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Chemotherapy followed by margin-negative resection (R0) is the treatment of choice for patients with localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Neoadjuvant multiagent chemotherapy (MAC) or MAC then radiotherapy (RT) may optimize surgical candidacy. The purpose of this study was to compare pathologic outcomes of MAC followed by conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CRT) versus stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for patients with resected PDAC.Patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic PDAC between 2012 and 2017 and who received preoperative MAC or MAC+RT were identified in the National Cancer Database. Variables associated with R0 and overall survival were identified with logistic regression and Cox analysis (P0.05).A total of 5273 patients were identified (MAC: 3900, MAC+CRT: 955, MAC+SBRT: 418). The median RT dose/fraction (fx) in the MAC+CRT and MAC+SBRT cohorts was 50.4 Gy/28 fx and 33 Gy/5 fx. Patients receiving MAC+CRT versus MAC+SBRT had similar rates of ypT3-T4 disease (54% vs. 58%, P=0.187), R0 (87% vs. 84%, P=0.168), and pathologic complete response (pathologic complete response; 6% vs. 4%, P=0.052), however, MAC+CRT was associated with less regional lymphatic disease (ypN+: 28% vs. 41%, P0.001). The median overall survival of patients receiving MAC+CRT versus MAC+SBRT was 24.6 versus 29.5 months (P=0.045).For patients with resected PDAC, MAC+CRT, and MAC+SBRT had similar rates of R0 and pathologic complete response, although MAC+CRT was associated with lower ypN+. Prospective evaluation of neoadjuvant RT regimens with attention to radiation therapy design is warranted.

Background and aimsDNA repair deficiency is a common feature of cancer. Homologous recombination (HR) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) are the two most frequently disabled DNA repair pathways in solid tumors. HR deficient breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers respond well to platinum chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors. However, the frequency of DNA repair pathway deficiency in gastric and esophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) still lacks diagnostic and functional validation. Furthermore, whether DNA repair deficient GEA have enhanced responsiveness to platinum chemotherapy and sensitivity to PARP inhibitors is not well characterized.MethodsUsing whole exome and genome sequencing data, we measured various HR deficiency-associated mutational signatures in patient specimen of gastric, esophageal and colorectal cancer specimens and gastric cancer cell lines. Gold-standard immunofluorescence assays were used to confirm HR and NER deficiency in cancer cell lines. The relationship between PARP inhibitor treatment and tumor response was evaluated in patients with gastric cancer. Drug sensitivity was determined using standard in vitro cell culture assays. Single-cell RNA-sequencing was performed to evaluate gastric cancer response to commonly used chemotherapeutics.ResultsWe found that a significant subset of GEA, but very few colorectal tumors, show evidence of HR deficiency by mutational signature analysis (HRD score). Gastric cancer cell lines with high HRD mutational signature scores demonstrated functional HR deficiency by RAD51 assay and increased sensitivity to platinum and PARP inhibitors. There was a positive association between HRD scores and tumor response in patients with gastric cancer treated with a PARP inhibitor on a clinical trial. A gastric cancer cell line with strong sensitivity to cisplatin showed HR proficiency but exhibited NER deficiency by DDB2 proteo-probe assay. Single-cell RNA-sequencing revealed that, in addition to inducing general apoptosis, cisplatin treatment triggered ferroptosis in a NER-deficient gastric cancer, which may explain the outlier sensitivity.ConclusionA subset of upper gastrointestinal tumors have genomic features of HR and NER deficiency and therefore may be more likely to benefit from platinum chemotherapy and PARP inhibition.

Introduction: Many patients do not benefit from immunotherapies targeting immune checkpoints such as PD(L)-1 due to a variety of resistance mechanisms. The AhR pathway is downstream of the Trp-IDO/TDO-Kyn axis. High levels of immune-suppressive AhR-activating ligands, such as kynurenine derived from IDO1/TDO2-expressing tumors, have been implicated as a potential resistance mechanism and are associated with poor responses to PD-1 therapies. Compared with inhibition of IDO1/TDO2 alone, direct AhR inhibition can block the activation of this transcription factor and may better counteract immune suppression. BAY2416964 is a novel, oral AhR inhibitor currently in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with solid tumors. Preclinically, BAY2416964 can block the activation of AhR by kynurenine and relieve its immune-suppressive effects, thereby restoring anti-tumor T-cell activity, reducing the level of inhibitory myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells, and improving the effectiveness of PD-1 blockade. We have analyzed PK and biomarker data from the ongoing monotherapy dose-escalation study to explore a potential optimal dose and schedule for effective AhR inhibition. Methods: PK data were intensely sampled from patients in 10 different groups with different dosing regimens (once and twice daily) and various food-intake scenarios. AhR downstream target gene expression after ex vivo kynurenic acid stimulation of patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was assessed. A population PK (popPK) model was developed and calibrated to characterize the PK of BAY2416964 across treatment groups. This model accounts for the non-linear relationship between dose and bioavailability as well as the effect of food intake. Results: The preliminary popPK model identified a non-linear relationship between the BAY2416964 dose and its (relative) bioavailability which was dependent on the respective food condition. The popPK model was able to describe the clinical BAY2416964 plasma exposures from all dose groups, including the effect of food intake. Ex vivo analysis of PBMCs showed inhibition of kynurenic acid-induced AhR downstream gene expression (such as CYP1A1, CYP1B1), suggesting effective in vivo target engagement in the doses tested. Conclusion: This modeling-based PK analysis along with target engagement in peripheral blood informed the posology to be tested in the dose-expansion part of the ongoing clinical trial. Citation Format: Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Michael Cecchini, Juanita S. Lopez, Dirk Jäger, Ki Young Chung, Michael Platten, Florian Prinz, Yuko Ishii, David Schaer, Ilona Gutcher, Gabriele Leder, Radost Pencheva, Thomas Wagener, Christian Scheerans, Carsten Zieschang, Andrea Wagner, Spyros Stamatelos, Ecaterina Dumbrava. Preliminary analysis of pharmacokinetic (PK) and target engagement biomarkers from a first in human phase 1 study of immunomodulatory aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) inhibitor BAY2416964 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr CT276.

Introduction: ATRi and PARPi combinations kill tumor cells via synergistic modulation of complementary DDR pathways but clinical utility is limited by overlapping toxicities. A genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen identified DDR alterations that sensitize tumors to the ATRi camonsertib (cam) plus PARPi. Based on preclinical models, tolerability and efficacy of cam plus PARPi given intermittently at low doses in pts with solid tumors with DDR alterations, including BRCA-mutated PARPi-resistant cancers, was evaluated. Methods: Pts (≥ 18 yrs) with relapsed/refractory (r/r) solid tumors with DDR alterations were treated with cam plus talazoparib (tala), niraparib (nira), or olaparib (ola) in 2 phase I trials (NCT04497116, NCT04972110). An adaptive BOIN design was used to optimize dose/schedule. Endpoints were safety, recommended phase II dose (RP2D), pharmacokinetics (PK), response (RECIST v1.1 [confirmed/unconfirmed], CA 125, or PSA), clinical benefit rate (CBR; RECIST/tumor marker response or treatment duration ≥ 16 wk), and ctDNA molecular response rate (MRR; best reduction in mean variant allele frequency [mVAF] ≥ 50%). Results: As of Nov 2022, 99 pts were enrolled (61 with ≥ 3 prior lines of therapy, 36 PARPi-pretreated); 43, 27, 29 pts in tala, nira, and ola combinations, respectively. Tumors included ovarian (n=20), prostate (n=13), breast (n=17), bile duct (n=3); most common genotypes were ATM (n=26), BRCA1 (n=19), and BRCA2 (n=33). Grade 3+ toxicities included reversible myelosuppression (neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia in 35%, 28%, and 14% of pts overall; 33%, 16%, and 11% at preliminary RP2Ds), fatigue (3%), and alkaline phosphatase increase (2%). Two pts discontinued treatment due to drug-related toxicity. Forty pts remain on therapy, up to 63 wks. Preliminary RP2Ds: cam 80 mg QD (d 5-7) + tala 0.25 mg QD, 1 wk on/1 wk off; cam 80 mg QD + nira 100 mg QD, 2 d on/5 d off; cam 50 mg QD + ola 100 mg BID, 3 d on/4 d off. As of abstract submission, response rate was 13% in 85 evaluable pts; CBR was 49%. Responders included pts with ovarian (n=6), bile duct (n=2), and breast, pancreatic, and carcinoma of unknown primary (n=1 each) cancers harboring alterations in BRCA1/2 (n=9), IDH1 (n=1), and ATM (n=1). Of 30 evaluable PARPi-pretreated pts, response rate was 23% and CBR was 52%. MRR was 64% (14/22 evaluable); change in mVAF correlated with a change in target lesion size (r=0.63, P=0.001). PK of each drug in the combination was consistent with respective monotherapy PK. Conclusion: Combination of cam plus PARPi at low doses on intermittent schedules was generally well-tolerated with clinical activity in DDR-aberrant tumors, including those pretreated with PARPi. RP2D optimization and translational correlative studies are ongoing. Citation Format: Timothy A. Yap, Siddhartha Yadav, Benjamin Herzberg, Benedito A. Carneiro, Elisa Fontana, Martin Højgaard, Michael J. Pishvaian, Ruth Plummer, Theresa L. Werner, Vaibhav Sahai, Stephanie Lheureux, Elizabeth K. Lee, Niharika B. Mettu, Gregory M. Cote, Joseph D. Schonhoft, Victoria Rimkunas, Ian M. Silverman, Marisa Wainszelbaum, Gerson Peltz, Adrian J. Fretland, Kezhen Fei, Danielle Ulanet, Insil Kim, Maria Koehler, Ezra Rosen, Michael Cecchini. Safety and efficacy of three PARP inhibitors (PARPi) combined with the ataxia telangiectasia- and Rad3-related kinase inhibitor (ATRi) camonsertib in patients (pts) with solid tumors harboring DNA damage response (DDR) alterations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr CT018.

BACKGROUND: Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency is the hallmark of tumours from Lynch syndrome (LS), sporadic MLH1 hypermethylated and Lynch-like syndrome (LLS), but there is a lack of understanding of the variability in their mutational profiles based on clinical phenotypes. The aim of this study was to perform a molecular characterisation to identify novel features that can impact tumour behaviour and clinical management. METHODS: We tested 105 MMR-deficient colorectal cancer tumours (25 LS, 35 LLS and 45 sporadic) for global exome microsatellite instability, cancer mutational signatures, mutational spectrum and neoepitope load. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of tumours showed high contribution of MMR-deficient mutational signatures, high level of global exome microsatellite instability, loss of MLH1/PMS2 protein expression and included sporadic tumours. Thirty-one percent of tumours showed weaker features of MMR deficiency, 62% lost MSH2/MSH6 expression and included 60% of LS and 44% of LLS tumours. Remarkably, 9% of all tumours lacked global exome microsatellite instability. Lastly, HLA-B07:02 could be triggering the neoantigen presentation in tumours that show the strongest contribution of MMR-deficient tumours. CONCLUSIONS: Next-generation sequencing approaches allow for a granular molecular characterisation of MMR-deficient tumours, which can be essential to properly diagnose and treat patients with these tumours in the setting of personalised medicine.

29 Background: Brain metastases (BM) are rare in colorectal cancer (CRC) with 1-3% of patients developing BM over their lifetime. There are no screening recommendations for BM in patients with CRC and most are diagnosed after a patient develops symptoms. Identifying the clinical characteristics for patients with CRC and BM may aid clinicians to consider BM early in symptom onset and potentially screen appropriate patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients >18 years diagnosed with CRC and BM at Yale New Haven Hospital from 1/2012-9/2021. Clinical characteristics were analyzed by descriptive statistics, time intervals were compared using the Mann-Whitney test, and survival analysis was done using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: We identified 93 patients with CRC and BM. Median age at diagnosis was 56 years, 55% were male, 75% of patients had a left sided primary tumor and 47% were rectal primary. At initial diagnosis, 38% and 39% were stage III and IV respectively. RAS/RAF mutations were present in 45% of patients and all were mismatch repair proficient. The median time from CRC diagnosis to BM was 3.81 years (95% CI 3.09, 4.41) and median time from metastatic CRC to BM was 2.21 years (95% CI 1.48, 2.75). Median overall survival after developing BM was 0.49 years (95% CI 0.24, 0.70). Patients with RAS/RAF mutations had a decreased median time from CRC diagnosis to BM of 3.33 years (95% CI 2.69, 4.37) compared to RAS/RAF wildtype at 5.09 years (95% CI 4.44, 7.97) (p 0.0028). Median time to BM from CRC diagnosis was also decreased in females (p 0.01). The location of primary tumor did not significantly decrease time to BM. Prior to BM diagnosis, 76% of patients had lung metastasis. 84% of patients received treatment for BM while 14% had no BM treatment and 2% were unknown. For treatment 50% had Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, 22% underwent surgical excision +/- adjuvant radiation, and 12% underwent whole brain radiotherapy. After BM treatment, 43% of patients received additional chemotherapy. Conclusions: Although BM in CRC is uncommon, early diagnosis in those at risk is critical given the urgent nature of BM. Patients with CRC that develop BM frequently have tumors that originate in the left side of the colon and preexisting lung metastasis. In patients with CRC and BM, the majority develop BM > 3 years after initial CRC diagnosis, and BM onset is significantly shorter in females and patients with tumors harboring a RAS/RAF mutation. After BM diagnosis and treatment, less than half of patients are able to receive subsequent therapy, and median survival is < 6 months. [Table: see text]

115 Background: BI 905711 is a tetravalent bispecific antibody that cross-links TRAILR2 with CDH17. This cross-linking drives CDH17-dependent TRAILR2 oligomerization, leading to caspase activation and eventual apoptosis, inhibiting tumor growth in preclinical models of GI cancer. Methods: This Phase Ia/b study of BI 905711 in patients (pts) with advanced GI cancers (NCT04137289) aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) based on the proportion of pts with dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) and explore preliminary antitumor activity. In Phase Ia, pts received BI 905711 every 14 days. One pt with colorectal cancer (CRC) was enrolled at each of the 2 lowest dose levels (0.02/0.06 mg/kg) and 4 pts with CRC were enrolled at each subsequent level (0.2/0.6/1.2/2.4/3.6/4.8 mg/kg). Up to 4 pts with non-CRC GI cancers were included at the dose level below the CRC cohort. Dose escalation was guided by a Bayesian logistic regression model. Results: As of 01 August 2022, 48 pts (CRC: n = 26; non-CRC: n = 22, including 13 with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [PDAC]) had received BI 905711 (dose range 0.02–4.8 mg/kg); pts had a median age of 61 years (range 27–78) and had received a median of 3 (range 1–11) prior lines of treatment. No DLTs were observed and the MTD was not reached. 41 pts had AEs (grade [G] 3–5: 14 pts; serious: 13 pts). 17 pts had treatment-related AEs (TRAEs); 4 TRAEs were G3: AST increased (2 pts), fatigue and ALT increased (1 pt each). 1 pt had serious TRAEs: G2 decreased appetite and G3 fatigue. 2 pts had G1/2 infusion-related reactions that resolved and did not prevent resumption of treatment. PD biomarker modulation on the level of plasma caspase-3/7 activity was most common at 0.6 mg/kg (4/7 pts) or 1.2 mg/kg (2/6 pts). 13 pts achieved stable disease (SD) and 8 pts were progression-free for ≥4 months (PFS4). In pts with CRC, 6 pts achieved SD and 3 had PFS4. Among non-CRC pts, 7 pts achieved SD (PDAC: n = 6) and 5 had PFS4 (PDAC: n = 4). Median duration of treatment was 30.5 days (range 15–246) overall and 71 days (range 15–211) in the 0.6 mg/kg group (n = 8, predicted therapeutic dose; of whom 3 pts had PFS4: CRC: n = 1/4 [all CDH17+]; non-CRC: n = 2/4). Conclusions: In heavily pretreated pts, BI 905711 was associated with a tolerable safety profile and early signs of disease control. BI 905711 will be further assessed in Phase Ib in 4 dose groups: 0.6/1.2/2.4 mg/kg every 14 days, and 0.6 mg/kg weekly. Clinical trial information: NCT04137289 .

Background: Ramucirumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, increasing hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment. In advanced gastric cancer, single agent ramucirumab is well tolerated and improves overall survival (OS) compared to placebo although it is largely cytostatic with a response rate ≤3%. Preclinical in vitro and in vivo experiments reveal that hypoxia induces homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in tumors, which may be exploited by the addition of inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARPi). We thus designed NCI10066 for metastatic gastric cancer with the hypothesis that ramucirumab would sensitize tumors to the PARPi olaparib. Methods: NCI 10066 (NCT03008278) was a phase 1/2, multicenter, open-label clinical trial sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program. Eligible patients had histologically confirmed metastatic gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma with measurable disease refractory to ≥ 1 prior therapy that did not contain ramucirumab. Patients were treated with escalating doses of olaparib with ramucirumab 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks in a 3+3 design. Dose escalation evaluated two dose levels: olaparib 200 mg twice daily with ramucirumab 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks (dose level 1) and olaparib 300 mg twice daily with ramucirumab 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks (dose level 2). The primary objective of dose escalation was to assess safety and measure dose limiting toxicities (DLT) to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). The primary objective in phase 2 was to evaluate clinical activity at the RP2D in a 40-patient expansion cohort. Results: From 2/8/18 - 9/17/21, 51 patients were enrolled at 10 centers throughout the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network and 28/51 (55%) patients had ≥2 prior lines of therapy. In dose escalation 3 patients were treated at dose level 1 and 8 at dose level 2. No DLTs were observed at dose level 1 and at dose level 2 there was 1 DLT (fatigue) in 6 evaluable patients. The RP2D was determined to be olaparib 300 mg twice daily and ramucirumab 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Forty patients were treated in dose expansion at the RP2D. Of 46 patients evaluable for a response there were 5/46 (11%) partial responses (PR) and the disease control rate (PR/SD) was 29/46 (63%) at 6 weeks. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 2.8 months (95% CI 2.3 - 4.2) and the median OS was 7.3 months (95% CI 5.6 - 13.0). Grade ≥ 3 treatment related adverse events were seen in 13 (25%) of patients and there were no treatment related deaths. Conclusions: The combination of olaparib and ramucirumab is well tolerated with a RP2D of olaparib 300 mg twice daily and ramucirumab 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks. The ORR, PFS, and OS exceed the historical control with ramucirumab monotherapy, suggesting that the combination is clinically active. Biomarkers are critical to defining patient subsets more likely to benefit from the combination and HRD biomarker analysis is ongoing. Citation Format: Michael Cecchini, Joseph Chao, Yu Shyr, James Cleary, Nataliya Uboha, May Cho, Anthony Shields, Shubham Pant, Laura Goff, Kristin Spencer, Edward Kim, Chih-Yuan Hsu, Stacey Stein, Jaykumar Thumar, Jeremy Kortmansky, John Kunstman, Patricia LoRusso, Percy Ivy, Jill Lacy. A phase 1/2 study of olaparib in combination with ramucirumab in metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GEJ) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr CT170.

3535 Background: Approximately 20% of colorectal cancer (CRC) has an activating mutation in the PIK3CA oncogene. PIK3CA codes for the catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase alpha (PI3Kα), which ultimately activates the AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. The PI3Kα inhibitor alpelisib has been approved for breast cancer where a single PIK3CA activating mutation is sufficient for response. However, two activating mutations (multi-hit) in the PIK3CA allele substantially increases PI3Kα signaling compared to single hot spot mutations and results in exceptional response to PI3Kα inhibition. We aimed to identify the prevalence of PIK3CA multi-hit mutations in CRC to identify patients potentially susceptible to PI3K inhibitors. Methods: Tissue-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) was performed in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified, CAP (College of American Pathologists)-accredited laboratory (Foundation Medicine Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA) on all-comers during the course of routine clinical care from 2013-2021. Approval was obtained from the Western Institutional Review Board (Protocol No. 20152817). Hybrid capture was carried out for at least 324 cancer-related genes, including PIK3CA. Results: We identified 48,836 patients with advanced CRC who underwent Foundation Medicine testing and 846 (1.7%) patients with multi-hit PIK3CA mutations. Additional clinical and molecular data was available for 41,154 of these patients of which 710 (1.7%) had multi-hit PIK3CA and 7627 (19%) had any deleterious PIK3CA mutation . The local colon tumor was used for sequencing in 70% of cases and a separate site in 30% of cases. Patients with PIK3CA multi-hit mutations were 53% male with a median age of 60 (interquartile range 50-70). The microsatellite status was available for 697 of 710 patients with multi-hit PIK3CA and 123/697 (18%) were microsatellite instability-high. The Table outlines the genes with cooccurring mutations of >10% prevalence for multi-hit PIK3CA CRC, including the clinically relevant mutations in KRAS (65%) and BRAF (13%). The four most common PIK3CA variants were H1047R (9.8%), E545K (9.2%), E542K (9.0%) and R88Q (7.1%). The most common variant pair was E542K with E545K in 4.7% of multi-hit cases. Conclusions: Double-hit mutations in PIK3CA are seen in 1.7% of advanced CRC patients and may represent a subset of patients that may have enhanced sensitivity to PI3K inhibitors. Given the high prevalence of CRC in the United States and worldwide this represents a clinically meaningful prevalence of multi-hit PIK3CA. Future investigation on the clinical utility of PI3K inhibitors may be warranted in multi-hit PIK3CA CRC.[Table: see text]

136 Background: O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is the principal repair mechanism of DNA damage created by alkylating agents. Approximately 40% of colorectal cancers (CRC) exhibit MGMT promoter hypermethylation, expected to result in gene silencing. The role of MGMT as a biomarker is poorly understood, and quantitative measurement of MGMT protein has not been performed in CRC. We hypothesized that altered tumor MGMT would affect DNA damage response, modulate adaptive anti-tumor immune responses, and influence survival in CRC. Methods: We used multiplexed quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) to study 4 clinically annotated retrospective patient cohorts treated from 2000 to 2017 at Yale, consisting of 400 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded CRC cases represented in tissue microarray format. These included paired tumors and adjacent non-tumor colonic mucosa (n = 112 pairs in Cohort 1), paired primary CRC and lymph node metastases (n = 31 pairs in Cohort 2), and 2 cohorts with primary stage I-IV tumors (n = 250 in Cohort 3; n = 150 in Cohort 4). We established a QIF panel for simultaneous, localized measurement of DAPI (all cells), cytokeratin (CK; tumor epithelial cells), MGMT, γH2AX (DNA damage response), and CD8. The measurement of fluorescent signals in CK-positive tumor cells or CK-negative stromal cells was achieved using co-localization strategies and the AQUA QIF platform. Results: We identified lower MGMT protein levels in CRC cells than in non-tumor colonic epithelium (p < 0.0001), and in lymph node metastases compared to paired primary CRC tumors (p = 0.0411). Using the visual detection threshold, tumor selective MGMT protein downregulation was identified in 20% of cases in Cohorts 3 and 4. Microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cases showed decreased tumoral MGMT protein compared to microsatellite stable (MSS) cases (p = 0.002). In Cohorts 3 and 4, low tumoral MGMT was consistently associated with increased CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (p = 0.0472; p = 0.0002). The association between MGMT and γH2AX was inconsistent. The association between MGMT and CD8 was significant only in MSS cases (p = 0.0001) but not in MSI-H cases (p = 0.0979), supporting that the effect is not driven by MSI-H status. Tumor-selective MGMT downregulation evidenced by a low tumor-to-stroma ratio was associated with improved progression-free survival and overall survival in both Cohorts 3 and 4, but statistical significance was only seen in Cohort 3. Conclusions: MGMT protein downregulation occurs in 20% of CRCs and is associated with increased adaptive anti-tumor immune responses, mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency and better prognosis. MGMT deficiency may alter DNA repair in tumor cells and mediate the accumulation of antigenic mutations or neopeptides, independent from MMR status. Our results support a biomarker role of MGMT protein and suggest a role for immunotherapy combinations in MGMT deficient tumors.

TPS375 Background: In normal conditions, Claudin (CLDN)18.2 is a tight junction protein with expression strictly confined to differentiated epithelial cells in gastric mucosa. CLDN18.2 has been found to be upregulated, and involved in tumor development and progression in a variety of tumor types such as gastric, pancreatic, and bile duct cancer (BTC). The biological characteristics of CLDN18.2 suggest it is an ideal therapeutic target for cancer drug development. IMAB362 is the first anti-CLDN18.2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) of high potency to have been tested in humans and it revealed clinical efficacy in gastric cancer in a phase II study. TST001, a humanized IgG1 mAb, binds to a distinct epitope of CLDN18.2 with higher affinity and mediates CLDN18.2 expressing cancer cell death through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in comparison with IMAB362; Furthermore, TST001 is produced using an optimized glycoengineering process to increase affinity to FcR. The enhanced binding to CLDN18.2 on tumor cells and FcR on NK cells results in more efficient engagement of the tumor cells with NK cells and antibody mediated cellular cytotoxicity. In preclinical xenograft studies, TST001 displayed potent anti-tumor activities in the tumor models with medium to high level of CLDN18.2 expression and synergy anti-cancer effect with checkpoint inhibitor. A mAb specific for CLDN18.2 was also developed as an IHC based biomarker for patient enrollment in the clinical trials. Methods: This is an open-label, multi-center, phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics (PK) profile and preliminary anti-cancer effect of TST001 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. (NCT04396821) The study consists of two parts: Part A is a 3+3 dose escalation design with sequential dose cohorts of 1, 3, 6, 10mg/kg in Q2W and Q3W schedules. Based on the emerging safety data, higher doses may be proposed for testing. About 27-54 patients will be enrolled. Dose expansion (Part B) will utilize doses of TST001 based on the emerging data from Part A. In Part B, up to 20 patients with CLDN18.2 overexpression per tumor specific cohort will be enrolled to 3 cohorts: A: TST001 single agent in gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer; B: TST001 + nivolumab in G/GEJ cancer; C: TST001 single agent in pancreatic cancer or BTC. All patients in Part B will be selected by CLDN18.2 expression by central lab testing. The safety, anti-tumor activity, and PK will be further assessed in Part B. Enrolment began in July 2020 in the USA and is ongoing in multiple sites. As of 20 September, 2021, 23 subjects were dosed in Part A and the dose of 10mg/kg is being tested. Another phase I study of TST001 single agent and in combination with chemotherapy in patients with metastatic solid tumor is also ongoing in China (NCT04495296).

TPS222 Background: Activation of the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2 (TRAILR2) induces apoptosis via caspase activation. Targeting TRAILR2 is an attractive therapeutic strategy, but some early TRAILR2 agonists were associated with severe hepatotoxicity. Cadherin 17 (CDH17), a membrane protein highly expressed in GI cancers, is not expressed in normal hepatocytes so using CDH17 as a liver-sparing anchor may avoid hepatotoxicity. BI 905711 is a tetravalent bispecific antibody that cross-links TRAILR2 with CDH17 to induce CDH17-dependent TRAILR2 oligomerisation. In preclinical assays, BI 905711 demonstrated a potency shift of ̃1000 fold versus the 1st-generation TRAILR2 agonist lexatumumab. BI 905711 induced apoptosis in CDH17-positive tumor cells in vitro, impaired tumor growth in pt-derived colorectal cancer (CRC) xenografts, and no hepatotoxicity was observed. Methods: This phase Ia/Ib study (NCT04137289) aims to determine the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy of BI 905711 in pts with advanced, refractory GI cancers. Up to 140 adult pts with histologically confirmed, advanced unresectable/metastatic colorectal, gastric, esophageal or pancreatic adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, or gallbladder or small intestine carcinoma, who have progressed on standard-of-care therapies, will be enrolled. In phase Ia, pts will receive intravenous BI 905711 at escalating doses (range 0.02–4.8 mg/kg) every 14 days, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. Dose escalation will be guided by a Bayesian logistic regression model with overdose control based on dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the first 28 days. In phase Ia, a minimum number of CRC pts will be enrolled to each cohort: ≥1 CRC pt at each of the 2 lowest dose levels (0.02/0.06 mg/kg) and 4 pts at each subsequent dose level (0.2/0.6/1.2/2.4/3.6/4.8 mg/kg). In parallel to dose escalation in CRC pts, up to 4 pts with non-CRC GI cancers will be included at the dose level below that of the CRC cohort. If an objective response (OR) per RECIST v1.1 is observed in CRC or non-CRC GI pts at a safe dose level, up to 10 additional pts with the same tumor type will be recruited at that dose level. In phase Ib, CRC pts will be randomized into up to 4 dose cohorts (as determined in phase Ia; n=20 each) to define the recommended phase II dose. The primary endpoints are determination of the MTD based on the proportion of pts with DLTs (phase Ia) and OR rate based on RECIST v1.1 (phase Ib). Secondary endpoints include PK parameters and OR in pts with measurable disease (phase Ia), and disease control, tumor shrinkage, duration of response, and progression-free survival (phase Ib). Trial enrollment is ongoing, with 33 pts enrolled to date. Clinical trial information: NCT04137289.