III, 205 pts had R-ISS III, 266 pts had high risk (HR) FISH, 80 pts had extramedullary disease, 165 pts had ultra HR disease (dz) (as per 2025 IMS/IMWG consensus), and 47 pts had renal insufficiency (RI) with creatinine >2 mg/dL. Starting len dose was 25mg in 356 pts, 15 mg in 40 pts and ≤10mg in 65 pts. 399 pts received bor 1x per week and 63 2x per week, 91 pts received 1-2 cycles of a different regimen prior to DVRd due to hospitalization (n=23), RI (n=38), poor performance status (n=6), other (n=34). 315 (67.9%) pts underwent autologous transplant (ASCT). The m number of induction cycles was 5; 4 for pts who underwent ASCT and 6 for pts who did not. The best ORR to induction for pts who underwent ASCT was 98% with 247 (79%) achieving ≥VGPR, and 82 (26%) achieving minimal residual disease negativity (MRD-) to at least 10-5. The best ORR for pts who did not undergo ASCT was 87%. For those who underwent ASCT, (96% with melphalan 200mg/m2), the ORR at day 100 was 97% with 56% achieving MRD-. At 1-yr post ASCT, 30% (93/312) were MRD-. 42 pts (13%) received post ASCT cons with DVRd for a m of 2 cycles. 281 pts received post ASCT maint including 107 (38%) len, 53 (19%) bor-len, 91 (32%) dara-len, 14 (5%) dara, 16 (6%) other. 61(13%) pts had change in treatment, due to change to second line therapy (35; 55%), discontinuation (d/c) of len (11; 17%), d/c of dara (3; 5%), d/c of bor (15; 23%), d/c of dex (0; 0%). The m follow-up time for all pts was 26 months (mo) (17-39). The m PFS of pts who underwent ASCT was not reached (NR), and was 57 mo (52-NA) for pts who did not undergo ASCT. For pts who underwent ASCT, the PFS at 24mo for pts who did not have HR FISH was 93% (88-99%) compared to 80% (73-88%) for pts with HR FISH (p=0.12) and 77% (68-87%) for pts with ultra-HR dz (p=0.013).The PFS at 24mo of pts with RI who underwent ASCT was 81% (66-98%) compared to 86% (82-92%) for those without RI, p=0.57. The PFS at 24mo of pts with RI who did not undergo ASCT was 53% (28-100%) compared to 64% (55-75%) for those without RI, p=0.42. The ORR and MRD- rate for pts who received once-weekly bor was 94% and 24%, compared to 94% and 27% for pts who received 2x weekly bor (p=0.85, p=0.93). For pts who underwent ASCT, the PFS at 24mo for pts who received len maint was 91% vs. 83% for pts who receive dual agent maint (DR or VR) (p=0.25), although pts who got dual agent maint were more likely to have HR FISH than pts who received len maint (p<0.001). The PFS at 24mo for pts that received post-ASCT cons was 91% compared to 85% for those that did not (p=0.53); pts who got post-ASCT cons were more likely to have HR FISH (p=0.07). For pts that underwent ASCT, the 3 yr PFS rate is 85% and the 3 yrs OS rate is 96%. For pts that did not undergo ASCT the 3 yrs PFS rate is 60% and the 3 yr OS rate is 85%. 55 pts had functional HR (FHR) MM (relapse within 18 mo) and m PFS for FHR pts who underwent ASCT was 15 mo (11-NA), while m PFS was NR for pts without FHR MM (p<0.001). 79 pts relapsed after 1st line DVRd. The most common 2nd line therapies (tx) were dara-carfilzomib (K)-D, dara-pomalidomide(P)-D, KPD, and other. The m follow-up time from 2nd line tx was 10 mo, the best ORR to 2nd line tx was 76%, and the m PFS with 2nd line tx was 18 mo (7-NA). Conclusion: In this RW analysis, the efficacy and survival outcomes of NDMM pts treated with DVRd was comparable to that reported in the PERSEUS and GRIFFIN trials, although MRD- rates appear lower. DR maint and post-ASCT cons use was not common and was used more frequently in pts with HR FISH. Pts can be effectively salvaged following PD on front-line DVRd with available tx.
Self-reported geriatric impairments and treatment toxicity in older patients with multiple myeloma - a single center prospective study

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 715-715

10.1182/blood-2025-715

Abstract Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) predominantly affects older adults who vary widely in physiological status and treatment outcomes. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is considered the gold standard for frailty assessment in older cancer patients (pts), but clinical useis limited. Current frailty tools for MM include only select GCA domains, rely on trial datasets, and do not incorporate pt-reported outcomes (PROs). Since their development, treatment strategies have evolved with the use of anti-CD38 MAbs and quadruplets in older pts. The impact of geriatric impairments on treatment tolerance in the era of modern therapy remains unclear and changes in geriatric domains during treatment are not well characterized. Aim: This prospective study evaluates the association between pt-reported CGA and treatment outcomes in older MM pts.Methods: We included MM pts ≥60 years initiating a new treatment at Mayo Clinic from March 2023-June 2024. Pts completed the CARG GCA (Hurria et al 2005) electronically prior to and after 4 treatment cycles. We collected data on toxicity using CTCAE and PRO-CTCAE and quality of life using the PROMIS10-GH SF.Results: Ninety pts were enrolled. Median age was 72 (range: 63-86), 42% female, and >90% non-Hispanic white. Over half (59%) were newly diagnosed with 41% and 56% receiving quadruplets and triplets, respectively. Among newly diagnosed pts, 34% had early stem cell transplant. Baseline median self- and physician- reported KPS were 80% and 90%, respectively, with high correlation (r=0.657). The median number of meds per pt was 9 (range:0-30), 39% had ≥3 comorbidities, 21% reported ≥1 fall in the past 6 months, and 40% reported ≥1 IADL limitation. On the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, 3% and 7% had anxiety and depression, respectively. On the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration test, 19% had mild cognitive impairment, and 1% had severe cognitive impairment. While only 19% had grade (G) ≥3 non-hematologic toxicity by CTCAE, 71% had ≥1 treatment delay, dose reduction, or discontinuation, and 39% had ≥1 ED visit or unplanned hospitalization within the first 4 cycles. This suggests physician grading of non-hem toxicities may inadequately capture toxicity burden from MM therapy. Notably, the rate of G≥3 toxicity by PRO-CTCAE was 49%, highlighting the discrepancy between physician- and pt-reported symptom burden. CGA domains significantly associated with G≥3 non-hem toxicity were: age (74 v 71.5, p=0.032), ≥3 comorbidities (65% v 33%, p=0.015), anxiety (18% v 0%, p=0.006), ≥1 IADL limitation (65% v 33%, p=0.018), physician KPS ≤80 (53% v 27%, p=0.042), limitations in vigorous activities (100% v 78%, p=0.023) and limitations in climbing several flights of stairs (88% v 56%, p<0.001). Predictors of PRO-CTCAE G≥3 toxicity were ≥1 falls (30% v 11%, p=0.030), ≥3 comorbidities (52% v 26%, p=0.011), polypharmacy (≥9 meds) (67% v 43%, p=0.023), and physician KPS ≤80 (43% v 22%, p=0.030). CGA domains associated with ≥1 treatment adjustments were polypharmacy (62% v 33%, p=0.017) and unintentional weight loss (35% v 12%, p=0.028). Polypharmacy was the only domain associated with healthcare utilization (68% v 45%, p = 0.040), which may reflect underlying multimorbidity and greater pain burden. On multivariable logistic regression, any level of limitation in climbing several flights of stairs (OR: 6.0, 95% CI 1.2-30.3; p= 0.030) and older age (OR: 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1; p=0.032) were independently associated with G≥3 non-hem toxicity, reflecting impaired functional status and reduced physiologic reserve, while ≥3 comorbidities only trended toward significance (OR:1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.9, p=0.051).Compared to baseline, there were no significant changes in CGA domains or PROMIS10 scores after 4 cycles. While there was no significant difference in the proportion of pts reporting limitations in IADLs or physical function, we observed heterogeneity among individual pts, with changes in all 3 directions (improvement, stability, and decline). Conclusions: Geriatric impairments are prevalent in older pts with MM; pt-reported impairments are significantly associated with G≥3 non-hem toxicities, need for treatment modifications, and increased healthcare utilization, even in the era of novel therapies. Physical functional trajectories during treatment are variable among individual pts, underscoring the need for personalized treatment strategies and reassessment of geriatric domains throughout treatment.
Disease characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of AL amyloidosis patients with high-risk FISH cytogenetics

Blood | December 5, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 5741-5741

10.1182/blood-2025-5741

Abstract Background The prognostic relevance of fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) abnormalities is well-established in multiple myeloma (MM), where high-risk (HR) abnormalities are associated with poor survival. In AL amyloidosis, however, the cytogenetic landscape and its implications might be different. For example, t(11;14), common in AL amyloidosis, has historically been linked to inferior outcomes in the pre-daratumumab era. HR FISH abnormalities are less common and less well-defined in this setting, underscoring the need to evaluate their significance in this disease. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 698 newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis patients seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between 2012–2021 who had baseline FISH testing. HR FISH was defined as del(17p)/monosomy 17, t(4;14), t(14;16) or t(14;20). Baseline characteristics and treatment patterns were compared between the HR and the standard-risk (SR) groups. Staging used the Mayo 2004 system with European modification. Hematologic responses were assessed at 2 and 6 months, and cardiac/renal responses at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months per consensus criteria. Overall response rate (ORR) for hematologic and organ responses included patients who achieved partial response (PR), very good partial response (VGPR), and complete response (CR). Overall survival (OS) was estimated via Kaplan-Meier; comparisons used log-rank testing. Cox regression was used for univariate and multivariable analyses. Results Among 698 patients, 73 (10.4%) had HR FISH. The most common HR abnormality was t(14;16) (n=34, 4.9%), followed by del(17p)/monosomy 17 (n=21, 3%), and t(4;14)/t(14;20) (n=12 each, 1.7%). Across the cohort, t(11;14) was most frequent (51.3%), followed by del(13q) (36.2%), hyperdiploidy/tetraploidy (26.3%), and 1q gain/amp (23.6%). Compared to SR group, HR FISH group had fewer males (43% vs. 69%, p<0.0001), with no difference in age (62.5 vs. 65, p=0.44), cardiac (73% each, p=1) or renal involvement (52% vs. 54%, p=0.71). More HR patients had early cardiac stage (69% vs. 55.9%, p=0.04). Both groups were predominantly lambda isotype (82% vs. 74%, p=0.15), with similar baseline dFLC (21.6 vs. 28.4 mg/dL; p=0.81). Intact immunoglobulin secretion was more common in the HR group (68% vs. 45%, p=0.004). The HR group more often underwent advanced bone imaging (44% vs. 29%, p = 0.015) and had a higher incidence of lytic lesions or fractures (27% vs. 15%, p = 0.046). Use of bortezomib-based therapy, primarily CyBorD, was similar between the groups (67% each). Daratumumab-based therapy (16% vs. 11%, p=0.25) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) (33% vs. 25%, p=0.16) were numerically higher in the HR group, though not statistically significant. Post-ASCT maintenance was more frequent in the HR group (17% vs. 7%, p=0.006). At 2 months, hematologic ORR was higher in the HR group (90% vs. 72%, p=0.007), with higher ≥VGPR (67% vs. 32%, p<0.0001) and CR rates (24% vs. 8%, p=0.0004). At 6 months, the HR group maintained higher ≥VGPR (89% vs. 71%, p=0.008) and CR rates (41% vs. 26%, p=0.04), with no difference in ORR (98% vs. 92%, p=0.18). Cardiac responses at 6 months favored the HR group (VGPR or better: 29% vs. 12%, p=0.013; CR: 13% vs. 3%, p=0.007). At 12 months, cardiac ≥VGPR remained higher (50% vs. 29%, p=0.01), though CR was not significantly different (18% vs. 9%, p=0.1). Renal ≥VGPR at 6 months was more common in the HR group (47% vs. 22%, p=0.004), but not renal CR (9% vs. 7%, p=0.95). At 12 months, renal ≥VGPR remained higher in HR (61% vs. 40%, p=0.004). With a median follow-up of 87 months, median OS was not reached in HR (95% CI: 72.6–NR) vs. 88.9 months (95% CI: 72.8–110.5) in SR (p=0.03). In multivariable analysis, age ≥65 (HR 1.56, p=0.0001) and >2 organ involvement (HR 1.46, p=0.002) were associated with worse OS, while ASCT (HR 0.35, p<0.0001) and cardiac stage I/II (HR 0.48, p<0.0001) predicted better OS. HR FISH was not independently associated with OS (HR 0.74, p=0.14). Conclusions HR FISH abnormalities in AL amyloidosis are not independently associated with OS, unlike in MM. Patients with HR FISH abnormalities more often presented with earlier cardiac stage and demonstrated deeper hematologic and organ responses than patients with SR FISH abnormalities. This study underscores how clonal characteristics can potentially aid in more personalized treatment approaches for patients.
The SCOPE trial: A phase 2 Study of selinexor in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 2281-2281

10.1182/blood-2025-2281

Abstract Background Multiple myeloma, the second most common hematologic malignancy, has witnessed incremental progress in its management over the past decade underscored by substantial improvement in patient outcomes, although it remains largely incurable. Due to its relapsing-remitting course with current therapies, patients experience considerable burden, particularly with the use of parenteral regimens that are administered on a continuous basis. As such, exploration of newer oral, finite-duration therapeutic options may be of benefit. Selinexor, an oral selective exportin (XPO)-1 inhibitor has an established synergistic activity with other antimyeloma therapies, including immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors. In combination with dexamethasone, selinexor is currently approved at 80 mg twice a week dose, and in combination with bortezomib plus dexamethasone, it is approved at 100 mg once weekly dose for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Herein, we present the results of Arm B of the 2-arm SCOPE trial that examined an all-oral regimen of selinexor, pomalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone (SPd) regimen for RRMM. Methods The SCOPE trial is an investigator-initiated, single arm, phase 2 study that assessed the efficacy and safety of selinexor (S), 60 mg orally (PO) weekly, pomalidomide (P), 4 mg PO, days 1-21 and dexamethasone (d), 40 mg PO, weekly in 28-day cycles given for a fixed duration (total 18 cycles ) in patients who were exposed to up to 2 prior lines of antimyeloma therapy, at least one of which included both a proteasome inhibitor and the immunomodulatory agent, lenalidomide. Olanzapine, along with a 5-HT3 antagonist comprised the mandatory anti-emetic prophylactic regimen. The trial's primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), based on confirmed response, and the key secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), duration of response (DOR), overall survival (OS), and safety of SPd. The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) 2016 criteria were used for response assessment in addition to reporting of the minor response. The distribution of PFS and OS was estimated using the Kaplan Meier method. Toxicity was graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 5. Results At the data cutoff date (May 28, 2025), 28 of 29 enrolled patients with RRMM were evaluable. The median age at study entry was 67.5 years (range: 65-72 years). SPd was used as the first salvage regimen in 21% of patients, and the remaining 79% of patients had previously received 2 lines of therapy at study entry. All patients had previously been exposed to a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, and 32% were dual refractory. Notably, 64% of patients had previously been exposed to the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, daratumumab, and 11% of patients were daratumumab-refractory. The median follow-up was 23.9 months (range: 2.9-38.8 months). The patients had received a median of 9 cycles of SPd (range:1-18 cycles), and at data cutoff, 36% of patients had completed all the planned 18 cycles of SPd. The ORR was 61% (95% CI:41-78) and the rate of measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative complete response (CR) was 21%, CR 11%, very good partial response (VGPR) 18%, partial response (PR) 11% as the best response achieved. Additionally, 7% and 25% of patients had attained a minor response (MR) and stable disease (SD), respectively. The median PFS was 24 months [95% CI: 7.1– not-estimable (NE)] months, and the median DOR was not reached (NR). 2-year OS rate was 93%. The toxicity associated discontinuation rate was 7%, and no grade (Gd) 5 events or unexpected toxicities were encountered during treatment. Gd 3 or higher hematologic toxicities occurred in 43% [Gd 3/4 anemia (11%/0%), thrombocytopenia (14%/0%), neutropenia (25%/7%), lymphopenia (4%/4%)]. Gd 3+ non-hematologic toxicities occurred in 46% [Gd 3 /4 (%) infections (21%/0%), fatigue (4%/0%), nausea (7%/0%) and anorexia (0%/7%). No patients experienced Gd 3 or 4 diarrhea, vomiting or weight loss. Additional data will be presented at the meeting. Conclusion Weekly selinexor in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone is an effective and safe, all-oral regimen for patients with RRMM who are previously exposed to a proteasome inhibitor and lenalidomide. SPd regimen is currently being examined in an ongoing phase 3 randomized controlled trial.
Clone-specific epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in ASXL1-mutant chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

Blood | December 4, 2025 | Volume: 146 | Issue: Supplement 1 | Pages: 234-234

10.1182/blood-2025-234

Abstract Introduction: ASXL1-mutant (mt) Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML) is an aggressive myeloid neoplasm characterized by increased proliferation, resistance to epigenetic therapies, and poor survival. Epigenetic remodeling and up-regulation of leukemogenic driver genes are hallmarks of ASXL1mt CMML. Truncating mutations in ASXL1 activate enhancers that drive the expression of key leukemogenic driver genes such as HOXA9 and its co-factor MEIS1. Here, we investigate the chromatin accessibility of these leukemogenic enhancers by ASXL1 genotype at single-cell resolution (GoT-ChA-seq). Methods: After IRB approval, we performed bulk RNA-seq and ChIP-seq (H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K27ac, H3K27me3, H2AK119ub, H2BK20ac) on bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells from 40 patients with CMML (19 ASXL1mt, 21 -wildtype/wt). After quality control, differential analyses of gene expression and histone modification occupancy between ASXL1mt and wt patients were conducted. A consensus peak calling framework was used to define genomic regions with ASXL1mt-specific histone modifications. Canonical enhancers were defined as genomic regions with a co-occupancy of H3K4me1 and H3K27ac. We then added regions marked by H2BK20ac to capture regulatory regions associated with p300 (Narita et al. Nat Genet 2023). We used an in silico prediction strategy to associate regulatory regions marked by strong histone modification occupancy with highly up-regulated leukemogenic driver genes (HOXA6-10, MEIS1). The ReMap database (Hammal et al. Nucleic Acids Res 2022) was queried for transcription factor binding in the genomic regions of interest. We then performed GoT-ChA-seq (Izzo et al. Nature 2024) to investigate chromatin accessibility for ASXL1mt (n=3) and wildtype BM single cells from CMML patients. In vitro colony forming assays were conducted on primary CMML BM cells (11- ASXL1mt and 9 wt CMML), assessing the efficacy of EP31670, a novel, oral, dual inhibitor of p300/BRD4. Results: This study included 40 patients with CMML, 19 ASXL1mt and 21 wt. The variant allele frequencies for ASXL1 were compatible with heterozygosity (median 0.41) and TET2 mutations were balanced between the two groups. We identified 149 candidate regulatory regions correlating with the expression of up-regulated target genes of interest (HOXA6-10, MEIS1) by bulk ChIP- and RNA-seq. Publicly available ChIP-seq data from myeloid cell lines demonstrated enrichment of p300 (in THP-1 cells, enrichment effect size +2.58, p=0.002) and BRD4 (in K-562 cells, enrichment effect size +1.58, p=0.045) in these candidate regulatory regions. Next, we interrogated the chromatin accessibility of ASXL1mt (n=13620) and ASXL1wt (n=24269) single cells from 3 CMML patients using GoT-ChA-seq. Differential accessibility analysis revealed 144 genomic regions, all of which were preferentially accessible in ASXL1mt cells compared to ASXL1wt cells (p<0.05 for all regions). Four of these preferentially accessible genomic regions (p<0.001 for all regions) overlapped with the previously identified candidate regulatory regions for MEIS1. The H3K27ac and H2BK20ac occupancy levels in these regions was strongly associated with the expression of MEIS1 (median Pearson r=0.73, p=1.16x10-7). These candidate regulatory regions were annotated in ENCODE as distal and proximal enhancers. Targeting this biology with the dual p300/BRD4 inhibitor EP31670 in progenitor colony forming assays led to a preferential therapeutic effect in ASXL1mt BM samples (median IC50 = 25nM) compared to in ASXL1wt samples (median IC50 = 74nM, p=0.03). Treatment with EP31670 was also associated with increased differentiation (increased blast forming units-erythroid; BFU-E) and organization of colonies in ASXL1mt vs wt CMML. Conclusions: ASXL1mt CMML is characterized by the up-regulation of several leukemogenic driver genes including HOXA9 and its co-factor MEIS1, secondary to the activation of genotype-specific enhancers. The preferential accessibility of these enhancers can be defined between ASXL1mt and ASXL1wt cells within patients. The enhancers of interest interact with p300 and BRD4 in myeloid cell lines and targeting them with the novel dual p300/BRD4 inhibitor, EP31670, induces therapeutic responses at low nanomolar drug concentrations in vitro, preferentially in ASXL1-mutant cells. These data solidify the biological rationale for targeting p300/BRD4 in ASXL1mt chronic myeloid neoplasms for therapeutic benefit (NCT05488548).