DEFINING THE IMMUNE MICROENVIRONMENT IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common blood cancer in adults. Despite intensification of chemotherapeutic regimens, survival rates have plateaued. AML is therefore a candidate for novel immune therapeutics such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We aim to identify the relevant lymphoid and myeloid cell subsets present in the bone marrow of patients with AML, evaluating their differentiation and activation status. We are also performing functional assays to further define the status of T cells in the AML microenvironment. Methods Immunophenotyping was performed on mononuclear cells from fresh AML patient bone marrow using mass cytometry consisting of 5 panels of 35 antibodies each. Functional assays measured both the proliferative capacity and cytokine production profile of bone marrow T cells in the presence of various ICIs. Results Bone marrow samples from 17 patients with AML and 7 healthy donors have been collected and analyzed to date. Conclusion Our results show that the immune microenvironment is very heterogeneous between patients, with some differential responses to ICIs suggesting that certain subsets of AML may be potential candidates for immunotherapy.