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Background Outcomes for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) remain poor. Novel therapies specifically targeting AML are of high interest. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody-drug conjugate that is specific for human CD30. In this phase 1 dose escalation study, the authors evaluated the safety of BV combined with mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (MEC) re-induction chemotherapy for patients with CD30-expressing R/R AML. Methods Using a standard dose escalation design, the authors evaluated 3 dose levels of BV (0.9 mg/kg, 1.2 mg/kg, and 1.8 mg/kg) administered once on day 1 followed by MEC on days 3 through 7. Results There were no dose-limiting toxicities noted and the maximum tolerated dose was not reached. The recommended phase 2 dose of BV was determined to be 1.8 mg/kg when combined with MEC. The side effect profile was similar to that expected from MEC chemotherapy alone, with the most common grade ≥3 toxicities being febrile neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia (toxicities were graded using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [version 4.0]). Among the 22 patients enrolled on the trial, the composite response rate was 36%, with a composite response rate of 42% noted among those who received the highest dose of BV. The median overall survival was 9.5 months, with a median disease-free survival of 6.8 months observed among responders. Approximately 55% of patients were able to proceed with either allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or donor lymphocyte infusion. Conclusions The combination of BV with MEC was found to be safe in patients with CD30-expressing R/R AML and warrants further study comparing this combination with the use of MEC alone in this population (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01830777). Lay summary The outcomes for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) are exceptionally poor. New and emerging treatment combinations are actively being studied in an effort to improve outcomes. The authors examined the combination of brentuximab vedotin, an antibody product that recognizes a marker called CD30, with mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (MEC), a common chemotherapy regimen, in patients with R/R AML that expressed the CD30 marker. The authors found that the combination was safe and well tolerated. Future studies comparing this new combination with the use of MEC alone can help to inform its effectiveness for this patient population.

While there is extensive evidence for genetic variation as a basis for treatment resistance, other sources of variation result from cellular plasticity. Using multiple myeloma as an example of an incurable lymphoid malignancy, we show how cancer cells modulate lineage restriction, adapt their enhancer usage and employ cell-intrinsic diversity for survival and treatment escape. By using single-cell transcriptome and chromatin accessibility profiling, we show that distinct transcriptional states co-exist in individual cancer cells and that differential transcriptional regulon usage and enhancer rewiring underlie these alternative transcriptional states. We demonstrate that exposure to standard treatment further promotes transcriptional reprogramming and differential enhancer recruitment while simultaneously reducing developmental potential. Importantly, treatment generates a distinct complement of actionable immunotherapy targets, such as CXCR4, which can be exploited to overcome treatment resistance. Our studies therefore delineate how to transform the cellular plasticity that underlies drug resistance into immuno-oncologic therapeutic opportunities.

Introduction: Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, responses may be short-lived and therapeutic resistance develops almost invariably. Non-genetic cellular plasticity and dedifferentiation have recently emerged as a basis for therapeutic resistance in cancer as cells acquire transcriptional states which no longer depend on the drug target. Therefore, a better understanding of plasticity and adaptive state changes in myeloma cells is critical to develop effective therapeutic approaches that can overcome drug resistance. Here we show that cellular plasticity, though frequently invoked as a basis for therapeutic resistance in cancer, can also lead to new therapeutic opportunities. Methods: To define transcriptional states in myeloma at a single cell level, we performed fluorescence activated cell sorting and full-length single-cell RNA sequencing. We assayed a total 6000 CD38+CD138+ plasma cells and CD45+ immune cells from the bone marrow of 8 patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) before and after immuno-modulatory treatment on a clinical trial with elotuzumab, pomalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (Elo-PVD; NCT02718833) and 2 healthy donors. Surface expression of selected markers was validated by flow cytometry. Results: Assessing pre-treatment samples, we discovered that the transcriptional states of single myeloma cells are highly distinct between individual patients, despite the presence of the same established genomic classifiers, such as t(11;14). Furthermore, distinct transcriptional states co-exist within individual patients, indicating there is substantial inter- and intra-individual heterogeneity. Transcriptional states diverge from normal plasma cells towards more immature cells, of the B lymphoid lineage, suggesting a substantial cellular plasticity. Notably, we detected co-expression of myeloid and lymphoid developmental programs in the same single cells. Interestingly, these altered differentiation states were associated with up-regulation of potential immunotherapeutic targets, such as CD20, CD19, and CD33, indicating that this plasticity may result in novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. To define gene-regulatory relationships, we identified a shared core regulatory network present in malignant and normal plasma cells with the active transcription factors XBP1, ATF4, and CREB3, suggesting that myeloma cells retain lineage-specific regulons. However, we further identified patient-specific regulons not detected in any of the mature immune cell populations assayed, such as TEAD4, ELF3 and SNAI1, illustrating an aberrant and promiscuous activation of transcriptional regulators in myeloma cells. Consistent with this finding, we observed an increased number of expressed genes in myeloma cells compared to normal plasma cells as well as an increase in single cell transcriptional entropy, measures that have been linked to cell potency in normal development and cancer. Comparison of pre- and post-treatment samples interestingly revealed a further increase in transcriptional diversity and signatures associated with stemness and developmental potential following treatment. Conclusions: In conclusion, we find that higher transcriptional diversity and activation of alternate gene regulatory programs facilitate the emergence of altered transcriptional states. Interestingly, these altered states are associated with up-regulation of putative immune-therapeutic targets in myeloma cells, thus providing novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. Disclosures Lipe: amgen: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; amgen: Consultancy. O'Donnell:Celgene: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy. Munshi:Celgene: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Oncopep: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Oncopep: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Richardson:Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Anderson:Gilead Sciences: Other: Advisory Board; Janssen: Other: Advisory Board; Sanofi-Aventis: Other: Advisory Board; OncoPep: Other: Scientific founder ; C4 Therapeutics: Other: Scientific founder . Lohr:T2 Biosystems: Honoraria; Celgene: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Samples for ancillary research were obtained in the context of a phase II clinical trial evaluating Elotuzumab, pomalidomide, bortezomib, dexamethasone The combination of elo-PVD is off label.

Background Elotuzumab is an approved monoclonal antibody targeting SLAMF7 on plasma and NK cells that enhances the activity of lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and bortezomib in multiple myeloma (MM). A recent study showed improved outcomes with the combination of pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone vs. bortezomib and dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory MM (Richardson PG et al., Lancet Oncol 2019). We therefore studied elotuzumab with pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (elo-PVD) in relapsed and refractory MM. Methods The primary objective was to determine the overall response rate (ORR). Patients with relapsed and refractory disease and ≥1 prior lines of treatment (including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor) were eligible to participate. Prior treatment with pomalidomide was permitted. Elotuzumab was weekly for the first 2 cycles and then every other week. Pomalidomide was given on days 1-21; bortezomib was on days 1, 8, 15; and dexamethasone was weekly. Each cycle was 28 days. Results The trial has completed accrual in September 2018 with 48 patients receiving treatment. The median age was 64 (range 40-80), and median number of prior regimens was 3 (range 1-9); 25% had high risk FISH. All patients had prior lenalidomide and proteasome inhibitor (bortezomib 96%, 29% carfilzomib) and were refractory to their last line of therapy. Other prior therapies included: autologous stem cell transplant (48%), pomalidomide (33%), daratumumab (25%), and isatuximab (4%). 46 patients were assessable for response (2 patients did not complete cycle 1 and were not evaluable for response: 1 due to rapid disease progression; 1 stroke. The median length of follow up was 18.8 months (range 0.5-23.4): 16 patients continue on study; 27 patients discontinued for progressive disease; 3 patients discontinued for adverse events (AEs) (sepsis, pneumonia, stroke); 1 patient underwent auto SCT; and 1 patient was lost to follow up. Best ORR was 61% (PR = 16, VGPR = 10, CR = 2). ORR for patients with prior anti-CD38 antibody, 46%; carfilzomib, 46%; pomalidomide, 43%. Median PFS was 9.8 months (95% CI 6.8-Inf). In patients with 1 prior line of therapy, ORR was 74% and median PFS was not reached (95% CI 12-Inf); 18 month PFS was 68%. Grade ≥ 3 hematologic AEs included anemia (10%), neutropenia (29%), and thrombocytopenia (15%). Additional common grade ≥ 3 AEs included lung infection (27%) and hypophosphatemia (15%). Common non-hematologic AEs all grades included fatigue (grade 1-2 only, 70%), upper respiratory infection (grade 1-2, 56%; grade 3, 2%), diarrhea (grade 1-2 only, 42%), constipation (grade 1-2 only, 35%), hyperglycemia (grade 1-2, 46%; grade 3, 4%), and sensory neuropathy (grade 1-2 only, 31%), with 2 possibly related deaths (sepsis, pneumonia). Conclusions Elo-PVD is one of the first trials of a quadruplet regimen in relapsed and refractory MM incorporating a monoclonal antibody. In patients with refractory disease, elo-PVD shows encouraging responses. With the limitations of cross trial comparisons and small patient numbers, for patients with 1 prior line of treatment and refractory disease, a PFS at 18 months of 68% with elo-PVD compares favorably with a median PFS of 17.8 months in a similar subgroup of PVD in the OPTIMISMM trial (Dimopoulos MA et al., ASH 2018). Patients who received prior pomalidomide, carfilzomib, and/or anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody also benefited. Treatment was well-tolerated with manageable toxicity and with attention to infectious AEs. Disclosures Yee: Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Lipe:Celgene: Consultancy; amgen: Research Funding; amgen: Consultancy. Nadeem:Janssen: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy. O'Donnell:Celgene: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Branagan:Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Surface Oncology: Consultancy. Lohr:Celgene: Research Funding; T2 Biosystems: Honoraria. Anderson:Sanofi-Aventis: Other: Advisory Board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Other: Scientific Founder; Oncopep: Other: Scientific Founder; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Richardson:Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Raje:Amgen Inc.: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Celgene Corporation: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: The combination of elotuzumab, pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone is an off-label use in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) has improved over the last decade. Although long-term survival is noted in some patients, emergence of resistant disease still prevents cures. The objective of this study was to define "liquid biopsy" parameters that identify patients who do not benefit from a particular treatment before relapse becomes evident by serological markers. Having such parameters at hand will potentially inform changes in treatment. Methods: Here, we apply low-pass whole genome sequencing to profile a uniform cohort of 45 relapsed and refractory MM (RRMM) patients who have been treated in a multicenter phase II trial evaluating the combination of elotuzumab, pomalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (elo-PVd; NCT02718833). Peripheral blood plasma samples were acquired for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) evaluation at four different timepoints (screening, cycle 3 day 1 (C3D1), cycle 5 day 1 and end of treatment). The concentration, relative fraction and copy number profile of myeloma-derived ctDNA were determined across all timepoints. Results: At the time of this preliminary analysis, 17 patients (35%) continue on treatment whereas 28 patients (58%) have developed progressive disease (PD). Our data suggest that ctDNA levels at screening and C3D1 strongly correlate with progression-free survival (PFS). Patients with available follow-up samples (n=40) were stratified according to ctDNA levels at C3D1 of treatment. Patients with a residual ctDNA level Conclusions: These data indicate that "liquid biopsy" evaluation of ctDNA may refine prognostication and provide added predictive value over serological markers alone. While in the large majority of cases ctDNA has excellent concordance with M protein and SFLC for monitoring of MM disease progression, ctDNA may identify patients where relapse is imminent before it can be detected by serological parameters. This approach may therefore complement our framework for treatment decisions. Notably, this approach is highly scalable, cost-efficient and provides information about the clonal evolution of MM without the need for a bone marrow biopsy. Disclosures Yee: Adaptive: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding. Lipe:amgen: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; amgen: Consultancy. O'Donnell:Sanofi: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Munshi:Abbvie: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Oncopep: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Oncopep: Consultancy. Richardson:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Anderson:OncoPep: Other: Scientific founder ; Sanofi-Aventis: Other: Advisory Board; Janssen: Other: Advisory Board; C4 Therapeutics: Other: Scientific founder ; Gilead Sciences: Other: Advisory Board. Raje:Celgene Corporation: Consultancy; Amgen Inc.: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Lohr:T2 Biosystems: Honoraria; Celgene: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: This abstract reports on the quadruple regimen elotuzumab, pomalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone which is not yet approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma in the United States.

Background: Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) consisting of an antibody specific for human CD30, an anti-microtubule agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), and a protease-cleavable linker attaching MMAE to the antibody. BV is efficacious therapy against certain CD30-expressing malignancies, including classical Hodgkin lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, and is currently approved for use in these diseases. We and others previously demonstrated CD30 expression on a sizeable proportion of primary AML samples as well as cell lines. Given this data, we conducted a phase I dose-escalation trial of BV in combination with re-induction chemotherapy (MEC) for patients with relapsed or refractory AML. Methods: In this phase I, 3+3 cohort dose-escalation study, BV was administered 3 days prior to initiation of MEC re-induction for relapsed or refractory AML. Eligibility for enrollment included adults over age 18, adequate organ function, an ECOG performance status of ≤ 2, and a diagnosis of relapsed or refractory AML with > 20% CD30 expression (as assessed by immunohistochemistry or flow cytometric analysis). On day 1 of the trial, all enrolled participants were initiated on therapy with BV intravenously using three sequential dosing levels (0.9 mg/kg, 1.2 mg/kg, 1.8mg/kg). On day 3, patients were initiated on MEC re-induction chemotherapy (Mitoxantrone 10mg/m2 IV administration for five days [D3-8], etoposide 100mg/m2 IV D3-8, cytarabine 1000mg/m2 IV D3-8). The period of dose limiting toxicity (DLT) assessment occurred during the period of re-induction (approximately D1-35). Once dose escalation for BV reached a dose of 1.8 mg/kg IV, no further escalation would occur. An additional cohort of ten patients were to be treated at this maximum dose, or if a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was reached, an additional 10 patients were to be treated at this dose. Thereafter, maintenance therapy with BV could be initiated, and administered IV every 21 days, as per dose level during prior re-induction, and continued for up to 12 months. Those eligible for stem cell transplant (SCT) were removed from study for this purpose. Results: 22 eligible patients were enrolled on study. The median age was 58 (range 23-72); 15 (68%) were male, and 20 (91%) were Caucasian. 7 patients (32%) had secondary AML (6 with antecedent MDS and 1 with therapy related AML). 6 (27%) exhibited adverse risk karyotype. FLT3 mutations were seen in 7 (32%), NPM1 in 4 (18%), and CEBPA in 2 (9%). The median degree of blast CD30 expression in those assessed by flow cytometry was 92% (range 30-98%). 6 patients had refractory disease, while the remaining had relapsed AML at time of enrollment. 10 patients (46%) had undergone prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), one of whom had undergone two prior stem cell transplants. Three patients were treated at dose level 1, 5 at dose level 2, and 4 at dose level 3. Two of the patients treated at dose level 2 were removed prior to end of DLT period due to lack of response and were replaced, and 1 patient treated at dose level 3 died due to infectious complications prior to end of DLT monitoring period and was replaced. No new attributable toxicities apart from that expected from MEC re-induction alone were seen with the combination therapy. No DLTs were detected, and the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) was deemed to be dose level 3 (1.8 mg/kg). An additional 10 patients were treated at the RP2D. Overall, 4 patients achieved a complete remission (CR) and 4 achieved a complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), for a composite remission rate (CCR) of 36% (8/22). Among the 14 patients treated at the RP2D of 1.8mg/kg, 6 achieved a CR or CRi (CCR 43%). Of the remaining cases, one was replaced prior to response assessment and the others experienced progressive disease. The degree of baseline CD30 expression by flow cytometry did not appear to predict for response in this phase 1 dose escalation study, although study of correlative samples is ongoing. Conclusions: BV is well tolerated when administered in conjunction with conventional re-induction chemotherapy in patients with relapsed-refractory AML, in whom CD30 is an intriguing target. Adverse events on this study were predominantly expected and related to marrow suppression from MEC re-induction. No DLT was identified. Additional and larger studies are needed to more comprehensively assess the efficacy of CD30-targeted therapy in AML. Disclosures Fathi: Jazz: Honoraria; Boston Biomedical: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Agios: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria. Emadi:NewLink Genetics: Research Funding. Brunner:Takeda: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding. Amrein:Takeda: Research Funding.

8012Background: Elotuzumab is an approved monoclonal antibody targeting SLAMF7 on NK cells and plasma cells that enhances the activity of lenalidomide and bortezomib in multiple myeloma (MM). We st...