Citations

Abstract Introduction. CLL primarily affects elderly individuals who frequently have comorbid health conditions. It is typically assumed non-CLL-related etiologies will be the ultimate cause of death for most CLL patients, particularly those with comorbid conditions at diagnosis. Methods. Between 9/2002 and 11/2014, 1174 patients with newly diagnosed CLL were enrolled in a prospective cohort study evaluating the natural history of CLL. Comorbidities were prospectively recorded at the time of diagnosis. Comorbidities arising during the course of disease were not considered for this analysis. Standardized longitudinal follow-up was performed in all patients every 6 months for the first 3 years after diagnosis and annually thereafter through 04/2015. Internal and external medical records, death certificates, and information from next of kin were centrally reviewed to determine cause of death, using a standardized protocol. Categorical and continuous variables were evaluated using the c2 or Fisher exact tests and the Mann-Whitney test, as appropriate. Results. Baseline characteristics at time of CLL diagnosis are shown in the Table. Over 80% of patients had 2 or more comorbidities at diagnosis (median 3, range 0-11). After a median follow up of 5 years, 224 (19%) patients have died. The cause of death could be accurately determined in 183 (82%) of these patients. The cause of death was due to CLL in 135 (74%), including 84 (46%) CLL progressions, 14 (8%) infections, and 37 (20%) other cancers. Death was due to non-CLL-related causes (such as congestive heart failure, stroke or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in the remaining 48 (26%) patients. On univariable analysis, age and number of comorbid health conditions were not related to whether or not the cause of death was related/unrelated to CLL. The only specific co-morbid condition at diagnosis that predicted for non-CLL related death was stroke (8% vs 1%, p=0.04). Unmutated IGHV was the only prognostic factor thatpredicted greater likelihood of CLL-related death (70% vs 50%, p=0.03). Conclusions. The majority of patients with CLL have multiple comorbidities at time of diagnosis. Despite this fact, CLL progression and/or CLL-related complications are the primary cause of death. The number and type of comorbidities at diagnosis have minimal relationship to whether or not the ultimate cause of death was CLL-related. In contrast, the CLL-specific characteristic IGHV status (but interestingly not FISH defects) correlates with cause of death. Collectively, these findings illustrate the need for more effective CLL therapy, particularly treatments that can be tolerated by patients with comorbid health conditions. It is hoped the signaling inhibitors may help address this unmet need. Table. Number (%), median [range] N=1174 Age (years) 63 [23-89] Males Females 791 (67) 383 (33) Creatinine-Clearance > (mL/min) 86 [10-252] B2M (mg/dL) 2.3 [1.1-13.2] Rai stage 0 I-II III-IV 604 (52) 512 (38) 54 (10) CD49d positive negative 277 (30) 638 (70) CD38 positive negative 332 (30) 780 (70) ZAP70 positive negative 380 (37) 650 (63) IGHV unmutated mutated 394 (44) 506 (56) FISH del13q negative +12 del11q del17p 395 (40) 175 (18) 276 (28) 90 (9) 50 (5) Comorbid health conditions Other cancers 237 (20) Stroke 38 (3) Cardiac disease 326 (28) Hypertension 472 (40) Respiratory 210 (18) Endocrinologic 165 (14) Diabetes 118 (10) Hyperlipidemia 485 (41) Rheumatologic 489 (42) Gastrointestinal 384 (33) Genitourinary 412 (35) Psychiatric 197 (17) DVT/PE 33 (3) Substance abuse 58 (5) Sexually transmitted disease 35 (3) Obesity 376 (32) # of Comorbidities 0 1 2 3 4 > 4 66 (6) 148 (13) 203 (17) 220 (19) 206 (17) 331 (28) Disclosures Kay: Hospira: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Celgene Corporation: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Tolero Pharma: Research Funding. Cerhan:Kite Pharma: Research Funding.

Abstract Background: Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is characterized by the presence of a circulating population of clonal B-cells where the total B-cell count is <5 × 109/L and criteria for the diagnosis of other lymphoproliferative disorders are not present. In most patients the immunophenotype is similar to that of chronic lymphocytic leukemia with co-expression of CD19 and CD5. The natural history of MBL is unclear. We used the Mayo Clinic hematopathology database to identify patients with MBL and abstracted clinical information on natural history and prognostic parameters from clinical and research records. Methods: After IRB review and approval, we reviewed the hematopathology records of 2292 patients seen at Mayo Clinic between August 1998 and May 2006 who had a clonal B-cell population on flow cytometry phenotypically consistent with CLL and fewer than <5 × 109/L B-cells. Clinical records were then reviewed to identify patients who fulfilled the criteria for MBL (no evidence of other lymphoproliferative disorders, no adenopathy on exam). Patient characteristics, prognostic parameters, and clinical outcomes were abstracted from the clinical and research records of these patients. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate association between prognostic markers and time to treatment. Results: A total of 118 patients meeting the criteria for MBL were identified. Median age at the time of MBL diagnosis was 69.4 years (range 39.0 – 91.4). A slight male preponderance was observed (54% male). CD38 status was available for 106 (90%) patients of whom 20% were CD38 positive using the 30% threshold to classify CD38. Cytogenetic analysis by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was available in 58 (49%) patients. Using the hierarchical classification system of Dohner and colleagues, 26 (44.8%) were 13q-, 10 (17.2%) were trisomy 12, 2 (3.4%) were 11q-, 1 (1.7%) was 17p-, and 19 were (32.8%) no defect was detected. ZAP-70 status was available for 32 patients of whom 22% were ZAP-70+ positive. IgVH gene mutation status was only available for 15 (12.7%) patients of whom 40% were unmutated. Time from MBL diagnosis to treatment is shown in Figure 1. Survival free of treatment was 92.7% (95%CI: 86.8–99.1%) at 1 year, 90.9% (95%CI: 84.2–98.2%) at 2 years, and 87.5% (95% CI: 78.7–97.4%) at 5 years. While age (p=0.68) and gender (p=0.14) were not found to be associated with time to treatment (TTT), CD38 status showed a strong relationship with TTT (p<0.001, HR: 22.7, 95% CI: 3.4–239.6). Conclusion: The distribution of prognostic parameters (e.g. CD38, FISH) in patients with MBL appears similar to that of patients with early stage CLL. We observed a low rate of progression, with 5 year survival free of treatment greater than 87%. TTT among newly diagnosed MBL patients was associated with the CD38 status of clonal B-cells. Figure Figure

Background: The 2018 iwCLL guidelines recommend close observation of early stage CLL pts who do not meet indications for therapy ("watch and wait" strategy). Prior attempts at early therapeutic intervention in unselected early-stage CLL pts using alkylating agents such as chlorambucil and chemoimmunotherapy failed to show a significant benefit; and these therapies were associated with substantial toxicities. The introduction of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment landscape of CLL. The German CLL Study group recently presented results of the CLL12 study which demonstrated a significant improvement in event-free survival (EFS) among untreated early stage high risk CLL pts who received ibrutinib compared to placebo (median EFS not reached vs. 47.8 months, respectively; Langerbeins, EHA, 2019). Acalabrutinib is a more selective second-generation BTK inhibitor that has fewer adverse events in pts with CLL, and has shown equally impressive clinical activity for CLL pts. We are conducting an investigator initiated randomized phase 2 study to compare acalabrutinib with or without obinutuzumab (a glycoengineered anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved in the treatment of CLL) among high risk early stage CLL pts. Study Design: All pts with newly diagnosed (<2 years from registration) previously untreated early stage CLL who do not meet the 2018 iwCLL guidelines for initiation of therapy are eligible for enrollment in this study. Pts undergo risk stratification according to the CLL-International prognostic index (CLL-IPI) which consists of the following 5 variables: age >65 years (1 point), Rai stage I-IV (1 point), del17p and/or TP53 mutation (4 points), unmutated immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGHV) genes (2 points), and serum β2-microglobulin >3.5 g/dL (2 points). Pts with high (4-6) and very high (7-10) risk CLL-IPI are randomly (1:1) assigned to acalabrutinib 100 mg orally twice daily (Arm A) or acalabrutinib with obinutuzumab at a standard approved schedule (Arm B). Treatment with acalabrutinib is continued for a minimum of 2 years unless the patient has unacceptable side effects or withdraws consent. Pts with low (0-1) and intermediate (2-3) risk CLL-IPI score are assigned to an observation arm with follow-up once every 6 months for 2 years, and then according to routine clinical practice (Arm C). Endpoints: The primary endpoint of the intervention arms (Arms A and B) is the achievement of minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remission in the bone marrow after 2 years of therapy. MRD is assessed using an 8-color flow cytometry with a detection limit of 0.01%. The primary endpoint of the observation arm (Arm C) is time to first therapy. Secondary endpoints for all arms are: progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Statistical design: A randomized trial comparing the experimental arm (acalabrutinib plus obinutuzumab) against the control arm (acalabrutinib alone) will be conducted as described by Rubinstein. A sample size of 36 pts per arm provides 80% power to detect an improvement in MRD-negative complete response rate from 10% to 30%, using a one-sided test at a significance level of 0.10 (EAST 6.4). We anticipate accruing an additional 8 high/very high risk pts (4 in each arm) to account for ineligibility, cancellation, or major treatment violation. The total enrollment for Arms A and B will be 80 pts. We will enroll 40 pts to Arm C; for a total enrollment of 120 pts. Key correlatives: Comprehensive profiling to assess the innate and adaptive immune system in paired peripheral blood and bone marrow will be conducted in all pts registered to Arms A and B at baseline, 12 and 24 months after enrollment. In addition, bone marrow hematopoietic function will be assessed in all pts at these time points. We will employ a CLL focused custom 61-gene panel to estimate tumor mutational burden as well as mutational profiles for each patient at baseline, 12, and 24 month time points, as well at the time of disease progression. Preliminary results: The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov NCT03516617. The trial opened to accrual at all three Mayo Clinic sites (Rochester, MN; Jacksonville, FL; and Scottsdale, AZ) in September 2018. Twenty-eight pts have been registered; the baseline characteristics are shown in Table 1. The trial is expected to complete enrollment in September 2020; and the primary analysis will be available in September 2022. Disclosures Parikh: Janssen: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; Ascentage Pharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria. Ding:DTRM Biopharma: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding. Ailawadhi:Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Cellectar: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy. Kenderian:Novartis: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Humanigen: Other: Scientific advisory board , Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Lentigen: Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding. Chanan-Khan:Mayo Clinic: Employment; Ascentage: Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Jansen: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Xencor: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding. Kay:Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Agios: Other: DSMB; MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board. OffLabel Disclosure: Drug: Acalabrutinib Purpose: treatment of CLL

Introduction: Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), a major component of CLL microenvironment influences CLL B-cell survival. We have utilized an in vitro BMSC model system and found unique alterations in CLL B-cells with short term BMSC co-culture that point to previously unidentified biologic changes in the CLL B-cells that may influence CLL B-cell signaling and their drug resistance. Methods: Purified primary CLL B-cells (n=41) from previously untreated CLL patients were cultured alone or co-cultured with primary BMSCs from either normal individuals (n=24) or CLL patients (n=18) at a 50:1 ratio in AIMV medium. After 48 hours, separated CLL B-cells or BMSCs were examined by immunoprecipitation/Western blot analyses to assess the presence of intracellular signal proteins and real time PCR to determine the RNA level expression. In separate experiments to assess CLL B-cell response in co-culture with BMSC, purified CLL B-cells were treated with the following agents at sub lethal doses; fludarabine, chlorambucil, ibrutinib and venetoclax as single agents. Results: Consistent and significant increase in expression of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase for both mRNA and protein levels was observed in CLL B-cells co-cultured with BMSCs compared to CLL B-cells cultured alone. We also detected significantly increased expression of β-catenin at the protein level in CLL B-cells co-cultured with BMSCs. In contrast there was no significant change in β-catenin or Axl protein expression in the co-cultured BMSCs. Co-culturing of CLL B-cells with BMSCs using transwells confirmed that the upregulation of both Axl and β-catenin is dependent on the direct contact of CLL B-cells with BMSCs. Experiments showed that the increased Axl level in co-cultured CLL B-cells was independent of Axl kinase activity. Furthermore, the CLL B-cells from co-culture also had clear upregulation of downstream P-ERK-1/2 but no change in P-AKT(Ser473). Next we reasoned that if increases in Axl and β-catenin are related to drug resistance then CLL B-cells should have increases in those proteins when cultured with drugs and in presence of BMSCs. Treatment with chemotherapeutic or targeted therapy drugs, (i.e. fludarabine, chlorambucil, ibrutinib, venetoclax) with sublethal doses was found to lead to increase in expression levels of both β-catenin and Axl in co-cultured CLL B-cells. However these increases were significantly over that seen with simple co-culture of CLL B-cells with BMSCs. Since CLL B-cells were less sensitive to these latter chemotherapy drugs in presence of BMSCs, this suggests to us a role for both Axl and β-catenin in stromal mediated CLL B-cell drug resistance to these agents. Moreover, high nuclear β-catenin and P-ERK-1/2 levels were also detected in co-cultured CLL B-cells. It is also known that ERK associates with and inactivates GSK-3β resulting in the up-regulation of β-catenin. We found upregulation in P-GSK-3β (Ser9) an inactive molecule which can result in increasing accumulation of β-catenin. Inhibition of P-ERK-1/2 using the ERK inhibitor PD98059 in co-cultured CLL B-cells inhibited β-catenin as well as Axl expression levels. Furthermore, it has been shown that Axl expression can be regulated by c-Jun activity. In that regard we have observed upregulation of P-c-Jun(Ser73) which can enhance Axl level in co-cultured CLL B-cells and inhibition of c-Jun activity using SP600125 (c-jun upstream JNK inhibitor), as well inhibited the Axl expression. Finally, we studied 5 CLL patients before and while being treated with ibrutinib/chemo-immuno therapy for the expression of CLL B-cell Axl, β-catenin, P-ERK-1/2, P-c-Jun(Ser73) levels. We found that 2 patients had increase in Axl expression, 4 patients had increased β-catenin and P-ERK-1/2 levels and 3 patients showed increase in P-c-Jun(S73) level after the therapy. Conclusion: Here we show that marrow stromal cell contact with CLL B-cells consistently mediate increased expression in both β-catenin and Axl in CLL B-cells (Figure1). The mechanism for this may, in part, via activated ERK and c-Jun levels (Figure1). We believe that these changes in both molecules are associated with leukemic B-cell survival and drug resistance (Figure1). These studies suggest that a further understanding of the roles of Axl and β-catenin in the CLL B-cells mediated by contact with BMSC will help to develop potential strategies for the management of CLL disease resistant to various drugs. Disclosures Warner: Tolero Pharmaceuticals: Employment. Bearss:Tolero Pharmaceuticals: Employment. Kay:Agios: Other: DSMB; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board.

INTRODUCTION Mutations in BTK and PLCG2 have been reported to occur in ~80% of CLL patients (pts) who have progression of disease on ibrutinib therapy (Woyach, JCO 2017; Ahn, Blood 2017). These mutations are described as appearing months before actual relapse and thus considered as a potential predictive biomarker for future relapse (Quinquenel, Blood 2019). However, the outcomes of these pts after disease progression are not well described. In this study, we seek to investigate time to next therapy and overall survival (OS) following progression among CLL pts on ibrutinib therapy with and without these resistance mutations. METHODS Between 10/2012 and 6/2019, we identified 34 pts in the Mayo Clinic clinical CLL resource who progressed while receiving ibrutinib therapy and also had testing for BTK and PLCG2 mutation performed as part of routine clinical practice at either NeoGenomics Laboratories or The Ohio State University. OS was calculated from time of ibrutinib progression to last known alive or death date; OS was plotted using Kaplan Meier methods and was compared using the log-rank test between various groups (e.g., mutation positive vs negative; CLL progression vs Richter's). Cumulative incidence of time to next treatment in those who had a treatment after progression was adjusted for the competing risk of death. RESULTS Of 34 pts who progressed while receiving ibrutinib, 26 pts experienced CLL progression and 8 pts had Richter's transformation; baseline characteristics in Table 1A. The presence of a BTK or PLCG2 mutation was found in 20/34 (59%) pts (specific mutations in Table 1B). BTK mutation alone was present in 9 pts, 7 pts had PLCG2 mutation alone, and 4 pts had both mutations. Median time between a positive test and start of next therapy was 4 months (range 1-19 months) and did not vary between BTK vs PLCG2 mutations. Among the 26 pts with CLL progression, 18 (69%) pts had a mutation present: BTK alone (n=8), PLCG2 alone (n=6), both (n=4). Therapy following progression on ibrutinib in these pts was as follows: venetoclax (n=16; 11 pts who continued ibrutinib in combination), idelalisib (n=4), investigational treatments (n=2), continued ibrutinib alone (n=2), dose-adjusted EPOCH-R (etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and rituximab; n=1), and unknown (n=1). Twelve of the 26 pts with CLL progression on ibrutinib, including 8 pts with a prior resistance mutation detected, had subsequent progression of disease on the aforementioned next line therapy. Treatment of these patients consisted of the following: restarted ibrutinib in addition to current treatment of venetoclax (n=5), venetoclax (n=2), pembrolizumab (n=2; 1 pt with continued ibrutinib), obinutuzumab with continued ibrutinib (n=1), gemcitabine and vinorelbine with continued ibrutinib (n=1), and no further treatment (n=1). Among the 8 pts with Richter's transformation as the initial progression event on ibrutinib after mutation testing, 1 pt had a BTK mutation and 1 pt had a PLCG2 mutation. Treatments following progression on ibrutinib included multi-agent chemoimmunotherapy (n=3; 2 pts received rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone [R-CHOP] with continued ibrutinib and 1 pt received doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine [ABVD] alone), pembrolizumab (n=3; 1 pt in combination with continued ibrutinib), venetoclax in combination with continued ibrutinib (n=1), and venetoclax and obinutuzumab (n=1). The median time to next treatment (second line of treatment beyond ibrutinib) for the 31 pts who started another therapy following progression on ibrutinib was 16.7 months (95% CI 9.6-NE; Figure 1A) and was not significantly different for pts with or without a resistance mutation (p=0.57). Median OS for all 26 pts with CLL progression was 28.7 month and there was no difference according to presence or absence of a resistance mutation (median 28.7 months vs 18.2 months, p=0.53; Figure 1B). The 8 pts with Richter's transformation had a median OS of 7.1 months (95% CI 2.0-NE). CONCLUSION Approximately 60% of pts tested in this progression cohort had a BTK or PLCG2 mutation at time of or preceding progression on ibrutinib therapy. OS and time to next therapy did not differ statistically between pts with mutated vs non-mutated clones; however, caution should be applied with the conclusions given the limited sample size. Disclosures Ding: DTRM Biopharma: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding. Kenderian:Novartis: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Humanigen: Other: Scientific advisory board , Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Lentigen: Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding. Kay:MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Agios: Other: DSMB. Parikh:Ascentage Pharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria; Janssen: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding.

Monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL) has been shown to be the precursor condition that precedes overt diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Whereas CLL is classified with greater than or equal to 5 × 109/L B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, MBL is a clonal expansion of B-cells below this threshold. MBL can be further divided into high- or low-count based on whether the B-cell count is above or below 0.5 × 109/L. Approximately 10% of the population over 40 is estimated to have MBL, increasing to >50% over the age of 90. While low-count MBL is unlikely to progress, 1-2% of high-count (HC) MBL individuals progress to CLL requiring therapy per year. It is debatable if all patients with detectable MBL should be classified as an entity requiring monitoring by a hematologist, especially for low-count MBL. In addition, the diagnosis of leukemia is distressing to patients; therefore, it is important to identify HC MBL patients that are more likely to progress to disease requiring treatment and thus should be monitored more closely. As the majority of MBL cases phenotypically resemble CLL, established prognostic markers including recurrent chromosomal aberrations, beta-2 microglobulin levels, and the mutational status of the Immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region locus (IGHV) have been shown to predict time to treatment (TTT) and overall survival (OS) in a large retrospective study of MBL1. CLL patients can also be divided into three distinct epigenetic subtypes that reflect progressive DNA methylation changes that occurs during B cell development. These 'epitypes' termed low-programmed (LP), intermediate-programmed (IP), and high-programmed (HP) independently predict clinical outcomes irrespective of disease stage and treatment2. LP-CLL patients follow a generally unfavorable clinical course compared to the more indolent HP-CLL patients, while IP CLL patients display an intermediate outcome. Here we sought to determine if epitype forecasts progression to CLL and eventual clinical outcome for individuals with MBL. We analyzed 66 individuals diagnosed with HC MBL at the Mayo Clinic with a median follow-up of 6.3 years. Developmental epitype was determined using our novel Methylation-iPLEX technique that interrogates 34 CpGs and assigns epitype using a random forest model2. Seventy-seven percent of the MBL cases were assigned to one of the three epitypes: 42.4% HP, 19.7% IP, and 15.2% LP. The residual 23% remained unclassified due to ambiguous (low confidence) epigenetic patterns or insufficient purity (Figure 1A). The overall proportion of HP and IP epitypes in MBL were significantly greater than proportions observed in CLL cohorts (P<0.01). Epitypes remained stable over time as 20/21 cases for which we obtained a high-confidence epitype classification at multiple time points remained unchanged. Epitype significantly predicted MBL individuals progressing to treatment (P=0.001) with LP individuals progressing in a median of 5.6 years (P=0.049 and P=0.0002 versus IP and HP, respectively); median was not reached in HP or IP (Figure 1B). Epitype also predicted overall survival (OS) in MBL (P=0.04), with LP individuals having a significantly shorter OS (median of 11 years versus not reached in IP and HP; P=0.056 and P=0.048 versus IP and HP, respectively). In this study we evaluated a cohort of 66 HC MBL cases and determined that classification using developmental DNA methylation epitypes can be employed in HC MBL to aid in risk stratification. HC MBL patients classified as LP are more likely to progress to requiring treatment and have a significantly reduced OS. The epigenetic classification may help clinicians decide how closely and frequently a HC MBL individual needs to be monitored. Figure 1: (A) Breakdown of the epigenetic subtype assigned to 66 HC MBL samples. (B) Kaplan-Meier analysis of time to treatment and (C) overall survival of MBL patients separated by epitype. 1. Parikh, S. A. et al. Outcomes of a large cohort of individuals with clinically ascertained high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. Haematologica103, e237-e240 (2018). 2. Giacopelli, B. et al. Developmental subtypes assessed by DNA methylation-iPLEX forecast the natural history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood blood.2019000490 (2019). doi:10.1182/blood.2019000490 Disclosures Byrd: Ohio State University: Patents & Royalties: OSU-2S; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; BeiGene: Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Other: Travel Expenses, Speakers Bureau; TG Therapeutics: Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Research Funding; Gilead: Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Other: Travel Expenses, Speakers Bureau; Ohio State University: Patents & Royalties: OSU-2S; Gilead: Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Acerta: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Other: Travel Expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Acerta: Research Funding. Shanafelt:Patent: Patents & Royalties: US14/292,075 on green tea extract epigallocatechin gallate in combination with chemotherapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Merck: Research Funding; Polyphenon E International: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Hospira: Research Funding; Glaxo-SmithKline: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Parikh:Genentech: Honoraria; Janssen: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; Ascentage Pharma: Research Funding. Kay:Agios: Other: DSMB; MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board.

Background: The 2008 International Working Group for CLL (IWCLL) criteria define MBL as a clonal B-cell disorder with a peripheral blood B-cell count of <5 x 109/L, in the absence of cytopenias(s), lymphadenopathy and/or organomegaly on physical examination, and no other concomitant lymphoproliferative disorder. In the presence of palpable lymphadenopathy and/or organomegaly, and a B-cell count of < 5 x 109/L, a diagnosis of small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) is established. A study by Gentile et al (Am J Hematol. 2013) reported that 29 out of 62 individuals with clinically identified MBL (42%) had lymphadenopathy identified on CT imaging. Notably, however, after a median follow-up of 35 months, the rate of progression among cases of MBL with lymphadenopathy identified on CT imaging was only 6.9% (2/29 patients), which was no different than in cases of MBL without lymphadenopathy on CT imaging (rate of progression, 9%; 3/33 patients). Our study sought to 1) determine if lymphadenopathy and/or organomegaly detected by imaging studies performed for unrelated reasons in individuals with MBL can identify a subset with shorter time to first CLL therapy (TFT) and overall survival (OS); and 2) compare outcomes of individuals with MBL who have incidentally detected lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly and SLL patients. Methods: We used the Mayo Clinic CLL Database to identify individuals with high-count MBL (absolute B-cell count: 0.5 - 4.9 x 109/L) and divided them into the following three cohorts: a) Cohort A: no imaging studies available at MBL diagnosis; b) Cohort B: imaging studies done within one year of MBL with no evidence of lymphadenopathy and/or organomegaly; and c) Cohort C: imaging studies done within one year of MBL with lymphadenopathy and/or organomegaly, attributable to MBL. All individuals with MBL were first seen at Mayo Clinic after 1/1/2002; those with a concomitant lymphoproliferative disorder within 3 months of diagnosis were excluded. Patients with SLL seen during the same time interval were identified as a comparison cohort. We compared the baseline characteristics (Kruskal Wallis for continuous and Chi-square for categorical variables) and TFT and OS across the three MBL cohorts, and patients with SLL. Cumulative incidence of TFT was adjusted for the competing risk of death. Age- and sex-adjusted OS was analyzed using inverse weights methods. Results: 657 individuals with high-count MBL with a median follow-up of 6.7 years were identified: 415 (63%) individuals were in Cohort A, 142 (22%) in Cohort B, and 100 in (15%) Cohort C. Compared to Cohort B, individuals in Cohort C were more likely to have unmutated IGHV, high expression of CD38, and higher beta-2 microglobulin level (Table 1). SLL patients were younger, had higher rate of unmutated IGHV, and had high expression of CD49d compared to MBL individuals in Cohort C (Table 1). There was suggestive evidence of a difference in TFT between Cohorts B and C (estimated 10-year treatment rate 28.3% vs. 41.6%; p=0.16; HR 1.62 95% CI 0.84-3.15). TFT was significantly shorter in SLL patients compared to those with Cohort C (estimated 10-year treatment rate 71% vs. 41.6%, respectively, P<0.001; Figure 1A). There was a trend toward shorter OS in Cohort C compared to Cohort B (estimated 10-year OS rate 53.7% vs. 64.2%, respectively, P=0.09; Figure 1B). In contrast, there was no difference in OS among MBL individuals in Cohort C compared to those with SLL (estimated 10-year OS rate 56.9% vs. 62.6%, P=0.72). Summary/Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that individuals with MBL who have incidentally identified lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly at diagnosis are more likely to have an unfavorable risk profile, shorter TFT and OS compared to patients who did not have lymphadenopathy/splenomegaly at MBL diagnosis. Additionally, these individuals have a longer TFT but similar OS compared to SLL patients seen during the same time interval. If externally validated, these findings have significant implications for individuals with newly diagnosed MBL. Disclosures Ding: Merck: Research Funding; DTRM Biopharma: Research Funding. Kenderian:Novartis: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Humanigen: Other: Scientific advisory board , Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Lentigen: Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding. Kay:MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Agios: Other: DSMB. Parikh:AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; Ascentage Pharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Research Funding.

Despite the remarkable activity of CD19 directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CART19) therapy in the treatment of B cell malignancies, the therapy is limited by the development of severe life-threatening complications such as neurotoxicity (NT) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Additionally, durable efficacy following CART19 therapy is not optimal. Emerging literature suggests that inhibitory myeloid cells and their cytokines play an important role in inducing CAR-T cell toxicities and also contribute to the inhibition of their effector functions. Specifically, GM-CSF was identified as a critical cytokine in the development of NT and CRS after CART19 therapy. Neutralization of GM-CSF in preclinical models has been shown to prevent CRS and enhance CART anti-tumor activity through modulation of myeloid cell behavior, resulting in reduction of tumor associated macrophages. In addition to the predominant effect of GM-CSF on myeloid cells, there appears to be a direct effect on CART19 cells. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the direct effect of GM-CSF on CART cells. Our initial finding of enhanced anti-tumor activity of CART19 cells after GM-CSF inhibition suggested a direct effect of GM-CSF on CART cells (Sterner et al. 2019, Blood). In these experiments, a guide RNA (gRNA) targeting exon 3 of GM-CSF in a CRISPR-Cas9 lentiviral vector was used to knock out GM-CSF during CART cell manufacturing. This resulted in a disruption efficiency of approximately 70% of the GM-CSF gene. Using a high tumor burden xenograft model for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia established through the engraftment of the CD19+ luciferase+ NALM6 cell line (1x106 cells intravenously) in immunocompromised NOD-SCID-γ-/- mice, treatment with low doses of GM-CSFk/o CART19 resulted in improved anti-tumor activity and overall survival compared to GM-CSFwt CART19. The lack of myeloid cells in this model pointed to an intrinsic effect of GM-CSF on CAR-T cells. To ensure that this was not related to an off-target effect of the gRNA, whole exome sequencing (WES) of the modified cells was performed. There was no difference in the single nucleotide variants or indel counts between GM-CSFk/o CART19 and GM-CSFwt CART19 (Figure 1A). WES was significant for only two alterations in the exon 3 targeted by the gRNA (Figure 1B). The high efficiency and accuracy of targeting exon 3 of GM-CSF indicated that the improvement in CART function is unlikely related to an off-target effect of the gRNA and suggested the possibility of a direct interaction between GM-CSF and CART cells as a potential mechanism behind the improved anti-tumor activity. To investigate this interaction, we first assessed the expression of GM-CSF receptors on CART cells. While resting CART cells do not express any GM-CSF receptors, our analysis robustly indicates that activated CART cells significantly upregulate both α and β subunits of the GM-CSF receptor. This finding was significant both when CART cells are activated through their T cell receptor with CD3/CD28 beads (Figure 1C) or through the CAR with irradiated NALM6 cells (Figure 1D). Additionally, activated GM-CSFk/o CART19 cells also upregulated GM-CSF receptors, indicating this upregulation is induced by T cell stimulation. These results suggest a direct interaction between GM-CSF and upregulated GM-CSFR on activated CART cells. Having demonstrated that 1) GM-CSF depletion enhances CART19 efficacy in xenograft models in the absence of monocytes and 2) T cell activation increases GM-CSF receptor expression, we sought to uncover the downstream changes resulting from this effect. Transcriptome interrogation of GM-CSFk/o CART19 revealed a distinct signature including a significant inhibition of the Fas death pathway, a known critical pathway in inducing CART cell apoptosis. This suggests a potential mechanism for enhanced CART19 activity following GM-CSF depletion (Figure 1E). In summary, our results strongly indicate that CART cells increase expression of GM-CSF receptor subunits when activated, resulting in modulation of CART cell functions. Furthermore, GM-CSFk/o CART19 revealed a distinct transcriptome signature compared to GM-CSFwt CART19. These results illuminate a novel mechanism for a direct modulatory effect of GM-CSF on activated CART cells. Disclosures Cox: Humanigen: Patents & Royalties. Sterner:Humanigen: Patents & Royalties. Sakemura:Humanigen: Patents & Royalties. Ahmed:Humanigen: Employment. Chappell:Humanigen: Employment. Durrant:Humanigen: Employment. Parikh:Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria; Janssen: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ascentage Pharma: Research Funding. Kay:MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Agios: Other: DSMB. Kenderian:Novartis: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Lentigen: Research Funding; Humanigen: Other: Scientific advisory board , Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding.

CD19 directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CART) therapy has shown remarkable activity in B cell lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia leading to the approval of two CART therapies. With the emergence of therapeutic anti-CD19 antibodies for the treatment of B cell malignancies, it remains to be elucidated whether such antibodies would interfere with the ability of CD19 targeting CARTs to exert their anti-tumor effect in a subsequent therapy. To address a part of this question, we investigated the potential for functional interference between the monoclonal anti-CD19 antibody tafasitamab (MOR208) and CD19 directed CART cells (CART19). CART19 cells were generated through lentiviral transduction of healthy donor T cells with a second generation CD19 CAR construct (FMC63-CD8h-CD8TM-41BBζ) which is similar to the construct used for the FDA-approved CART tisagenlecleucel. Tafasitamab, is an Fc-enhanced humanized monoclonal antibody which mediates antibody-dependent cellular toxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and direct cytotoxicity. It is currently being studied in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in combination with the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide (L-MIND) and the chemotherapeutic drug bendamustine (B-MIND). As a first step we confirmed the relevance of the tested CD19-positive target cell lines, JEKO (mantel cell lymphoma), Ly7 (DLBCL) and NALM-6 (ALL) based on functional activity of tafasitamab and CART19. In a 24 hours ADCC (tafasitamab titration plus natural killer (NK) cells; Figure 1A) and T cell cytotoxicity assays (CART19, E:T titrations; data not shown) distinct activity was observed for both therapies on all tested cell lines. Secondly, we studied whether the observed CART19 activity may be influenced by tafasitamab in case of a direct CD19 binding competition between tafasitamab and the CAR. To test for such binding competition we incubated the CD19+ cell lines NALM6 or JEKO with up to 100 µg/ml tafasitamab, to saturate the receptors. Subsequent flow cytometry analysis using the FMC63 antibody (carrying the same CD19 binding domain as contained in CART19) failed to detect CD19 expression, indicating a direct binding competition between FMC63 and tafasitamab (Figure 1B). Next, to investigate the potential impact of such binding competition on CART19 cell effector functions, we co-cultured tafasitamab CD19+ JEKO cell line at increasing concentrations of up to 100µg/ml, and then added CART19 cells at different effector to target ratios to the cell culture. The presence of tafasitamab, binding to the CD19 antigen, did not affect important CART cell effector functions such as antigen specific killing (Figure 1C), degranulation (Figure 1D), cytokine production or proliferation of CART19 (Figure 1E). In summary, our studies indicate that CART19 continue to exhibit potent antigen specific effector functions despite presence of tafasitamab and the related competition for CD19 binding. Besides the presented in vitro work the questions of therapeutic sequencing of tafasitamab and CART19 is being studied in xenograft models and will be presented at the meeting. Disclosures Sakemura: Humanigen: Patents & Royalties. Cox:Humanigen: Patents & Royalties. Schanzer:MorphoSys AG: Employment. Endell:MorphoSys AG: Employment, Patents & Royalties. Nowakowski:Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding. Kay:MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Agios: Other: DSMB. Kenderian:Novartis: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Tolero: Research Funding; Humanigen: Other: Scientific advisory board , Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Lentigen: Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding.

The current paradigms of known peripheral immune abnormalities in B-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) are not able to consistently explain patient complications and it is difficult to correct a given CLL patient's immune status. Here, we expand on our initial report demonstrating bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic dysfunction in untreated CLL patients (Manso et al., Leukemia volume 33, pages 638-652, 2019). CLL patient BM had significantly reduced frequencies and short-term functional capacity of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Additionally, the remaining progenitors exhibited increased protein levels of the key hematopoietic transcriptional regulators GATA-2 and PU.1. We further evaluated the frequency and function of myeloid stem cells from controls and untreated CLL patients by limiting dilution analysis in long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assays. Over the 5 week duration of the assay, we observed delayed and partial recovery of myelopoiesis from CLL-derived HSPCs (Figure 1A). These data suggest that removal of HSPCs from the CLL leukemic microenvironment partially recovers their ability to sustain myelopoiesis. A known inflammatory mediator and hematopoiesis-modulating cytokine that is constitutively produced by CLL cells, TNF-α, induced increased expression of GATA-2 and PU.1 in specific HSPC subsets and reduced formation of short-term colony forming units in vitro. Addition of TNF-α to LTC-IC assays resulted in a striking ablation of myelopoiesis in a dose-dependent manner, partially reproducing the ex vivo results (Figure 1B). To further assess the direct impact of CLL cells on HSPC biology, isolated HSPCs from controls were exposed in vitro to leukemic CLL cells. The co-culture induced overexpression of GATA-2 and PU.1 in distinct HSPC populations, recapitulating our ex vivo findings (Figure 1C-D). When cell-cell contact was inhibited by use of Transwell inserts, an intermediate increase in GATA-2 and PU.1 was observed, highlighting the contributions of both soluble mediators and cell-cell contact to HSPC alterations. In both direct and Transwell co-culture conditions, overexpression of GATA-2 and PU.1 was reversed when TNF-α was neutralized (Figure 1E-F). Taken together, these findings indicate a significant role for CLL-derived TNF-α in HSPC modulation and expand our previous observations of BM dysfunction in untreated CLL patients. This data offers new molecular insight into the contribution of the leukemic microenvironment to altered hematopoiesis, contributing to immunodeficiency in CLL, and identifies TNF-α as a potential therapeutic target for correction of hematopoiesis in CLL disease. Disclosures Ding: Merck: Research Funding; DTRM Biopharma: Research Funding. Parikh:AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Ascentage Pharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria. Novak:Celgene Coorperation: Research Funding. Kay:Agios: Other: DSMB; Celgene: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board; Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Other: DSMB; MorphoSys: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board.