Citations

The spinal cord plays a central role in the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS), yet remains under-studied compared with the brain. This review summarizes key insights from the 2025 North American Imaging in MS Spinal Cord Imaging Workshop, highlighting recent advances, ongoing challenges, and future opportunities in MS spinal cord imaging. We review pathological studies and outline the clinical relevance of spinal cord lesions and atrophy for diagnosis, prognosis, and disease monitoring, highlighting emerging biomarkers of progression independent of relapse activity. Correlations between magnetic resonance imaging, histopathology, and clinical outcomes support the validation and translational potential of advanced spinal cord imaging techniques. Finally, we discuss spinal cord–specific processing pipelines and reproducibility challenges. Collectively, these insights underscore the need to integrate advanced and quantitative spinal cord imaging into clinical trials, research studies, and—when feasible—clinical care, to fully capture the extent of MS pathology, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Abstract The Africa Working Group, under the auspices of the Global Laboratory Quality Initiative of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), conducted several educational workshops in Africa to promote laboratory quality in the region. The challenges faced in maintaining quality in clinical laboratories in low-resource countries may differ from region to region and country to country. To better understand current gaps and inform our engagement with partners in Africa, a needs assessment survey was distributed to 1427 ADLM members in Africa and further disseminated through local partners, resulting in 121 responses from participants across 8 countries in the region. Additionally, interviews were conducted with laboratory professionals from the countries surveyed. The surveys primarily focused on quality management, continuing education, budgeting, infrastructure and funding, supplies, and staffing issues. The data collected from the surveys and interviews strongly indicate that respondents face major challenges in all areas assessed, including lack of funding, lack of equipment, lack of quality control (QC) and external quality assessment (EQA) materials, gaps in quality management, lack of appropriate budgeting, staffing issues, and lack of accessible training/continuing education. Consistent with the primary focus of ADLM;s Global Quality Initiative, improved access to continuing education was identified as the primary need by the participants (58%). The assessment highlights that while a strong role for educational workshops in mitigating some of the challenges continues to exist, there is also an opportunity to broaden the scope of the working groups beyond education.

Background: Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a key environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), and tonsils and adenoids serve as a primary viral reservoir. This study investigates the potential role of adenotonsillectomy in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) risk and relapse rate. Objectives: POMS participants and controls were recruited from 16 pediatric MS clinics between 1 November 2011 and 1 July 2017. Clinical and demographic information, including history of adenotonsillectomy, EBV serostatus, and HLA-DRB1*15:01:01 status, were collected. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between adenotonsillectomy and MS risk. In addition, negative binomial regression offset by follow-up time was used to assess the relationship between adenotonsillectomy and relapse rate in POMS participants with available follow-up data. Results: The case-control analysis included 359 POMS participants and 560 pediatric controls. Individuals with a history of adenotonsillectomy had a 63% increased odds of MS (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–2.64, p = 0.046). Among the 239 POMS participants with available follow-up data, adenotonsillectomy was associated with a twofold increase in annualized relapse rate (adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.15–3.48, p = 0.013). Conclusions: Prior adenotonsillectomy was associated with increased risk of MS and greater relapse rate in pediatric patients, suggesting a potential interplay between EBV, immune regulation, and MS pathogenesis.

PURPOSE In immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis, amyloid fibrils cause organ dysfunction. Anselamimab, a monoclonal antibody, selectively binds to amyloid fibrils, accelerating their clearance. METHODS Newly diagnosed patients with European modification of Mayo 2004 stage IIIa or IIIb AL amyloidosis were randomly assigned to receive anselamimab or placebo with cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (with or without daratumumab). The primary end point was a hierarchical composite of time to all-cause mortality (ACM) and frequency of cardiovascular hospitalizations (CVHs), analyzed using the Finkelstein-Schoenfeld test and win ratio estimation. RESULTS Among 406 randomly assigned patients, the primary end point win ratio for anselamimab versus placebo was 1.11 (95% CI, 0.83, 1.50; P = .332) and the hazard ratio (HR) for ACM was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.57, 1.13; P = .290). CVH rates in the anselamimab and placebo groups were 0.59 (95% CI, 0.42, 0.83) and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.55, 1.43), respectively ( P = .145). Among patients with kappa isotype (n = 72), the win ratio was 2.06 (95% CI, 0.98, 4.31; P = .100) and anselamimab reduced ACM by 62% versus placebo (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.86; nominal P = .012), and CVH by 71% (IRR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.87; nominal P = .028) with improvements in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-Overall Score. There was no clinical benefit observed in the lambda population. Anselamimab was generally well-tolerated; safety data were comparable between treatment arms overall. CONCLUSION Treatment with anselamimab, an antifibril antibody used alongside antiplasma cell dyscrasia therapy, while not meeting the primary end point in the overall population, significantly improved ACM and CVH in patients with kappa AL, potentially offering a new therapeutic option for this isotype.

Due to increasingly nuanced Crohn disease therapy selection and disease evaluation, radiologic assessment of transmural healing, although aspirational, may be more complete than endoscopic assessment of mucosal healing, which is the current treatment target.

TPS655 Background: Early (14-28 day) on-treatment suppression of tumor proliferation during neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is strongly associated with favorable long-term outcomes in estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) HER2– breast cancer. In premenopausal women, tamoxifen with or without ovarian function suppression (OFS) results in suboptimal Ki-67 suppression compared with aromatase inhibitor + OFS. (Z)-endoxifen (ENDX), the active metabolite of tamoxifen, dually inhibits ER signaling and PKCβ1-mediated AKT activation, supporting its evaluation as an alternative NET strategy in this population. Methods: EVANGELINE (NCT05607004) is an ongoing, multicenter, open-label Phase 2 study evaluating daily 40 mg ENDX plus goserelin administered every 28 days as neoadjuvant therapy in premenopausal women with ER+/HER2–, cT2–3, cN0–1 breast cancer. The primary objective is to determine the proportion of patients with baseline Ki-67 >10% who achieve Ki-67 ≤10% after 4 weeks of therapy. A Simon two-stage design is used to test whether the Week 4 Ki-67 ≤10% rate is at least 65%, with 20 patients enrolled into the first stage and, if promising, another 25 patients enrolled into the second stage (cohort A). A parallel cohort of 20 patients with baseline Ki-67 ≤10% (cohort B) is enrolled to assess objective response rate (ORR) at 24 weeks per RECIST v1.1. Secondary objectives include examining safety and tolerability, residual cancer burden, and PEPI score. Correlative analyses include examining effect of treatment on select tumor and plasma biomarkers. Clinical trial information: NCT05607004 .

TPS2673 Background: The main challenge for developing CAR T therapies for solid tumors is the lack of targets that distinguish tumor from normal cells, resulting in on-target, off-tumor toxicity. Tmod logic-gated CAR T therapy addresses this challenge by incorporating 2 CARs on the same T cell: an activator targeting a marker on both tumor and normal cells, and a blocker targeting HLA-A*02 that inhibits CAR T activity against normal cells while allowing activation against tumor cells (with HLA-A*02 LOH), improving tumor selectivity and decreasing toxicity. Early safety results from 3 ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trials of logic-gated, Tmod CAR T therapy (EVEREST-1, EVEREST-2, and DENALI-1) have demonstrated manageable safety and tolerability in patients with advanced solid tumors (Grierson et al, SITC , 2024; Ward et al, SITC 2025; Specht et al, SABCS , 2025). Early efficacy results include the first ever reported complete response in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer following treatment with a CAR T-cell therapy (A2B694). A2B543 is an autologous Tmod CAR T therapy that contains the same Tmod construct as A2B694 with an added membrane-tethered IL-12 (memIL12) booster. Specifically, A2B543 is comprised of autologous Tmod cells transduced with 2 lentiviral vectors: one expressing both the HLA-A*02-targeted blocker and the mesothelin-targeted CAR activator; and a second expressing the memIL12 booster. Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a potent, pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in inducing antitumor immune responses; however, systemic IL-12 can be prohibitively toxic (Jia et al, Front Immunol , 2022). In A2B543, expression of the memIL12 cassette is under the control of an NFAT promoter and is induced during antigen engagement or T cell activation. This inducible memIL12 is designed to reduce the toxicity associated with systemic IL-12 while enhancing the long-term potency and persistence of Tmod (Zhang et al, J Immunother Cancer , 2025). Methods: EVEREST-2 (NCT06051695) is a phase 1/2, open-label, nonrandomized study evaluating the safety and efficacy of A2B543 in adults with recurrent/metastatic mesothelin-expressing cancers with tumor-associated HLA-A*02 LOH, including mesothelioma, colorectal, non-small cell lung, pancreatic, or ovarian cancer. Patients are enrolled through BASECAMP-1 (NCT04981119), a master prescreening study that identifies patients with HLA LOH via next-generation sequencing and cryopreserves leukapheresis product. Upon progression, A2B543 is manufactured and then administered after lymphodepletion. The phase 1 primary objective is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of A2B543 and identify a recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). The phase 2 primary objective is to assess overall response rate. Clinical trial information: NCT06051695 .

TPS11592 Background: Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare vascular sarcoma with about 120 cases diagnosed in the US per year. Although it is commonly considered an indolent disease, in its aggressive form clinical outcomes are poor. Molecularly, EHE is characterized by the presence of oncogenic fusions with HIPPO pathway effectors TAZ or YAP; TAZ-CAMTA1 or YAP-TFE3. YAP/TAZ are modulators of mTORC1 in preclinical models, suggesting that mTOR inhibition may be an effective treatment mechanism for EHE. Nab-sirolimus is albumin bound sirolimus, which achieves higher intratumoral accumulation compared to oral sirolimus and has demonstrated increased antitumor activity in preclinical cancer models compared to the oral mTOR inhibitors sirolimus and everolimus. This is an open label, multi-center, single arm, phase II clinical trial with a two-stage design, testing nab-sirolimus for progressing or symptomatic EHE. The primary objective is to determine ORR of nab-sirolimus in patients with EHE who require systemic treatment. We hypothesize that nab-sirolimus will have significant clinical efficacy for EHE as measured by the primary endpoint of objective response rate, as well as by secondary outcomes including progression free survival benefit over historical controls and by improvement in patient reported outcomes (PROs). If positive, this trial could lead to a new standard of care for treating EHE. Methods: This is a single arm, multi-center, phase 2 study with a two-stage design. Key inclusion criteria include histologically or cytologically confirmed EHE that is either progressing or clinically symptomatic, not a candidate for curative intent surgery, and requires systemic therapy in the opinion of the investigator, radiographically evaluable disease by RECIST v1.1, age ≥18 years, ECOG performance status ≤ 2, and adequate end organ function. With a Simon two-stage optimal design with one sided alpha 0.10, power 90%, assuming a historical control ORR 5% to detect an ORR of 20% (alternative hypothesis), 12 patients will be included in the first stage. If there is ≥ 1 response, an additional 25 patients will be enrolled to a total of 37 patients. ≥ 4 responses are needed for a significant result. The total planned accrual is 41 patients to account for unevaluable patients who may be enrolled, 10% above the required evaluable patients. Planned post hoc subgroup analyses will include outcomes by fusion type and presence of serosal effusions at the time of study enrollment. The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov NCT07104331. Clinical trial information: NCT07104331 .

9567 Background: Resected stage IIB/C and microscopic stage IIIA/B/C/D melanoma presents a significant risk of recurrence risk of 37 to 62% at 5 years (yrs). While 1 year of adjuvant PD1 therapy reduces this risk by approximately half, the individual patient’s baseline risk without treatment and their specific benefit from adjuvant PD1 remain unknown. We aimed to generate two separate predictive models for recurrence – one for untreated and one for treated pts - to calculate the individualised benefit of adjuvant PD1. Methods: Pts with resected stage IIB/C or microscopic stage IIIA/B/C/D melanoma, either treated with adjuvant PD1 or untreated at 13 major melanoma centres, and with at least 2 years of follow-up from surgery were included. We analysed pts demographics, disease characteristics, blood parameters, pathological and imaging data at baseline, and clinical outcomes. Propensity scores were estimated using logistic regression with covariates associated with treatment in univariate screening (p<0.05). Separate penalised multivariable logistic regression models were built to predict recurrence for treated and untreated pts. A tool based on these models was created to calculate the individual patient benefit from adjuvant PD1. Results: A total of 3560 pts was included, divided into untreated (discovery n=2384 and validation n=597) and treated (discovery n=404 and validation n=175) cohorts. The model for untreated pts included age, gender, primary site, histological subtype, Breslow thickness, ulceration, mitosis, number and site of regional lymph nodes (LN), mutation status and LDH (AUC 0.70 in discovery, 0.69 in validation). The model for treated pts included age, gender, Breslow thickness, site of regional LN, and mutation status (AUC 0.69 in discovery, 0.61 in validation). ADAPT-M (ADjuvant Anti-PD-1 Tool for Melanoma) calculates the individualized benefit of adjuvant PD1. For example, patient A, a woman ≤45 years old with a primary head & neck melanoma (superficial spreading, thickness >1-2 mm, no ulceration, 1 mitosis/mm 2 ), 2 clinically occult LN metastases in the neck, NRAS mutant, and normal LDH, has a 12-month recurrence risk of 21.9% untreated vs 2.3% treated (benefit 19.6%), and a 24-month risk of 41.1% untreated vs 6.4% treated (benefit 34.7%). While, patient B, a man ≤45 years old with a primary melanoma in the lower limb (nodular, thickness >1-2 mm, no ulceration, 1 mitosis/mm 2 ), 2 clinically occult LN metastases in the groin, BRAF V600 mutant, and normal LDH, has a 12-month recurrence risk of 14.2% untreated vs 11.8% treated (benefit 2.5%), and a 24-month risk of 28.0% untreated vs 30.1% treated (no benefit). Conclusions: ADAPT-M, a clinical tool that estimate individualized recurrence risks with and without adjuvant anti-PD1 therapy, quantifies the absolute benefit of treatment for pts with high-risk resected melanoma, facilitating personalized adjuvant therapy decisions.