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Senescence is the consequence of a signaling mechanism activated in stressed cells to prevent proliferation of cells with damage. Senescent cells (Sncs) often develop a senescence-associated secretory phenotype to prompt immune clearance, which drives chronic sterile inflammation and plays a causal role in aging and age-related diseases. Sncs accumulate with age and at anatomical sites of disease. Thus, they are regarded as a logical therapeutic target. Senotherapeutics are a new class of drugs that selectively kill Sncs (senolytics) or suppress their disease-causing phenotypes (senomorphics/senostatics). Since 2015, several senolytics went from identification to clinical trial. Preclinical data indicate that senolytics alleviate disease in numerous organs, improve physical function and resilience, and suppress all causes of mortality, even if administered to the aged. Here, we review the evidence that Sncs drive aging and disease, the approaches to identify and optimize senotherapeutics, and the current status of preclinical and clinical testing of senolytics.

TPS7569 Background: Progress in genome technology allows analysis of previously completed trials to identify patients subgroups potentially benefiting from therapy. Enzastaurin is a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C beta (PKC- b) and suppresses the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway. The safety and efficacy of Enzastaurin has been tested in more than 60 clinical trials including 2 major studies in DLBCL: (1) PRELUDE (A phase III maintenance trial of Enzastaurin vs Placebo, N=758) ( Crump, 2016), and (2) S028 (A randomized phase II study of Enzastaurin/R-CHOP vs R-CHOP in frontline intermediate/high-risk DLBCL, N=101) ( Hainsworth, 2016). DNA samples extracted from blood of patients from PRELUDE were retrospectively genotyped using whole genome SNP arrays. From the genome wide screening a novel genetic biomarker, DGM1, was identified showing high correlation with response to Enzastaurin treatment ( Luo, ASH 2018). Importantly, these findings were replicated in the phase II S028 study. In the S028 study the hazard ratio (HR) for OS in high-risk (IPI ≥ 3) DGM1 positive (+) patients who received Enzastaurin/R-CHOP was 0.28 (0.1-0.81) when compared to subjects who received R-CHOP, a benefit favoring Enzastaurin (p=0.018). These data suggest that addition of Enzastaurin to R-CHOP may significantly improve outcome in frontline high-risk DGM1 (+) DLBCL. The ENGINE study was initiated to validate this finding in a prospective study. Methods: Adult patients must have untreated CD20+ DLBCL, IPI ≥ 3. Patients are randomized 1:1 to Enzastaurin/R-CHOP or Placebo/R-CHOP for 6 cycles during combination phase. Each subject’s treatment assignment will be unblinded after response assessment at the end of the combination phase. Subjects randomized to the investigational arm who have a complete or partial response will have the option to continue in the single agent phase to receive Enzastaurin for up to 2 additional years. The study intends to enroll approximately 235 patients with primary endpoint of OS in DGM1 (+) patients. The study is ongoing with 51 sites open in the US and China. As of 22 Jan 2019, 70 patients have been randomized. Clinical trial information: NCT03263026.

8534 Background: Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent with antitumor and antiproliferative effects, demonstrated rapid and durable efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) post-bortezomib in the phase II multicenter MCL-001 study. The objective of this analysis was to explore the efficacy of lenalidomide across patient subgroups. Methods: Single-agent lenalidomide was administered at 25 mg/d PO on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle until disease progression or intolerability; primary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DOR) determined by an independent central review committee per modified IWG criteria. Exploratory analyses of ORR and DOR for subgroups were predefined and prospectively conducted. Results: Patients with relapsed/refractory MCL (N=134) had a median age of 67 y, with a median of 4 prior therapies (range, 2-10). The ORR was 28% (7.5% CR/CRu) and DOR was 16.6 months (95% CI, 7.7-26.7). Lenalidomide treatment provided consistent ORR and DOR across all subgroups analyzed by demographics, baseline disease status and prior therapy (Table). High vs normal baseline LDH was the only significant factor by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of ORR (odds ratio=0.193; p=0.002). Conclusions: Single-agent lenalidomide provided consistent clinical benefit in patients with relapsed/refractory MCL post-bortezomib irrespective of patient subgroups at baseline with the exception of LDH. Clinical trial information: NCT00737529. [Table: see text]

8533 Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with poor prognosis. The immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide shows consistent activity with tolerable safety in multiple phase II studies of relapsed/refractory aggressive NHL (NHL-002 and NHL-003) and MCL post-bortezomib (MCL-001). This pooled analysis further examined the efficacy and safety of single-agent lenalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory MCL. Methods: Single-agent lenalidomide was given 25 mg/d PO on days 1-21 of 28-day cycles as tolerated for 52 weeks (NHL-002) or until disease progression (NHL-003 and MCL-001). All MCL patients received ≥1 prior treatment, including bortezomib in MCL-001. Efficacy data were examined by independent central review for MCL-001 and NHL-003 and by investigators for NHL-002. Results: 206 patients with relapsed/refractory MCL were studied. The median age was 67 y (range 33-84; 63% ≥65 y), 91% stage III/IV disease and 51% had received ≥4 prior regimens (76% prior bortezomib). Overall response rate (ORR) with lenalidomide was 32% (10% CR/CRu), with a median time to response of 2.1 months and median duration of response (DOR) of 16.6 months (not yet reached in patients with CR/CRu; Table). Kaplan-Meier estimates for median PFS and OS were 5.4 and 23.9 months, respectively. Mean daily dose of lenalidomide was 21 mg. Grade 3/4 AEs included neutropenia (44%), thrombocytopenia (29%), anemia (11%), and fatigue (7%). Other any-grade AEs included tumor flare reaction (7%), venous thromboembolic events (7%), and invasive second primary malignancies (3%). Conclusions: Lenalidomide produced rapid and durable responses in patients with relapsed/refractory MCL, and exhibited a predictable safety profile among 3 phase II studies of lenalidomide in heavily pretreated patients, including prior treatment with bortezomib. Clinical trial information: MCL-001: NCT00737529; NHL-002: NCT00179660; NHL-003: NCT00413036. [Table: see text]

Abstract Hypoxia‐induced extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition is an important cause of renal fibrosis that is triggered by unknown mechanisms. Human epididymis secretory protein 4 (HE4) is a newly discovered key molecule that causes ECM deposition. We used the unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mouse model to investigate the expression and mechanisms of HE4 in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis. Results were confirmed in the HK2 cell line and in human donors of kidney tissue with chronic kidney disease. Hypoxia significantly increased HE4 in renal tubular epithelial cells. HE4 overexpression activated the NF‐κB pathway through the NF‐κB transcription‐activating group P65 by phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. NF‐κB upregulated tissue inhibitor metalloproteinases 1, which may inhibit ECM degradation through inhibition of matrix metallopeptidase 2 activity. Silencing HE4 inhibited hypoxia‐induced ECM deposition and alleviated fibrosis in UUO mice in vivo and blocked NF‐κB activation in vitro. Expression of HE4 in the tubulointerstitium was positively correlated with tubulointerstitial fibrosis in tissue samples from patients with chronic kidney disease. Our results suggest that hypoxia induces renal fibrosis by upregulating HE4 and activating the HIF‐1α/HE4/NF‐κB signaling pathway. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms and function of HE4 overexpression in hypoxia‐induced renal fibrosis will provide important insights into understanding renal fibrosis and antifibrotic strategies.

Background: Progress in genome technology allows analysis of previously completed trials to identify subgroups potentially benefiting from therapy. Enzastaurin is a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C beta (PKC-β) and suppresses the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway. The safety and efficacy of Enzastaurin has been tested in more than 60 clinical trials including 2 major studies in DLBCL: (1) PRELUDE (A phase III maintenance trial of Enzastaurin vs Placebo, N=758) (Crump, 2016), and (2) S028 (A randomized phase II study of Enzastaurin/R-CHOP vs R-CHOP in frontline intermediate/high-risk DLBCL, N=101) (Hainsworth, 2016). DNA samples extracted from blood of patients from PRELUDE were retrospectively genotyped using whole genome SNP arrays. From the genome wide screening a novel genetic biomarker, DGM1, was identified showing high correlation with response to Enzastaurin treatment (Luo, ASH 2018). Importantly, these findings were replicated in the phase II S028 study. In the S028 study the hazard ratio (HR) for OS in high-risk (IPI ≥ 3) DGM1 positive (+) patients who received Enzastaurin/R-CHOP was 0.28 (0.1-0.81) when compared to subjects who received R-CHOP, a benefit favoring Enzastaurin (p=0.018). These data suggest that addition of Enzastaurin to R-CHOP may significantly improve outcome in frontline high-risk DGM1 (+) DLBCL. The ENGINE study was initiated to validate this finding in a prospective study. Study Design and Methods: Adult patients must have untreated CD20+ DLBCL, IPI ≥ 3. Patients are randomized 1:1 to Enzastaurin/R-CHOP or Placebo/R-CHOP for 6 cycles during combination phase. Each subject's treatment assignment will be unblinded after response assessment at the end of the combination phase. Subjects randomized to the investigational arm who have a complete or partial response will have the option to continue in the single agent phase to receive Enzastaurin for up to 2 additional years. The study intends to enroll approximately 235 patients with primary endpoint of OS in DGM1 (+) patients. The study is ongoing with 57 sites open in the US and China. As of 20 July 2019, 128 patients have been randomized. Clinical trial information: NCT03263026. Disclosures Nowakowski: Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding. Brody:Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Celldex Therapeutics: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Oncovir, Inc.: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Lue:Kymera Therapeutics: Honoraria; Astex Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria. Luo:Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties. Zhang:Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment. Han:Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment. Jivani:TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Stock; Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment. Liu:Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment. Li:Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment. Sun:Novartis: Other: Stock; Denovo Biopharma LLC: Employment.

Abstract The current view is that treatment failures of AML patients are due to persistence of leukemia stem cells (LSCs). The presence of FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) Internal tandem duplication (ITD) is associated with poor prognosis. But, FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) demonstrate transient clinical activity in FLT3-ITD+ AML patients. Persistent FLT3-ITD+ AML LSC represent a source of relapse. There is a pressing need to target LSC and improve outcomes for FLT3-ITD+ AML patients. PRMT1, the predominant arginine methyltransferase, has been implicated in pathogenesis of AML rare subtype (i.e., acute megakaryoblastic leukemia). Herein, we show that PRMT1 protein expression is significantly increased in LSC-enriched AML CD34+CD38- cells relative to the counterparts of normal peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) (AML n=9, normal n=8, p=0.0004,). Following PRMT1-knockdown (KD), AML CD34+ cells (n=15) demonstrated varying degrees of apoptosis while the survival of normal cells were not affected. Interestingly, we observed significant apoptosis-induction in a subset of samples bearing FLT3-ITD mutation (6 out of total 15) upon PRMT1-KD (ShCtrl 13.9±3.6%, ShPRMT1 32.5±4.6%, p<0.001). PRMT1-KD induced apoptosis was also more evident in cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells expressing FLT3-ITD (ShCtrl 19.4±1.3%, ShPRMT1 45.2±2.5%, p<0.001) relative to that of FLT3-WT (ShCtrl 27.47±1.8%, ShPRMT1 36.9±1.6%, p=0.0167). In 293T cells ectopically overexpressing FLT3-WT or FLT3-ITD, co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) indicated greater interaction between PRMT1 and FLT3-ITD. Through RNA-Seq profiling two AML lines (MV4-11, OCI-AML3) plus one FLT3-ITD transduced CB CD34+ cells with PRMT1-KD, we obtained a differentially-regulated gene set as a "PRMT1 signature". This signature was enriched in FLT3-ITD+ AML relative to FLT3-WT AML according to ssGSEA analysis using two AML datasets (GSE14468, GSE10358), indicating PRMT1 may cooperate with FLT3-ITD regulating AML maintenance. Given that PRMT1 directly interacts with FLT3-ITD, we next asked whether PRMT1 catalyzes FLT3-ITD protein methylation. Through mass-spectrometry analysis of a FLT3-ITD+ AML specimen and in vitro methylation assay, we identified that PRMT1 catalyzes FLT3-ITD arginine (R) methylation (Me) at two conserved residues, 972 and 973. Using in-house R972/973 Me antibody, we validated the expression of FLT3 R-Me in FLT3-ITD AML speciemens (7 out of 7). To test R-Me function, we transduced MLL-AF9 (MA9) overexpressing murine c-Kit+ cells with methylation-deficient FLT3-ITD (R972/973K, arginine [R] to lysine [K]) construct, and found that MA9 cells expressing R972/973K underwent more apoptosis than that of WT FLT3-ITD (WT FLT3-ITD 9.7±1.1%, R972/973K 23.7±2.1%, p=0.003). The double transformed cells were further transplanted into recipients for leukemia development. Mice receiving MA9 cells expressing R972/973K exhibited longer survival (median survival: WT FLT3-ITD 36 days, R972/973K 50 days, p=0.002, n=6). Mechanistically, expression of R972/973K did not affect the total tyrosine phosphorylation level of FLT3-ITD. Additionally, FLT3-ITD R-Me expression persisted after a TKI (AC220) treatment. These facts indicated that FLT3-ITD R-Me function is independent of FLT3-ITD kinase activity. We then used a FLT3-ITD+ patient derived xenograft (PDX) model to assess the effects of TKI and PRMT1 inhibition. Following engraftment >1% in peripheral blood, we divided mice (n=24) into 4 groups and treated each with vehicle, MS023 (a type I PRMT inhibitor, ACS Chem Biol. 2016;11:772-781) (160 mg/kg/i.p), AC220 (10 mg/kg/i.g) or combination for 4 weeks. MS023 treatment downregulating FLT3 R-Me levels enhanced elimination of FLT3-ITD AML cells by AC220 treatment (AC220 24.6±13.4% vs combination 7.6±6.5%, p=0.02, n=6). At 16 weeks post-secondary BMT, significant AML burden in single drug treated transplants was observed, but less AML cells were detected in combination-treated transplants (AC220 52.3%, vs combination 25.4%, p<0.001, n=6). MS023 had little effect on long-term in vivo engraftment of CD34+ from a human CB specimen (vehicle 76.3±5.9%, MS023 72.2±3.4%, p=0.21, n=5). In summary, our study demonstrated PRMT1 overexpression contributes to AML stem/progenitor cell survival possibly through FLT3-ITD methylation, supporting further exploration into how PRMT1-mediated FLT3 methylation governs LSC survival. Disclosures Khaled: Alexion: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi: Consultancy; Juno: Other: Travel Funding.

Abstract Introduction Patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) typically respond to initial therapy and almost inevitably relapse with frequent chemoresistance over time and poor outcome. Multiple phase II studies have established the efficacy and safety of lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent with tumoricidal and antiproliferative properties, in relapsed/refractory MCL. The prospective phase II multicenter MCL-001 “EMERGE” study led to FDA approval of lenalidomide for patients with relapsed/refractory MCL after 2 prior treatments, that included bortezomib. The activity of lenalidomide was seen regardless of MIPI, number of prior therapies, prior high dose therapy, bulky disease or high tumor burden. One of the most established prognostic factors in MCL is the proliferation index Ki67 (MIB1), now confirmed both in standard and dose-intensive high-dose therapy strategies. We present here longer follow-up of efficacy and safety from the MCL-001 study in patients relapsed/refractory to bortezomib and the potential relationship between Ki-67 and efficacy outcomes. Methods Patients with heavily pretreated MCL, that included prior bortezomib, received lenalidomide 25 mg/day PO, days 1-21 in 28-day cycles until disease progression or intolerability. Primary study endpoints were overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DOR); secondary endpoints included complete response (CR), time to response (TTR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Response rates and time-to-event data were analyzed by independent central reviewers per modified IWG criteria and Kaplan-Meier estimates respectively (data cut-off March 20, 2013). Ki-67 was examined as an exploratory endpoint by immunohistochemistry for 81/134 patients (60%) either performed on biopsy samples for 24 patients, or based on the Ki-67 scores reported in local pathology reports for 57 patients. Results Median age for the enrolled intent-to-treat patient population (N=134) was 67 years (range, 43-83; 63% ≥65 years). The median number of previous therapies was 4 (range, 2-10; 78% received ≥3), 93% stage III/IV, and 72% were <6 months from last prior treatment. At a median follow-up of 13.2 months, the ORR was 28% (CR/CRu 8%), with a median DOR of 16.6 months (95% CI, 9.2-26.7; median not reached in patients with CR/CRu) by central review. Median TTR was 2.3 months (95% CI, 1.7-13.1), with a median time to CR/CRu of 4.1 months (95% CI, 1.9-13.2). Median PFS was 4.0 months (95% CI, 3.6-6.9), and median OS was 20.9 months (95% CI, 13.7-24.4). The average dose intensity of lenalidomide was 20 mg/day, for a median duration of 94.5 days (range, 1-1,256). Dose reductions or interruptions due to adverse events (AEs) occurred in 40% and 58% of patients, respectively. Neutropenia (44%), thrombocytopenia (28%), and anemia (11%) were the most common treatment-related grade 3/4 AEs. Ki-67 results were available in 81/134 patients, and efficacy data were categorized using 30% and 50% cut-off thresholds for Ki-67 expression (Table 1). Although patient numbers were limited, the ORR was similar in both lower and higher Ki-67 group, but those with lower Ki-67 levels demonstrated better CR rates, DOR and survival outcomes compared with patients with elevated Ki-67. Conclusions Single-agent lenalidomide in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory MCL post-bortezomib showed durable long-term efficacy with a consistent safety profile. Consistent with what is reported in the literature, high Ki-67 is associated with poor outcome in our cohort with shorter OS. Though based on retrospective evaluation and subsets of patients, the ORR to lenalidomide was similar in both low and high Ki-67 groups, suggesting lenalidomide can be active in patients expressing high levels of Ki67. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. Disclosures: Goy: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Off Label Use: This is a phase 2 clinical study of safety and efficacy for lenalidomide in patients with MCL. Williams:Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Drach:Celgene: Honoraria. Ramchandren:Celgene: Research Funding. Zhang:Celgene: Employment. Cicero:Celgene: Employment. Fu:Celgene: Employment. Heise:Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Witzig:Celgene: Research Funding.