Gertz, Morie A.

Abstract Introduction Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare disease accounting for only 1-2% of all hematologic malignancies and with an overall annual, age-adjusted incidence of approximately 3.5 to 5.5 cases per million-person years. With approximately 13,000 active hematologist/oncologists in the US, most of who are in the community oncology setting, it's estimated that a hematologist/oncologist will only diagnose a WM case approximately every 8 years. Therefore, the clinical experience of a general hematologist/oncologist in the management of WM is likely very limited compared to more prevalent malignances. Previous studies in the setting of rare cancers suggest a correlation between higher volume of care and improved outcomes. Therefore, we explored the volume-outcome relationship in WM using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Methods Patient-level data from the NCDB, a nationwide, facility-based, database covering approximately 70% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases in the US, was queried for all new WM cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2014. Only patients requiring treatment were included. Treatment facilities were divided into quartiles based on the average annual volume of newly diagnosed cases of WM seen. Cox regression was used to analyze the association between facility WM volume and survival, adjusted by demographics (sex, age, race), socioeconomic status (income, education, insurance type), geography (area of residence, treatment facility type, travel distance), comorbidity factors (Charlson-Deyo score), and year of diagnosis. Time-to-event analysis was calculated from frontline therapy initiation date using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Results A total of 3,732 patients with WM treated in 831 facilities were included. The median age at diagnosis was 70 years and 75% of the patients were treated within 20 miles from their residency zip code. Patient characteristics per treatment facility volume quartile are shown in table 1. The median annual facility volume was 1 new WM patient/year (range 0.1 to 21). The median follow-up from frontline treatment was 5 years. The unadjusted median OS by facility volume was: Q1: 6.5 years (95% CI: 5.7-7.4), Q2: 7 years (95% CI: 6.3-8.2), Q3: 8.2 years (95% CI: 7.1-8.9), and Q4: NR (95% CI: 8.5-NR), p<0.0001 (figure 1). The estimated 5-year OS by facility volume was: Q1: 56%, Q2: 61%, Q3: 64%, Q4: 71%, p<0.0001. Multivariate analysis including all variables showed in Table 1 demonstrated that facility volume was independently associated with all-cause mortality. Compared to patients treated at Q4 facilities, patients treated at lower-quartiles facilities had a higher incremental risk of death (Q3 hazard ratio [HR], 1.07 [95% CI: 0.88 to 1.29] p=0.46; Q2 HR, 1.34 [95% CI: 1.11 to 1.63] p=0.002; Q1 HR, 1.52 [95% CI: 1.23 to 1.88] p=<0.0001). Conclusion Our results suggest that a volume-outcome relationship exits in WM as patients treated initially at higher-volume facilities had a lower risk of mortality. Although differences in the underlying disease biology, referral patterns after initial therapy, or cumulative treating-physician experience could not be assessed, these potential biases would only underestimate the magnitude of the volume-outcome relationship reported. Disclosures Ansell: Celldex: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Merck & Co: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding. Gertz:Medscape: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Ionis: Honoraria; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; Teva: Consultancy; Research to Practice: Consultancy; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; celgene: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy. Kapoor:Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Ailawadhi:Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Reeder:Affimed: Research Funding. Witzig:Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding. Kumar:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Abstract Abstract 448 Background: POEMS syndrome is a rare form of plasma cell dyscrasia that presents with polyneuropathy and various other systemic findings. Patients with 1–3 lesions and bone marrows without clonal plasma cells have been given targeted radiation as the initial and potentially definitive therapy. Outcomes of patients treated thus have not been systematically studied. Patients and Methods: One hundred and forty-six patients with POEMS syndrome were seen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN between January 1999 and September 2011. Charts of patients with research authorization were reviewed with IRB approval. Patients who had been given targeted radiation as their initial primary therapy were eligible for this study. Thirty-eight patients satisfied criteria and comprise the study population. Three patients had either short or poorly documented follow-up and were excluded from the response and time to next treatment analyses. Patients were categorized by systems that were involved at diagnosis, time of radiation, response after radiation, and the need for further therapy. Statistical analyses were performed using JMP statistical software (SAS, Carey, NC). Results: The median age was 50, with 76% of the population being male. Median time from diagnosis to radiation was 0.7 months, ranging from 0 to 9.4 months. 20, 14, 11 and 2 patients had immunosuppressive therapy with corticosteroids, IVIG, plasmapheresis, or rituximab, respectively, directed at a prior presumptive, but incorrect, diagnosis of CIDP. Five patients had one cycle or less of alkylator, lenalidomide, or bortezomib, prior to receiving what was hoped to be definitive radiation therapy. The median number of bone lesions was 1, range 1–6. In total 55 lesions of the possible 64 were irradiated being mostly found in the pelvic bones including the sacrum, ileum, ischium, and pubis. The median dose of radiation given was 45 Gy range 35 Gy to 54 Gy. Forty-nine percent had clinical improvement, 26% had a mixed clinical picture, 3% merely stabilized, and 23% had a clinical worsening. 29% had a complete hematologic response, 9% had a very good partial hematologic response, 9% had a partial hematologic response, 26% had no hematologic response, and the remaining were either non- or oligo-secretory or undocumented. 11% had a complete FDG-PET response, 11% had a partial FDG-PET response, 11% had no FDG-PET response, and the remaining had no documented FDG-PETs to analyze. 11% had a complete VEGF response, 3% had partial VEGF response, 14% had no VEGF response, and the rest were either not documented or unevaluable. The median follow up of living patients is 30 months, and the 4-year OS is 95%. Forty-eight percent of patients went on to receive additional therapy after their radiation (Figure). The median time to next therapy (TTNT) for these patients was 7.6 months (range 2.2 –73 months). Subsequent therapies included high dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (n=10), low dose alkylator (n=2), thalidomide/lenalidomide (n=3), and more radiation (n=3). None of the baseline characteristics predicted for whether a patient would receive (or require) subsequent therapy, including the number of bone lesions at baseline. Conclusion: The results show that radiation is sufficient to produce clinical improvements and hematologic and radiographic responses approximately 50% of patients, even those with as many as 3 lesions. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction Del(17p) detected by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) of bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) is an adverse prognostic factor in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). While the natural history and prognostic factors in patients with del (17p) detected at diagnosis have been studied, the outcomes of patients who acquire del (17p) later in their course are not known. We aimed to define the outcomes of MM patients who acquire del(17p). Methods We reviewed the Dysproteinemia database at Mayo Clinic, MN to identify 80 patients with MM who had their first FISH test negative for del (17p), but acquired del(17p) later in the course of the disease. Sixty (75%) patients had their first FISH within 6 months (mo) of diagnosis; 20 (25%) patients had their first FISH more than 6 mo after diagnosis of MM. Del(17p) included del(17p13.1) and/or monosomy 17. We identified 2 control patients for each case, who were diagnosed during the same time period, but did not demonstrate del (17p) at any time during follow-up. Results Characteristics of patients at acquisition of del(17p) are shown in Table 1. Of these, 76 patients had relapsed and/or refractory MM; in 4 patients, del (17p) was detected after having attained a response to prior therapy. Seventy (87.5%) patients had del (17p13.1); 5 (6.3%) patients had monosomy 17; 1 (1.2%) patient had both del (17p13.1) and monosomy 17. Four (5.0%) patients had relative loss of 17p. High-risk translocations (HRT) [t(4;14), t(14;16) and t(14;20)] were present in 14 (17.5%) patients. The percentage of PCs with del(17p) were available in 75 patients. The median percentage of PCs with del(17p) was 76 (range, 9-100). Sixty two (77.5%) patients received exclusively chemotherapy as subsequent treatment; stem cell transplant (SCT) was part of the next treatment in 16 (20%) patients (allogeneic SCT in 1). Among 71 evaluable patients, ≥very good partial response and ≥partial response were attained in 24 (33.8%) and 35 (49.2%) patients respectively. The median progression free survival (PFS) from detection of del (17p) was 5.7 mo (95% CI, 3.5-7.8); overall survival (OS) was 18.2 mo (CI, 13.1-27.5). From a comparable time point, the OS for 160 controls was 56.2 mo (CI, 37.1-75.3) (P<0.001). The results were similar when patients were stratified based on variables at diagnosis such as age, presence of HRT, international staging system (ISS) stage, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and PC proliferative rate, and proteasome inhibitor (PI)-containing induction and SCT within a year of diagnosis and before acquisition of del(17p). Evaluating outcomes from initial diagnosis, PFS in the acquired del (17p) and control groups were 23.0 (CI, 20.2-25.8) and 30.2 (CI, 26.7-33.9) mo (P=0.028) and OS were 68.2 (CI, 50.8-74.8) and 111.6 (CI, 103.4-127.8) mo respectively (P<0.001). High LDH at baseline [OR- 4.31 (CI, 1.34-13.86)] predicted acquisition of del(17p) while presence of HRT showed borderline significance [OR- 2.02 (0.90-4.54)]. Age ≥65 yrs, ISS III vs. I/II stage, t(11;14), any trisomy, monosomy 13, BMPC%, initial therapy and SCT in first year and before acquiring del (17p) were not predictive. We performed univariable analysis with variables at detection of del(17p) such as age ≥65 vs. <65 years, serum creatinine >2 vs. ≤2 mg/dL, BMPC% ≥50 vs. <50%, ISS III vs. I/II stage, elevated vs. normal LDH, presence vs. absence of a HRT, presence vs. absence of monosomy 13, presence vs. absence of any trisomy, high vs. low PC proliferation rate, PI and immunomodulatory drug (IMiD)-refractoriness and percentage of PCs with del(17p) as independent variables to determine their association with PFS and OS. ISS stage III, high PC proliferative rate and PI and IMiD-refractoriness were selected after univariable analysis and included in the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. A higher PC proliferative rate alone predicted shorter OS. None of the above factors were associated with shorter PFS. The median OS in those with high PC-proliferative rate from detection of del(17p) was 10.9 mo (CI, 6.0-17.1) vs. 37.2 mo (CI, 18.2-47.5) in those with low PC proliferative rate (P=0.005). Conclusion The prognosis of patients who acquire del (17p) is poor with OS of 6.5 years against 9 years from diagnosis in patients who do not acquire del (17p). This was valid across prognostic sub-groups. High PC proliferative rate was the only factor which impacted OS once patients acquired del(17p). Disclosures Kapoor: Celgene: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Gertz:Research to Practice: Consultancy; Teva: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; annexon: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; Prothena: Honoraria; Alnylam: Honoraria; Apellis: Consultancy; Medscape: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding. Dingli:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Russell:Vyriad: Equity Ownership. Kumar:AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Abstract The plasma cell proliferative index (PCPI) provides an insight into plasma cell biology in plasma cell disorders. It recognizes cells that are actively synthesizing DNA and gives an indication of the proliferative rate of the malignant plasma cells.The PCPI has been shown to be a prognostic tool in patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. We conducted a retrospective review analyzing the prognostic impact of PCPI in 306 patients with smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). The median age was 66 (56-73) years and 61% (n=186) were males. The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 10.2 years (95% confidence interval: 9.0-10.9). One-hundred sixty-nine (55%) patients were alive at the time of study analysis while 118 (39%) had progressive disease. The median time to progression was 5.9 years (95% confidence interval: 4.8-8.2). Symptomatic events at the time of progression included anemia in 41% (n=48), bone complications in 37% (n=44), renal complications in 9% (n=11), hypercalcemia in 2% (n=2) and development of amyloidosis in 2% (n=2). Seventeen patients (14%) were categorized as having progression due to rapid progressive elevation in the serum free light chains (sFLC) and/or progressive increase in the size of their M-spike. The median time between the diagnosis and PCPI date was 0 months (interquartile range 0-1). An elevated PCPI was defined as a level >0.5%. Seventy-nine (26%) patients had an elevated PCPI. Patients with an elevated PCPI were significantly older (median age: 69 years for elevated PCPI vs 64 years for low PCPI (p= 0.008) and predictably had more proliferative disease with a higher rate of patients with bone marrow plasma cells >20% (48% for elevated PCPI vs 34% for low PCPI, p=0.03). An elevated PCPI predicted a shorter time to progression (TTP); median 3.0 years versus 7.1 years for those with a low PCPI (p= 0.0004). Within 24 months, the progression rate was significantly higher for patients with an elevated PCPI; 49% versus 20% (p<0.0001). We constructed two multivariable models using the conventional and recently proposed Mayo risk stratification tools. In both models, an elevated PCPI was an independent predictor of to multiple myeloma. PCPI is a valuable tool in risk stratifying patients with SMM and identifies patients with earlier progression who may benefit from closer follow up and consideration of early intervention trials. Disclosures Dispenzieri: Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Gertz:Research to Practice: Consultancy; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Teva: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Prothena: Honoraria; Medscape: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding. Dingli:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding. Kapoor:Celgene: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Kumar:Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: IgM light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a rare complication of IgM associated disorders, with very limited data on biology and outcomes. Our study compares the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and outcomes in a large cohort of patients with IgM vs. non-IgM AL to delineate the underlying disease biology of this entity. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed AL (2006-15) were identified from a prospectively maintained institutional database and grouped by IgM heavy chain. Bone marrow (BM) morphology was reviewed by an expert hematopathologist (RLK). FISH testing included probes for t(11;14) and trisomies of odd numbered chromosomes. MYD88L265P testing was carried out by allele specific PCR and CXCR4WHIM mutation testing was performed by bridged nucleic acid (BNA)-enhanced Sanger sequencing. Results: Patients with IgM AL comprised 6.6% (75/1128) of the study cohort. Baseline characteristics are listed in Table 1. IgM AL patients were older and had a higher proportion of males. They had less frequent cardiac involvement (60 vs. 75%) and less frequent involvement of > 1 organ. Light chain burden was lower in this group (dFLC 12.5 vs. 22.7 mg/dL), while there was no difference in BM clonal cell percentage (10% each). Morphology: BM morphology in 71 patients with IgM AL revealed a pure plasma cell disorder (PPCD type) in 25% (n=18); low-grade B-cell lymphoma (LGBCL) with plasmacytic features (LPL type) in 62% (n=44) [well defined LPL: 38% (n=27), LGBCL with plasmacytic features: 24% (n=17)]; LGBCL, other: 6% (n=4). In the remaining 7%, three patients had other diagnoses and no BM disease in two patients. Median clonal cell % in LPL vs. PPCD type IgM AL was 20% vs. 5%, p<0.001. Genetics: In patients with IgM AL vs. non-IgM AL, t(11;14) was present in 27% vs. 49%, p=0.009 and trisomies in 9% vs. 24% of patients, p=0.06, respectively. In the IgM AL cohort, MYD88 mutation was seen in 56% (23/41) & CXCR4 mutation in 15% (5/34; S388 type: 3, other: 2) of patients. Importantly, MYD88 and CXCR4 mutations were found only in patients with LPL morphology, while t(11;14) was found only in the PPCD morphology group. There were no patients with both t(11;14) and MYD88 abnormalities (N=26 for both tested). Mutations seen in the LPL vs. PPCD type IgM AL were: MYD88, 88% (22/25) vs. 0% (0/14), p<0.001 and CXCR4, 26% (5/19) vs. 0% (0/13), p=0.02. Conversely, t(11;14) was seen in 0% (0/18) in LPL type vs. 60% (9/15) in PPCD type IgM AL, p <0.001. Treatment details were known in 63 patients with IgM AL; rituximab-based: 21 (33%), bortezomib/alkylator: 16 (25%), transplant 17 (27%), steroids: one and no treatment: 8 (13%). Treatment in IgM AL LPL type (n=36) was: rituximab based: 16 (44%),bortezomib/alkylator: 5 (14%), transplant: 10 (28%) and none: 5 (14%). In PPCD type [n=17), treatment was rituximab based: 2 (12%), bortezomib/alkylator: 8 (47%), transplant: 7 (41%). At 6 months, very good partial response or better was observed in 26% (10/39) vs. 41% (270/660) of patients with IgM vs. non-IgM AL, p=0.05. There was no difference in overall survival (OS) when all patients with IgM AL were compared to non-IgM AL (Fig 1a). However, when stratified by early (Stage 1/2) or advanced (stage 3/4) 2012 Mayo stage, patients with IgM AL fared worse (Fig 1b-c). On multivariate analysis, IgM AL was an independent predictor for inferior OS [HR with 95% CI: 1.6 (1.1-2.4), p=0.02] after adjusting for age, Mayo 2012 stage and type of therapy (transplant vs. not). However, when OS was adjusted for 6 month VGPR, there was no difference in OS for IgM AL vs. non IgM AL, p=0.2. In the IgM AL cohort, patients with LPL type IgM AL had inferior OS compared with PPCD type IgM AL, 21 vs. 82 months, p=0.01 (Fig 1d). Conclusions: Patients with IgM AL have distinct clinical and genetic features, with lower rates of cardiac involvement and a lower frequency of t(11;14) or trisomies compared with non-IgM AL. Even though IgM AL is a rare entity, we were able to delineate two distinct sub-types of IgM AL: LPL type and PPCD type, with implications for therapy and outcomes. Along with unique morphologic findings, presence of MYD88 and CXCR mutations was only seen in LPL type IgM AL and t(11;14) in PPCD type IgM AL. Despite lower cardiac involvement, IgM AL was associated with inferior OS outcomes, likely due to lower response rates, particularly in LPL IgM AL group, which had the lowest OS. Therapeutic approaches targeted towards disease biology to achieve deep responses are needed in this disorder. Disclosures Sidana: Janssen: Honoraria. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Kapoor:Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding. Kumar:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Gertz:Abbvie: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; Apellis: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; Teva: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; celgene: Consultancy; Medscape: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; Research to Practice: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy.

Abstract Background: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by hemolysis mediated by autoantibodies directed against red blood cells (RBC). AIHA is classified as either warm (60-70%), or cold agglutinin disease (CAD, 20-25%), depending upon the temperature at which the autoantibodies show maximum binding. Warm AIHA is mediated by warm reactive autoantibodies, which are usually of the immunoglobulin G class (IgG). Almost 90% of CAD is medicated by monoclonal antibodies of IgM class. The diagnosis of wAIHA or CAD is based on the presence of hemolytic anemia, signs of hemolysis, and a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) for IgG or IgM, and/or complement C3. Complement plays an important role in warm antibody AIHA. When erythrocytes are heavily coated with immunoglobulin, the amount of antigen-antibody complex can be sufficient for binding complement protein complex C1, thereby activating the classical complement pathway. CAD is almost entirely a complement-dependent disorder. Cold antibodies (IgM) temporarily bind to the RBC membrane, activate complement, and deposit complement factor C3 on the cell surface. These C3-coated RBCs are cleared slowly by the macrophages of the liver through extravascular hemolysis. Less frequently, the complete complement cascade is activated on the cell surface, resulting in the insertion of membrane attack complex C5b to C9 and intravascular hemolysis. Therefore, treatment with inhibitors of complement cascade may halt or at least attenuate acute complement mediated hemolysis in AIHA patients and improve recovery of RBC destruction. Aims: This Phase 2, open-label study is being conducted in the US and Italy to assess the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and PK of multiple subcutaneous (SC) doses of APL-2 administered daily in subjects with wAIHA or CAD. Methods: Patients with primary AIHA are eligible. Patients are required to have hemoglobin (Hb) levels <11 g/L, signs and symptoms of hemolysis, and a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) for IgG or IgM, and/or complement C3. The study will recruit 12 subjects with wAIHA and 12 subjects with CAD. APL-2 270 mg/d or 360 mg/d will be administered for 48 weeks. Efficacy is assessed by change from baseline in Hb, transfusion requirements, reticulocytes, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), haptoglobin, bilirubin, and FACIT fatigue score. Endpoints will be assessed at Weeks 8, 12, 44, and 48. Results: 2 subjects with CAD (Subject 1: 270 mg/d; Subject 2: 360 mg/d) have been treated for at least 8 weeks and up to 12 weeks; 2 subjects with wAIHA (Subject 3: 270 mg/d; Subject 4: 360 mg/d) have been treated for at least 4 weeks. Subject 1 screened with Hb (NR 13.5 g/dL-17.5g/dL) of 10.0 g/dL and reported an increase to 13.0 g/dL at Week 12, with reticulocyte (NR 30-100 10^9/L) reduction from 99.6 10^9/L at Week 2 to 56.34 10^9/L at Week 8 (screening/baseline values not available). Subject 2 had baseline Hb of 7.9 g/dL and reported an increase to 13.6 g/dL at Week 8, with reticulocyte reduction from 154.34 10^9/L at baseline to 67 10^9/L at Week 8. Subject 3 had baseline Hb of 8.0 g/dL and reported an increase to 11.2 g/dL at Week 4, with reticulocyte reduction from 223.44 10^9/L at baseline to 27.12 10^9/L at Week 4. Subject 4 did not show signs of haematological improvement by Week 4, and the principal investigator decided to discontinue the subject at Day 42. Subject 1 had LDH levels within the normal range (100-200 I/U) at screening and remained normal through the study. Subjects 2 reported a baseline LDH of 339 I/U with a reduction to within NR to 107 I/U at Week 8. Subject 3 reported a baseline LDH of 235 I/U, which was also reduced to within NR at Week 4 to 123 I/U. Subject 1 had consistent indirect bilirubin (NR 0.2-0.7 mg/dL) through the study with a baseline value of 1.5 mg/dL and a Week 12 value of 1.4 mg/dL. Subject 2 had a reduction in indirect bilirubin with a baseline value of 1.3 mg/dL and a Week 8 value of 0.5 mg/dL.To date, APL-2 has generally been well-tolerated. No significant infections have been observed. Summary/Conclusions: Interim results demonstrate that systemic inhibition of C3 with APL-2 has demonstrated positive trends in haematological parameters in patients with wAIHA and CAD as early as Week 4. To date, APL-2 has been safe and well tolerated. The study is ongoing and will enroll up to 12 subjects with wAIHA and 12 subjects with CAD. Disclosures Grossi: Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gertz:spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; Medscape: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy; Teva: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Prothena: Honoraria; janssen: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; Research to Practice: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy. Deschatelets:Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hamdani:Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership. Stout:Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership. Francois:Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Employment, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract Background The survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has improved significantly over the past two decades with the introduction of novel treatment agents. However, MM is still largely considered an incurable malignancy with a relapsing-remitting course. A follow-up of at least 10 years from active disease is required to determine whether a plateau in progression-free survival has been attained. Prior literature has used 10 years as a cutoff for "long-term survivorship". In this study, we have assessed the biological disease characteristics and outcomes of long-term survivors with MM (≥10 years from active disease). Methods All patients with active MM evaluated at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester between January 1, 1999 and July 1, 2008 were included in the study after approval of the Institutional Review Board. Patients with smoldering multiple myeloma were excluded. The overall survival (OS) was calculated from the time of symptomatic disease requiring treatment. Patients were then divided into two cohorts: (1) long-term survivors, which included patients who had an overall survival of at least 10 years; and (2) short-term survivors, which included patients who had an overall survival of less than 5 years from the diagnosis of active MM. The baseline characteristics between these two groups were compared using Wilcoxon, chi-square, and Fisher's exact test as applicable. All time-to-event analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the survival curves were compared using Log-Rank test. Results During the time frame of the study, 2,125 patients were identified who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for active MM. The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 12.6 years (95% CI: 12.5-13.4).The median OS for the entire cohort was 4.4 years (95% CI: 4.2-4.7 years). Three-hundred and ninety nine (18.7%) patients survived at least 10 years whereas 872 patients (41%) survived less than 5 years from the date of initial diagnosis. The median OS was 14.1 years for the long-term survivors (95% CI: 13.9-14.6 years) and 2.1 years for the short-term survivors (95% CI: 1.8-2.2 years). The clinical features at diagnosis comparing long-term survivors and short-term survivors are shown in Table 1. Among long-term survivors (n=399), based on the available data regarding remission and ongoing treatment status, 331 patients were categorized into 6 cohorts (Table 2). The MM specific survival data of these 6 cohorts is depicted in Table 2.Figure 1 shows survival outcomes from the 10-year landmark. Of the 6 cohorts, 38 patients in Cohort 1 and 19 patients in Cohort 2 (total 57; 17% of long term survivors, ~3% of the entire cohort ) have been off therapy for at least 5 years and remain in remission, representing a distinct group of patients with 100% 15-year survival. Conclusion In our large database with prolonged follow-up, long-term survivors appear to have distinct baseline characteristics, but also constitute a heterogenous group of patients with disparate outcomes. A small subset (17% of long-term survivors) was identified that may represent patients closest to being considered as 'operationally cured'. Disclosures Lacy: Celgene: Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Gertz:Teva: Consultancy; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; Medscape: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; annexon: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; Research to Practice: Consultancy. Dingli:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding. Kumar:KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Kapoor:Celgene: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) plays a central role in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), even in the era of novel therapies (Gonsalves et al, 2018). Given the efficacy of the latter, as well as for logistical reasons, many patients opt to store their stem cells and delay ASCT until the time of progression. Delayed transplant does not appear to affect overall survival (OS) (Attal et al, 2017). However, in the "salvage" setting, the impact of treatment with additional chemotherapy prior to ASCT is unknown. One study, albeit in the front-line, suggested that in patients achieving less than a partial response (PR), additional induction prior to ASCT did not improve survival (Vij et al, 2015). The present study investigates the role of induction therapy prior to salvage ASCT. Methods We identified 380 patients who underwent ASCT >12 months after being diagnosed with MM from January 1, 2006 to July 1, 2017 at Mayo Clinic Rochester. 121 had a delayed ASCT, but no International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) progression prior to ASCT and were excluded. Another 17 patients achieved less than PR prior to ASCT, thus were deemed primary refractory and excluded. Finally, 8 patients were excluded because they received a planned tandem ASCT. Thus, 234 patients were included in the present study, which was approved by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. We refer to the time of progression prior to ASCT, after which we examined the use of pre-ASCT therapy, as T0 to avoid confusion. Time to next therapy (TNT) was defined as the time from ASCT (stem cell infusion, Day +0) to the initiation of a new therapy, not including planned consolidation or maintenance. Patients who were alive and had not received any new therapies, or died before receiving another therapy were censored at the time of last follow up, as of May 15, 2018. OS was defined as the time from Day +0 to death from any cause, with living patients censored at the time of last follow-up. TNT and OS were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis. High-risk cytogenetics were defined as del(17/17p), t(4;14), t(14;16), and t(14;20). The Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's Exact test were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Statistical analysis was completed using JMP 13.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Results Of the 234 patients who underwent salvage ASCT, 188 were treated with additional chemotherapy after T0 (hereafter referred to as "pre-ASCT induction"), whereas 46 patients went directly to ASCT. Baseline characteristics were comparable, however more patients in the pre-ASCT induction group had >1 progression prior to ASCT (28% vs. 9%, p= .0065) and had a trend towards a shorter duration of response (DOR) prior to T0 (14.7 vs. 18.5 months, p= .12). Intuitively, the pre-ASCT induction group had a longer time from T0 to ASCT (5.3 vs. 2.3 months, p< .0001). The median TNT for the entire cohort of 234 patients from Day +0 was 17.2 months (95% CI, 14.8-19.7); median OS was 50.4 months (95% CI, 43.3-60.7). TNT and OS were comparable between the two treatment groups (Figure 1). After adjusting for other significant prognostic factors, such as DOR prior to T0 and the presence of high risk cytogenetics, treatment with pre-ASCT induction did not significantly affect TNT or OS (Table 1). However, among the 188 patients treated with pre-ASCT induction, the subsequent depth of response prior to ASCT significantly affected TNT (Figure 2A) and OS (Figure 2B). TNT at 1-year post ASCT was 79.2% for patients achieving a ≥VGPR, 62.1% in those who achieved a PR or stable disease, and 45.7% for patients who had relapsed/refractory MM at the time of ASCT or received >2 lines of pre-ASCT therapy (p= .0003). Interestingly, the time from diagnosis to T0 was comparable between these 3 groups (27 vs. 28 vs. 26 months, respectively, p= .26). Conclusions Many patients with MM do not undergo ASCT until disease progression. In our cohort of 234 patients who underwent salvage ASCT, outcomes were similar whether patients received pre-ASCT induction or not. However, among the 188 patients treated with pre-ASCT induction, deeper responses correlated with significantly longer TNT and OS after ASCT. Further research into the role of chemotherapy prior to delayed ASCT in the era of novel agents is warranted. Disclosures Gertz: annexon: Consultancy; Apellis: Consultancy; Medscape: Consultancy; Teva: Consultancy; janssen: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; Research to Practice: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; celgene: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Dingli:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Kapoor:Celgene: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Kumar:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Abstract Background Limited data exist with respect to outcome and optimal therapeutic strategies in patients with central nervous system (CNS) involvement in multiple myeloma (MM). We present a single center experience of patients with myelomatous CNS involvement in newly diagnosed and relapsed / refractory MM. Methods Of 4060 patients with MM seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN between January, 1st 1998 and December, 31st 2012, 26 patients had identifiable CNS involvement confirmed by biopsy / presence of plasma cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or identification of intraparenchymal or meningeal involvement by imaging (MRI/CT). Patients were risk stratified by mSMART (Mayo Stratification for Myeloma And Risk-adapted Therapy) criteria. Overall survival (OS) from diagnosis and the time of CNS involvement was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Myelomatous CNS involvement occurred in 26 (0.6%) patients with MM of whom 3 were newly diagnosed. The median time to detection of CNS involvement was 24 months (range: 0-125) from diagnosis of MM. Median age at CNS myeloma diagnosis was 58 years (range 37-80) and 73% were male. Abnormally high LDH was observed in 11 out of 22 patients at the time of CNS involvement. Lumbar puncture was performed on 16 patients, 13 (81%) of whom had plasma cells in the CSF detected by cytology/flow-cytometry. Two patients, without evidence of plasma cells, had abnormally high CSF protein and 1 had normal CSF analysis. Of the 25 patients who underwent MRI, 16 (64%) had at least one of the following significant abnormalities; intraparenchymal disease (37%), leptomeningeal enhancement (68%) or direct extension of MM (31%). The neurological symptoms at or after diagnosis of CNS myeloma included headache (38%), cranial nerve palsy (38%), visual disturbance (38%), gait disturbance (35%), paresthesias (35%), limb weakness (31%), confusion (30%), nausea/vomiting (15%), dysarthria (12%), seizures (8%) and urinary incontinence (4%). Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH n=7), cytogenetics (n=8) and/or plasma cell labeling index (PCLI n=12) were available in 18 patients prior to the diagnosis of CNS disease. Ten (56%) out of those 18 patients had high-risk features at least by one criterion. At the time of CNS involvement, six additional patients demonstrated high risk features [5 by PCLI (≥ 3%) and 1 by FISH]. Overall, 16 out of 26 (62%) patients were classified as high risk by mSMART criteria prior to or at the time of CNS involvement. Four (27%) out of 15 had a deletion p53 or monosomy 17 chromosomal abnormality. Median OS was 42 (95% CI, 19-55) months from the diagnosis of MM and 3 months (95% CI: 1-7.9) from the time of CNS involvement (Figure). OS of patients with high risk features was significantly worse (27 months) compared to standard risk disease (67 months, p=0.02) from diagnosis of MM. Eighteen patients received radiation therapy for CNS myeloma. Five of those patients also received intrathecal (MTX and ARA-C) therapy. One patient received intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy. Four patients did not receive any treatment. Novel agents, including bortezomib (23%), thalidomide (15%), and pomalidomide (4%) were administered to the patients post diagnosis of CNS disease. Six (23%) patients underwent autologous stem cell transplant post diagnosis of CNS disease with a median OS of 19 months (95% CI: 10-122 months) from the time of CNS involvement. Conclusion CNS involvement is a rare complication of MM that portends a poor survival outcome. It is likely that the rates in this study are an underestimate of the true incidence due the perceived futility of CNS directed therapy in this disease. Among those recognized, high-risk genetic and markers of increased proliferative activity, including deletion p53 / monosomy 17 and elevated PCLI (≥ 3%) appear to cluster in this cohort. Current therapeutic approaches are largely ineffective in managing this aggressive subset of myeloma patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Background: Limited data exist regarding histological transformation in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). In this study, we present the disease characteristics, outcomes and risk factors for histological transformation in WM. Methods: Patients with WM seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN between January 1996 and December 2017 were included. Patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the setting of WM were considered to have transformation. Univariate analysis for comparing baseline characteristics of transformed versus non-transformed WM was performed using Wilcoxon, Fisher's exact and Chi square tests, as appropriate. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis. Cox proportional hazard method was used to assess the impact on time-to-transformation. All time-to-event analyses were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Of 1014 patients with WM, 42 patients (4.1%) developed histological transformation. The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 9.5 years (95% CI: 8.8-10.5 years). The cumulative probability of transformation was 2.3% at 5 years, 5.3% at 10 years and 8.5% at 15 years from diagnosis of WM, respectively. There was no difference in the 5-year cumulative probability of transformation in patients with WM diagnosed between 1996-2000 (2.1%), 2001-2005 (2.9%), 2006-2010 (2.7%) and 2011-2015 (3.8%), p=0.61.The disease characteristics, laboratory parameters and histology at transformation are outlined in Table 1. In patients with DLBCL histology (n=39), Revised-International Prognostic Index was calculable in 28 patients, with 50% (n=14), 46% (n=13) and 4% (n=1) of DLBCL belonging to poor, good and very good risk groups, respectively. For DLBCL histology, 18 patients were classifiable using Hans algorithm into germinal center B-cell (GCB) type (n=3, 17%) and non-GCB type histology (n=15, 83%). The median lines of therapy received prior to transformation for the entire cohort was 2 (range 0-9), with 5 (11%) patients not having received any therapy for WM before transformation. Number of lines of alkylator-based therapy used prior to transformation [median 1 line (range 0-4)] was comparable to that used in patients in whom WM did not occur [median 1, (range 0-6); p=0.78]. The median time-to-transformation from diagnosis of WM was 4.8 years (95% CI: 2.6- 6.8 years). Overall survival (OS) from transformed disease was 3.2 years (95% CI 1.1-3.9 years). The 10-year OS of patients with WM who transformed was lower (46%) compared to patients without transformation (60%) with a trend towards statistical significance (p=0.08), Figure 1. The MYD88L265P mutation status was available in 333 patients in the entire cohort (22/42 pts in the transformed cohort and 311/972 in the non-transformed cohort. Of the 22 patients in the transformed WM cohort, 13 (59%) exhibited MYD88WT genotype and 9 (41%) exhibited MYD88L265P genotype. The risk of transformation was higher in patients with MYD88WT status [Odds ratio 6.3 (95% CI: 2.6-15.5); p<0.0001]. Additionally, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was higher at diagnosis of WM in patients who transformed, Table 2. On multivariate analysis, MYD88WT status remained an independent predictor of disease transformation [p=0.003; odds ratio 10 (95% CI: 2.1-48)]. On univariate Cox proportional hazard analysis for identifying predictors of time-to-transformation, only MYD88WT mutational status was associated with shorter time-to-transformation with a 5-year transformation rate of 15.5 % for MYD88WT versus 2.6 % with MYDL265P mutated patients [risk ratio 6.2 (95% CI: 2.5-16.4); p<0.0001]. Treatment-related details in the transformed cases were available for 37 (90%) patients; R-CHOP was the most common (41%) frontline therapy for transformation; 33% patients underwent autologous stem cell transplantation for transformed disease during their disease course. Conclusion: Histological transformation is an uncommon event in WM but confers poorer survival. MYD88WT genotype is independently associated with histological transformation a shorter time-to- transformation in patients with WM. Disclosures Ansell: Trillium: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Celldex: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Merck & Co: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Gertz:Apellis: Consultancy; Alnylam: Honoraria; spectrum: Consultancy, Honoraria; janssen: Consultancy; annexon: Consultancy; Prothena: Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; celgene: Consultancy; Teva: Consultancy; Medscape: Consultancy; Ionis: Honoraria; Research to Practice: Consultancy; Physicians Education Resource: Consultancy. Dingli:Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Millennium Takeda: Research Funding; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Participates in the International PNH Registry (for Mayo Clinic, Rochester) for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Witzig:Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Dispenzieri:Celgene, Takeda, Prothena, Jannsen, Pfizer, Alnylam, GSK: Research Funding. Lacy:Celgene: Research Funding. Kumar:Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; KITE: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Kapoor:Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding.