Immunomodulatory Drugs Research Articles

Tafasitamab in Combination with a CD20xCD3 Bispecific T-Cell Engager Significantly Prolongs Survival in Preclinical Lymphoma Models

R-CHOP remains the standard of care for newly diagnosed DLBCL patients. However, 30-40% of patients are refractory or relapse after initial response to the immunochemotherapy, indicating a high-unmet medical need for these patients. Tafasitamab is a CD19-targeting, Fc-modified humanized monoclonal antibody mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and direct cytotoxicity. Tafasitamab was granted accelerated approval by the FDA in 2020 and conditional marketing authorization by the EMA in 2021 for the treatment of transplant-ineligible adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) DLBCL in combination with the immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide. CD20xCD3 T-cell engagers are currently under clinical investigation or recently received FDA approval in 2L+ DLBCL (Thieblemont 2023; Dickinson 2022). CD19- and CD20-targeting antibodies might complement each other, as I) CD19 could compensate for CD20-low/ -negative settings and vice versa and II) monoclonal antibodies and T-cell engagers combine powerful and distinct immune pathways holding great potential to increase responses in patients who may need additional therapeutic options. The aim of this study was to investigate the combination of tafasitamab and MOR212, a proprietary proof-of-concept CD20xCD3 T-cell engaging antibody, in preclinical models of lymphoma. First, MOR212 was characterized in vitro and in vivo to ensure comparability with other CD20xCD3 bispecific antibodies (comp1-3) currently under clinical investigation. In in vitro cytotoxicity assays, MOR212 demonstrated similar (comp1-2), or improved (comp3) cytotoxicity (MOR212 vs comp1 and 2 p>0.05 vs comp3 p=0.03; exemplary data for EC50 in SU-DHL-4 cells; n=6), cytokine secretion (MOR212 vs comp1-3 p>0.05; exemplary data for EC50 TNFα; n=4) and T-cell activation (MOR212 vs comp1 p=0.05; vs comp2 p>0.05 vs comp3 p=0.003; exemplary data for % CD69 on CD8 T-cells; n=6) in cell lines expressing different levels of CD20. In a lymphoma in vivo model co-engrafted with human T-cells, MOR212 prolonged progression-free survival of mice to a similar extent as two comparator molecules that were tested head-to-head (MOR212 vs comp1 and 3 p>0.05;) at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg. Next, we investigated the combination of tafasitamab and MOR212 in vitro. Due to the differential killing kinetics of a monoclonal antibody and a T-cell engager, we made use of a real time live-cell imaging assay. Lymphoma cells were co-cultured with healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and tafasitamab and MOR212 were added in different concentration combinations. Tumor cell killing was monitored every 3 hours for 72 hours and revealed improved target cell killing by the combination of both compounds (signal/background caspase 3/7 staining at 48h: MOR212 24.2 vs tafasitamab 28.2 vs MOR212+tafasitamab 111.5; n=1). To confirm these findings in vivo, we used human CD34+ engrafted NCG mice with a huIL15 boost allowing for the development of human T-cells as well as NK-cells, as essential effector cells for the combination of both compounds. Raji lymphoma cells were engrafted and treatment with the single or combination therapy was started once tumors reached a pulpable size. Combination of tafasitamab and MOR212 significantly improved progression-free survival in animals compared to monotherapy treatment (tafasitamab+MOR212 vs tafasitamab only p=0.0002 and MOR212 only p=0.0098). In addition, the combined treatment regimen appeared to be safe in mice as no side effects on both body weight loss and clinical score were recorded throughout the entire observation period. Our findings prove that the combination of tafasitamab and a CD20xCD3 T-cell engaging antibody significantly increases tumor cell eradication both in vitro and in vivo and lay the ground to potentially translate the results into improved outcome for patients with aggressive lymphoma in future clinical trials.

Factors Underlying Impaired Organ Recovery Despite a Deep Hematologic Response in Patients with Systemic AL Amyloidosis

Background: Amyloid-mediated organ dysfunction is the main determinant of survival for patients with light chain (AL) amyloidosis. Reducing the production of amyloidogenic light chains with plasma cell-directed therapy is a prerequisite for organ response. Despite achieving a hematologic complete response (hemCR), some patients have enduring organ dysfunction. A better grasp of the mechanisms underlying organ recovery is needed, especially as attention moves to novel therapeutics that trigger removal of existing amyloid deposits, and as graded organ response criteria to gauge improvement more precisely than traditional binary systems are adopted. Aims: We designed this study to identify the (1) rates of organ non-response and (2) possible reasons for impaired organ recovery in patients with AL amyloidosis with hemCR after treatment. Methods: Patients with biopsy confirmed AL amyloidosis who presented to our center for post-treatment assessment between February 2019 and June 2023 were included if they had major organ involvement (heart, kidney and/or liver) and were evaluable for organ response (Palladini, 2012). Graded cardiac response was assessed by validated criteria (Muchtar, 2022). We excluded patients who received amyloid fibril-targeted antibody therapies. To eliminate the possibility of insufficient hematologic response as a confounder for organ non-response, we focused only on patients with hemCR. Organ response was measured as best response >3 months from hemCR achievement. Reasons for organ non-response were postulated by our multidisciplinary team after extensive workup and review of clinical data. Results: Among 143 patients with hemCR, the median age at diagnosis was 58 years (range 30-78); 94 (66%) were male; and 24 (17%) identified as non-white race. Kidney, heart and liver involvement was present in 117 (82%), 68 (48%) and 17 (12%) patients, respectively; 54 (38%) had ≥2 major organs affected. Final treatment granting hemCR was high-dose melphalan and stem cell transplantation for 49 (34%); bortezomib-based for 37 (26%); daratumumab monotherapy for 31 (22%); daratumumab-CyBorD for 18 (13%); and an immunomodulatory drug for 8 (6%) patients; 58 (41%) required ≥2 lines of therapy to achieve hemCR. Failure to attain organ response was observed in 40/117 (34%), 19/68 (28%) and 3/17 (18%) of patients with kidney, heart and liver involvement, respectively. Of 42 patients with both kidney and heart involvement, 21 (50%) had concordant responses of both organs; 6 (14%) had concordant non-responses; and 15 (36%) had discordant responses. Among 49 heart responders, 14 (29%) attained CarCR (nadir BNP ≤80 pg/mL); 16 (33%) CarVGPR (>60% reduction); and 19 (39%) CarPR (31-60% reduction); 40/77 (52%) kidney responders attained proteinuria <500 mg/24h. Clinical features of organ non-responders in relation to responders are reported in Table 1. Notably, kidney non-responders had more advanced disease at baseline, whereas heart non-responders more often had lambda-typic amyloidogenic light chains. Among kidney non-responders, 2 had stable and another 2 had rising proteinuria level; the remaining 36 had improved proteinuria but were categorized as non-response due to >25% worsening of eGFR. Among heart non-responders, 5 had stable elevation of BNP and 14 experienced organ progression (BNP increase >30% and >50 pg/mL); 2 required heart transplantation. The two most common factors believed to underlie kidney non-response were permanent kidney damage at diagnosis needing dialysis and treatment-related toxicity (Table 2). For 10 (25%) kidney non-responders, there was no apparent explanation, 7 of whom had detectable measurable residual disease (MRD) by multiparametric flow cytometry. Most cases of heart non-response had no apparent explanation; 6 of these 8 patients had detectable MRD. Conclusions: Despite effective treatment of the plasma cell clone, a considerable number of patients with AL amyloidosis in hemCR have enduring organ dysfunction. We found that the reasons for organ non-response differed across organ systems. Response was not always concordant for all involved organs, suggesting heterogeneity in organ biology in terms of mechanisms for amyloid-mediated injury and intrinsic ability to repair. Careful scrutiny of reasons for organ non-response is warranted before providing further hematologic treatments, which may be ineffective for organ recovery.

Initial Results from a Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study of WVT078, a BCMA×CD3 Bispecific Antibody, in Combination with WHG626, a Gamma-Secretase (GS) Inhibitor, in Patients with Relapsed and/or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Introduction: WVT078, a potent anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)×anti-CD3 bispecific antibody (BsAb), is being investigated as a single-agent and in combination with a GS inhibitor (GSI), WHG626 (AL102), in patients (pts) with relapsed and/or refractory (r/r) multiple myeloma (MM). Single-agent WVT078 showed an acceptable safety profile in the ongoing first-in-human study with active dose range of 48-250 µg/kg (Raab, Leukemia 2023). Membrane BCMA expressed on surface of MM cells is cleaved by GS. This results in shedding of its extracellular domain (ECD) as soluble BCMA (sBCMA), which may bind to and interfere with activity of BCMA-targeting agents such as WVT078. By preventing this shedding, GSIs are postulated to increase clinical benefit of BCMA-targeting agents. WVT078 combined with WHG626 was shown to enhance anti-myeloma activity of WVT078 in vitro preclinically (Raab, Leukemia 2023), supporting rationale for this combination in r/r MM. Methods: The combination of WVT078 and WHG626 is being investigated as part of above-mentioned phase 1 study (NCT04123418) in pts with MM who are r/r to ≥2 standard-of-care regimens, including an immunomodulatory drug, proteasome inhibitor, and anti-CD38 agent (if available). Pts who received prior BCMA chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy or BCMA antibody-drug conjugates therapy are included; pts with prior BCMA×CD3 BsAb treatment are excluded. Primary objectives were to evaluate safety and tolerability and to determine recommended dose for expansion of WVT078 in combination with WHG626. Secondary objectives were to assess preliminary anti-tumor activity and characterize pharmacokinetics (PK) and immunogenicity. Key exploratory objectives included evaluation of sBCMA and characterization of immune-cell activation phenotypes. Dose escalation was guided by Bayesian Logistic Regression Model, and International Myeloma Working Group criteria were used to assess disease response. Flow cytometry was used to study pharmacodynamic (PD) effects on immunophenotype of immune cells. Immunoassay-based platform (Meso Scale Discovery) was used for assessing cytokine production and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantifying serum sBCMA levels. Results: As of April 29, 2023, a total of 23 pts (median age, 64 years) with r/r MM were treated in dose escalation with intravenous WVT078 at 12-48 µg/kg once weekly, combined with oral WHG626 at 2-4 mg once daily, given 2 days on and 5 days off. Eighteen pts (78.3%) discontinued treatment due to progressive disease (n=15), adverse event (AE), guardian decision and physician decision (n=1 each). Most frequent (≥20%) treatment-related AEs across all doses in the combination were cytokine release syndrome (65.2%; Grade ≥3, n=1), pyrexia (39.1%), diarrhea (34.8%), decreased appetite (26.1%), hypophosphatemia, nausea and neutropenia (21.7% each); 5 pts experienced dose-limiting toxicities (pneumonia, neutropenia, ALT/AST/lipase increase, platelet count decrease, sepsis and shoulder pain). The safety profile is consistent with WVT078 and WHG626 as single agents. A maximum tolerated dose was not reached. The overall response rate (partial response or better; ORR) and overall complete response (CR) rate (stringent CR+CR) across all dose levels tested were 39.1% (n=9; 90% CI, 22.2, 58.3) and 13.0% (n=3; 90% CI, 3.7, 30.4), respectively; ORR at two highest dose levels combined was 57.1% (n=8/14; 90% CI, 32.5, 79.4). PK total (AUC) and maximal (Cmax) exposure to WVT078 in serum increased approximately proportionally to dose in Cycle 1. Evidence of T-cell engagement with WVT078 was demonstrated by upregulated peripheral T-cell proliferation and activation markers. WHG626 decreased serum sBCMA levels by 10% within first 24 hours of treatment prior to WVT078 dosing. WHG626 enhanced WVT078-mediated increases in serum inflammatory cytokine levels, and upregulated T-cell activation phenotype in bone marrow in a dose-dependent manner.Based on preliminary data, cytokine and clinical effects were observed at lower WVT078 doses with WVT078+WHG626 than with WVT078 alone. Conclusions: WVT078 combined with WHG626 has an acceptable safety profile and shows preliminary evidence of clinical activity at highest doses tested. PD biomarker analysis supports postulated mechanism of action of WHG626 combined with WVT078. This is the first clinical report on combination of BCMAxCD3 BsAb and GSI in r/r MM.

Safety and Tolerability of Magrolimab Combinations in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM): Safety Run-in Results from a Phase 2 Study

Background Outcomes remain poor for patients (pts) with RRMM; thus, novel combinations incorporating standard-of-care (SOC) regimens with new drugs possessing unique mechanisms of action and nonoverlapping toxicity are needed. Magrolimab (Magro) is a first-in-class monoclonal immunoglobulin G4 antibody blocking CD47, an antiphagocytic signal overexpressed in cancer cells, including MM, enabling them to evade phagocytosis. In vitro, blocking CD47 resulted in elimination of MM cells, and preclinical data suggested that Magro may synergize with commonly used agents in MM. Reported here are initial safety and tolerability data from 3 safety run-in (SRI) cohorts of our phase 2, open-label, multiarm study (NCT04892446) in which Magro-based combinations were evaluated in pts with RRMM. Methods Adult pts with RRMM were eligible if they had received ≥3 prior lines of therapy for MM, including an immunomodulatory drug and a proteasome inhibitor. In the SRI cohorts, pts received Magro in the following combinations: with daratumumab (Magro + D), pomalidomide/dexamethasone (Magro + Pd), or carfilzomib/dexamethasone (Magro + Kd). At the initial dose level tested, Magro was given intravenously as a 1-mg/kg priming dose, followed by a maintenance dose of 30 mg/kg every week during the first 2 cycles and then every 2 weeks starting in cycle 3. All other therapies were administered at standard doses and schedules per clinical guidelines. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were evaluated throughout cycle 1 (35 days); cycles were 28 days thereafter. Primary end points of the SRI included incidence of adverse events (AEs) and DLTs. Pts were included in the DLT-evaluable population if they met 1 of 2 criteria: (1) experienced a DLT during cycle 1 or (2) completed cycle 1 and received ≥3 Magro infusions and ≥2 (D, d, K) or ≥10 (P) doses of the SOC agents. DLTs were generally defined as grade (gr) ≥3 AEs that worsened from baseline and were at least possibly Magro-related (with a few exceptions, including gr 3 anemia and gr 3 neutropenia resolving within 2 weeks). Dose de-escalation of Magro was planned in the event of >2 DLTs per 6 DLT-evaluable pts. Results Of the 25 pts treated in the SRI (Magro + D, n = 9 [6 DLT evaluable]; Magro + Pd, n = 9 [6 DLT evaluable]; Magro + Kd, n = 7 [5 DLT evaluable]), all were treated at the Magro initial dose level. Median (range) age was 59 (55-78) years for Magro + D, 69 (46-79) years for Magro + Pd, and 64 (57-82) years for Magro + Kd. The mean (range) number of prior lines of therapy received was 5.2 (3-9). Two DLTs were reported: gr 3 febrile neutropenia (Magro + D) and gr 3 dyspnea (Magro + Pd) experienced in a context of probable infusion-related reaction (IRR). No DLTs were reported in the Magro + Kd arm. All pts experienced ≥1 treatment-emergent AE (TEAE); all but 2 experienced ≥1 Magro-related TEAE ( Table 1). The most common Magro-related TEAE observed in each cohort was anemia; other common Magro-related TEAEs were headache (Magro + D), fatigue (Magro + D, Magro + Pd), and thrombocytopenia (Magro + Kd). Magro-related anemia was reported in 13 of 25 pts (gr ≥3, n = 6). There were 3 pts with Magro-related IRRs (all gr 1-2: Magro + Kd, n = 1; Magro + D, n = 2) and 1 pt with a subcutaneous D-related IRR. Gr 3-4 Magro-related TEAEs reported in >1 pt in any cohort were anemia (Magro + D, n = 3; Magro + Pd, n = 2), decreased neutrophil count (Magro + Pd, n = 2), and decreased platelet count (Magro + Pd, n = 2). Serious Magro-related TEAEs occurred in 3 of 9 pts in the Magro + D cohort (febrile neutropenia, a DLT, on day 12; anemia on day 21; bacteremia on day 135), 1 of 9 pts in the Magro + Pd cohort (dyspnea, a DLT, on day 9 followed by febrile neutropenia on day 22 occurring in the same pt), and 1 of 7 pts in the Magro + Kd cohort (pneumonia on day 75). One pt (in the Magro + Pd arm) discontinued treatment due to Magro-related TEAEs reported on day 15 (gr 1 fatigue, gr 3 decreased neutrophil count, gr 3 decreased white blood cell count). No TEAEs leading to death occurred. Conclusion Magro demonstrated an acceptable safety profile with minimal additive toxicity when given in combination with SOC regimens for pts with heavily pretreated RRMM.

Pomalidomide, Rituximab, Orelabrutinib, and Minichop-like (PRO-miniCHOP) in Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Large-B Cell Lymphoma: Preliminary Results from a Phase II Study

Introduction: Owing to comorbidities and poor tolerance to standard-dose chemotherapy, elderly patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large-B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have to reduce their chemotherapy dose, ultimately leading to a poor prognosis (Di M, et al. Oncologist, 2021). Therefore, new therapeutic strategies with superior efficacy and less toxicity are urgently needed. The Smart Start study demonstrated that induction therapy with rituximab (R), lenalidomide, and ibrutinib resulted in a high overall response rate (ORR) in patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL (Westin J, et al. J Clin Oncol, 2023). Orelabrutinib (O), as a novel covalent Bruton's kinase inhibitor (BTKi) with high target selection, was reported to preserve the NK-cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity induced by R and thus boosted the antitumor effect of R-based regimen (Yu H, et al. Mol Ther-Oncolytics, 2021). The responders to OR induction therapy have been reported to attain synergistic antitumor effect and high complete remission (CR) rate (CRR) when receiving subsequent treatment (Qu C, et al. Hematol Oncol, 2023). Here, a prospective study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of pomalidomide (P; a third-generation immunomodulatory drug), R, O, and miniCHOP-like (PRO-miniCHOP) in elderly patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL. Methods: Patients aged ≥70 years with newly diagnosed DLBCLwere enrolled in this open-label, single-arm, phase II study (NCT05809180). All eligible patients received one 21-day cycle of induction therapy with PRO (P, 4 mg, d1-7; R, 375 mg/m 2, d1; O, 150 mg, QD). Subsequently, patients who achieved at least mini response (miniR, a reduction in tumor lesions by 25%-50%) were administered additional 6 cycles of PRO-miniCHOP regimen (PRO with reduced-dose CHOP regimen [cyclophosphamide, 400 mg/m 2, d2; doxorubicin/liposomal doxorubicin, 25 mg/m 2/15 mg/m 2, d2; vindesine, 2 mg, d2; and dexamethasone, 7.5 mg/m 2, d2-6]). The subsequent treatment was administrated according to the tumor response after 6 cycles of the PRO-miniCHOP regimen, including the end of treatment for CR, 2 years of pomalidomide maintenance therapy for partial remission (PR), and discharge from the study for stable disease or progression disease. The primary endpoints were ORR and CRR after 6 cycles of the PRO-miniCHOP regimen. Secondary endpoints were ORR and CRR at the end of the induction therapy, as well as 2-year progression-free survival, 2-year overall survival and safety. Results: From January 01, 2023 to July 30, 2023, 10 patients were enrolled in this study. The median age was 76.0 (range, 70.0-84.0) years (Table 1). The majority of patients had an Ann Arbor stage of III or IV (7/10, 70.0%), International Prognostic Index score of ≥3 (6/10, 60.0%), and non-germinal center B-cell-like subtype (6/10, 60.0%). Five (50.0%) patients had hypertension, 4 (40.0%) patients presented with extranodal involvement, and MYC/BCL-2 double expression lymphoma (40.0%). After one cycle of induction therapy with PRO, all (10/10, 100.0%) patients achieved at least miniR, including 3 CR, 6 PR, and 1 miniR (Figure 1). Five patients completed ≥3 cycles of the PRO-miniCHOP regimen, among whom 4 (80.0%) achieved a CR and 1 (20.0%) had a PR, with the best ORR of 100%; of these, one sustained CR at the end of cycle 6. During the induction therapy with PRO, 50.0% (5/10) of patients reported adverse events (AEs) of any grade, the majority of which were grade 1-2, with only 2 patients experiencing grade 3-4 neutropenia. Grade ≥3 AEs during the whole treatment period were neutropenia (6/10, 60.0%), thrombocytopenia (1/10, 10.0%), and lymphopenia (1/10, 10.0%), of which one (1/10, 10.0%) patient developed febrile neutropenia. Notably, the use of prophylactic pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor significantly reduced the recurrence rate of severe neutropenia in the subsequent treatment, and no treatment-associated death was observed. Moreover, despite half of the patients having the comorbidity of hypertension, no off-target related cardiac events such as atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter were observed. At the time of data cutoff, 9 patients were still under treatment. Conclusions: The present study provided preliminary evidence supporting the use of the PRO-miniCHOP regimen in elderly patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL. More clinical data will be updated from this ongoing study.

An Ensemble Machine Learning Model Using Gradient Boosting Identifies Patients with Disease Progression in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Introduction: In many cases, treatment decisions for multiple myeloma patients must be made in the absence of high quality randomized controlled clinical trials. As a result, many clinicians lean on prognostic models to drive treatment selection. The most widely used of these models incorporate a limited number of patient related factors that reflect tumor burden, cytogenetic features, or gene expression profiling. These prediction scores are derived from regression models that incorporate these variables at the time of diagnosis. They do not account for variables that change dynamically over time, do not explore the relationship between treatment selection and progression, and imperfectly predict survival outcomes. We designed a prognostic model based on an ensemble machine learning platform to predict progression in NDMM using Extreme Gradient Boosting Machine (XGBoost) combined with accelerated failure time modeling for survival analysis. Methods: We utilized a large retrospective data set containing treatment and response information for 1127 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) treated at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation between 2000 and 2023. Following data preprocessing based on data completeness, 953 patient records were included in our training, testing, and cross validation datasets. For the purposes of our analysis, the initial dataset was randomly split into training (70%), testing (15%) and validation (15%) subsets at the patient level. We also defined the lower and upper bounds for each subset, which is critical due to the right-censored nature of survival data. Hyperparameters for XGBoost were optimized using Bayesian search, minimizing the negative log-likelihood. A random forest method was applied for the imputation of missing data (MissForest). We then trained the XGBoost model using GPU acceleration for enhanced computational efficiency. Finally, a log-rank test on predicted survival times was used to test the model's performance on patients with and without known progression. Results: Our preprocessed data set had 953 patients with a mean age at disease onset of 65 years and a slight male predominance (55%). Approximately 27% of patients harbored high cytogenetic risk disease and 3.5% of the cohort presented with extramedullary disease a diagnosis. At a median follow up of 35 months, 47% of patients had experienced disease progression or death. Induction therapy included an immunomodulatory drug in 40% of patients and proteasome inhibitors in 22%. Frontline autologous stem cell transplantation followed induction in 28% of patients. Median progression free survival in the overall data set was 44 months. These features were consistent across the randomly assigned training, testing, and validation cohorts. Following data preprocessing, 34 independent clinical and genomic variables including selection of first line treatment were assessed as model inputs each available record. Under optimized parameters, the model was trained with a maximum tree depth = 7 and a learning rate ~ 0.22 for the desired output of progression free survival (PFS). We then queried PFS for both the training and validation sets and divided patients into those known to have progressed and those without a progression event. Survival analysis was undertaken using predicted PFS values for patients known to have progressed and those who remained progression free. For the validation data set, our model successfully discerned between progressed and non-progressed cases (log-rank test statistic = 22.07, p < 0.005) (Figure 1). Discussion: We present a machine learning approach based on regularized gradient boosting that accurately discerns between patients who experience progression and those who remain progression free at a median ~35 months of follow-up in a large retrospective data set in patients presenting with NDMM. Further elaboration of our model will allow for the incorporation of large amounts data to predict survival outcomes on the basis of dynamic variables such as depth of response and treatment selection. With the ability to parse outcomes among multiple myeloma patients at high resolution, future clinicians and clinical trialists may be able to overcome limitations in trial design and patient-level therapy selection for both newly diagnosed and relapsed patients.

Outcomes Analysis of Lenalidomide-Induced Rashes in Myeloma Patients

CONCLUSIONS Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory drug fundamental in treating and managing patients with multiple myeloma (MM). It works through various pathways to induce T-cell proliferation and activation of natural killer (NK) cells. This mechanism of T-cell activation is hypothesized to be one of the mechanisms that cause lenalidomide-related skin reactions. Skin reactions are a well-known adverse effect of lenalidomide treatment, with some studies showing that 44% of patients developed a rash while receiving treatment. Rash development has been associated with improved outcomes with other chemotherapy agents in patients with solid tumors. Initial investigation demonstrated that lenalidomide-induced rashes in myeloma patients were associated with improved survival. Other immune-mediated adverse reactions, such as lenalidomide-related diarrhea (LRD), have also been associated with improved patient outcomes. Lenalidomide-related diarrhea and rash likely stem from the same pathways involving the activation of Th2 and NK cells. This single-site retrospective study analyzed charts from patients with multiple myeloma whose treatment course included lenalidomide single therapy or lenalidomide plus dexamethasone therapy. Patients who were only treated with lenalidomide in combination with other chemotherapies were excluded from the study. The development of a rash while receiving lenalidomide single therapy was recorded. We also recorded the number of patients who developed severe diarrhea requiring hospitalization or a change in therapy regimen. Other adverse reactions that altered lenalidomide treatment were also recorded. Outcomes were assessed using 5-year survival (5YS), overall survival (OS), and time to next treatment (TTNT). We analyzed the charts of 100 patients who met the criteria for the study and found that 25 (25%) patients developed rashes compared to 75 (75%) that did not. There was not a significant difference in OS or 5YS between the rash group compared to the non-rash groups [(OS: 40.0%, 38.7%, p = 0.90); (5YS: 68%, 52%, p = 0.196) respectively]. There was a statistically significant difference in TTNT between the rash group and the non-rash group (43.0 months, 21.2 months, p = 0.035). We compared 31 (31%) patients who displayed immune-related adverse effects (diarrhea and/or rash) to the 69 (69%) patients who developed no rashes or diarrhea. In these groups, there was a significant difference in TNTT and 5YS ( p = 0.035; p = 0.017 respectively) but not in OS ( p = 0.857). TTNT was measured in this study and is similar to progression-free survival, as patients whose diseases progressed initiated another treatment. We observed similar results to previous studies showing that patients who developed rashes on lenalidomide exhibited longer TTNT. We observed that patients who developed rashes or LRD exhibited longer TTNT and had significantly higher 5-year survival. These reactions may be manifestations of an increased immune response contributing to their improved response to lenalidomide. Many patients with multiple myeloma undergo complex treatment regimens involving multiple therapies. We observed occasions when patients developed drug rashes on bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone triple therapy but didn't develop a rash later on lenalidomide maintenance therapy. To isolate the rash to lenalidomide, these rashes were not counted in our study, skewing the number of patients counted as developing rashes.

Randomized Phase 3 Study of Pomalidomide Cyclophosphamide Dexamethasone (PCD) Versus Pomalidomide Dexamethasone (PD) in Relapse or Refractory Myeloma: An Asian Myeloma Network (AMN) Study

Introduction Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who relapse or are refractory to (RRMM) lenalidomide and bortezomib have survival of less than 1 year. Pomalidomide (pom) is an immunomodulatory drug shown to improve survival in this group of patients 1. Optimal drugs to combine pom with are not known; patients tend to be triple class refractory by the time they require pom. We aim to compare pom, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (PCD) with pom and dexamethasone (PD) in Asian patients with RRMM 2. Methods This was a randomized, two arm, multicentre, multinational, prospective phase 3 study. RRMM patients with prior exposure to proteasome inhibitor (bortezomib, carfilzomib or ixazomib) and lenalidomide were recruited. Other inclusion criteria were: measurable disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤2, satisfactory organ function (neutrophil count ≥ 1 000/mm 3, platelet ≥ 50 000/mm 3, bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of the normal range (ULN), alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase ≤ 3 x ULN and creatinine clearance ≥ 30ml/min). Patients with plasma cell leukaemia, > 6 lines of treatment or prior exposure to pom were excluded. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive PCD or PD. Dosing schedule was 4-weekly: pom 4mg day 1 - 21, dexamethasone 40mg twice a week and, for patients on PCD, cyclophosphamide 400mg weekly for 3 weeks. Patients received treatment until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity determined by treating physician, consent withdrawal or death. A modified intention-to-treat population was used for analysis, which included all randomized patients receiving at least 1 dose of study drug. Primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS), defined as time from start of treatment to disease progression or death from any cause. Secondary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR, percentage of patients achieving partial response (PR) or better), overall survival (OS), duration of response (DOR, time from first evidence of PR or better till disease progression or death, whichever occurred first) and safety, assessed by frequency and percentage of adverse events by severity. PFS, OS and DOR were presented using Kaplan-Meier curves. Comparison between 2 arms was performed by Cox proportional hazard model for PFS, OS and DOR, using generalized linear model with binomial distribution for ORR. Results 124 patients were recruited, of whom 122 received at least 1 dose of study drug (62 PCD, 60 PD). Baseline characteristics were comparable between treatment arms (Table 1). Median age was 68.5 (range 47 - 88) years in the PCD arm; 67.2 (range 48 - 85) years in the PD arm. Patients in both arms received median of 3 (range 1-6) prior lines of treatment. At a median follow-up of 13.5 (IQR 8.7 - 24.0) months, median PFS was 10.9 months (95% CI, 7.1 - 27.7) in the PCD arm versus 5.8 months (95% CI, 4.4 - 6.9) in the PD arm (hazard ratio (HR) 0.43, 95% CI, 0.27-0.69); p < 0.001). ORR was 55.4% (95% CI, 41.0 - 69.7) in the PCD arm and 32.0% (95% CI, 19.5 - 44.5) in the PD arm; difference 23.3% (95% CI, 6.5 - 40.2, p = 0.007). Median DOR was 12.0 months (95% CI, 7.2 - not reached, NR) in the PCD arm and 5.7 months (95% CI, 3.7 - 9.7) in the PD arm (HR 0.41, 95% CI, 0.20 - 0.87). Although not statistically significant, median OS was numerically greater in the PCD arm (41.5 months, 95% CI, 24.5 - NR) in comparison with the PD arm (27.5 months, 95% CI, 27.5 - NR). Median treatment duration for pom was 7.8 (IQR 4.4 - 13.4) months in the PCD arm and 5.1 (IQR 2.8 - 8.7) months in the PD arm. Adverse events rates were similar in both arms. 51 patients (82.3%) in the PCD arm had 346 treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs); 164 (47.4%) relating to study treatment. 49 patients (81.7%) in the PD arm had 241 TEAEs; 136 (56.4%) relating to study treatment. Most common grade 3/4 TEAEs in both arms were neutropaenia, anaemia and pneumonia. 34 deaths occurred during the study (17 PCD, 17 PD), 12 (35.2%) were due to disease progression. 3 (1 PCD, 2 PD) were deemed to be related to study treatment (2 infections, 1 fluid overload). Conclusion This study demonstrated that PCD significantly prolonged PFS, improved ORR, and DOR over PD in patients with RRMM and previous exposure to a proteasome inhibitor and lenalidomide. PCD treatment presents a therapeutic option in this population of patients, with acceptable and manageable safety profile.

Planned Interim Safety Analysis of the Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Selinexor and Lenalidomide Versus Lenalidomide Maintenance Post Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (ALLG MM23; Sealand)

Introduction: Upregulation of Exportin 1(XPO1), a molecule that mediates nuclear export of tumor suppressor proteins, is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD) and proteasome inhibitors in myeloma (MM). Selinexor (S) is an oral selective XPO1 inhibitor, that is approved in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone to treat adult patients with MM who have received at least one prior therapy. We hypothesize that low dose S when combined with low dose lenalidomide (R) will be synergistic and will improve progression free survival (PFS) compared to R maintenance post autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in patients (pts) with transplant eligible (TE) newly diagnosed (NDMM). We report here the results of the planned futility analysis, after at least 30 patients had completed a minimum of 6 months follow-up in the phase III randomized SeaLAND (ALLG MM23) study (ANZCTR12620000291987). Method: Eligible pts were TE NDMM who have had 3 to 6 cycles of induction containing bortezomib (V), dexamethasone ± R. Registration occurred pre-ASCT; screening and randomization occurred from day 75 to 115 post-ASCT. Twenty pts in the lead in safety phase were given low-dose S [40mg (increased to 60mg from C2 if well tolerated) po D1,8,15,22] with R (15mg D1 to 21; 10mg in C1 to 3) in a 28-day cycle. Upon review by the independent safety committee in May 2023, after the first twenty pts had completed 2 cycles of SR, a starting dose of S of 40mg/week was deemed generally safe with no escalation recommended. Subsequent patients were randomized 1:1 to either SR (S capped at 40mg/week) or R. Primary objective was to determine 3-year-PFS; secondary objectives included safety/tolerability and additional efficacy measurements. Results: As of 30 May 2023, 117 pts (70% male) received maintenance (69 pts SR; 48pts R). 103 patients (61 SR and 42 R) had clean data at a cut-off date and were included in this analysis. Median (med) age was 60 (range 34-75). 27.4% of patients had high risk cytogenetics; ISS stage 1,2,3 occurred in 31.5%, 47% and 26.5%, respectively. Med follow-up for the overall group was 11.9 (0.3-28) months, with a med 10 (1-27) cycles [10 (1-27) SR; 9.5 (2-21) R] and 86.1% of patients continued treatment (83.1% SR; 90.7% R). All patients (n=103) had ≥ 1 treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE); 64% grade (Gr) 3-4 (84% SR, 36% R); SAE occurred in 21% (28% SR, 12% R). Hematologic Gr 3-4 TEAEs were anemia (1.6% SR; 4.8% R), neutropenia (60.7 SR; 28.6% R) and thrombocytopenia (24.6% SR; 0% R). Gastrointestinal TEAE occurred in 50.4% of all patients (67.5% SR, 26.2% R). Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting in the SR (Gd 3-4)/R (Gd 3-4) group occurred in 26.3% (3.3%)/23.8% (2.4%), 57.1% (9.8%)/7.1% (0%), and 8.2% (1.6%)/0% (0%), respectively. The incidence of gastrointestinal TEAE in the SR group decreased from C3 onwards. Infections occurred in 41% of all patients (49% SR, 29% R); Gd 3-4 infections in 9 % (15% SR, 0% R). COVID-19 infections occurred in 16% (13% SR; 19% R), and all but one was Gd 1-2. 1 patient died (SR arm) due to progressive disease. In the SR group, the med RDI (relative dose intensity) of S was 66.7% (20.8-150%), and in the R group; the med RDI of R was 100% (33.3-100%). Most patients in the SR arm (n=61) tolerated S dose between 80mg (20mg per week) to 160mg (40mg per week), which remained consistent with time (figure 1). Conclusion: A dose of S 40mg weekly was generally tolerable when combined with R 10-15mg days 1-21 in a 28-day cycle, as maintenance therapy post ASCT. The safety profile was consistent with each of S and R individually. Recruitment in the ALLG MM23 (SeaLAND) study is ongoing and updated safety and treatment data will be presented at the meeting. Acknowledgement: Patients, their families, and participating ALLG members and member sites. ALLG acknowledges the support of Karyopharm for funding and Selinexor supply.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia and Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Under the New IMWG Definition Criteria

Background: Recently, the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) has recommended new primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) definition criteria, which require the presence of ≥ 5% circulating plasma cells in peripheral blood smears. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of new-defined pPCL and newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study including patients diagnosed with new-defined pPCL or NDMM at Zhongda Hospital, China, between January 2010 and December 2022. Results: There were 23 pPCL patients and 264 NDMM patients in our cohort. Generally, pPCL patients were younger than NDMM patients (median diagnostic age: 63 vs. 67 years old, p=0.018). The 1q21+ aberration was predominantly found in NDMM (p= 0.038) whereas t(11;14) dominated in pPCL (p= 0.017). Notably, pPCL exhibited a lower platelet level (p< 0.001) and a higher frequency of non-hyperdiploid karyotypes (p= 0.03) in contrast to NDMM. The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in NDMM were notably superior to those observed in pPCL (HR: 0.41, p= 0.001, HR: 0.38, p< 0.001, respectively). Interestingly, the OS in NDMM was 3 times longer than that in pPCL in females (p< 0.01) while no difference was found between NDMM and pPCL in males (p= 0.078). Moreover, NDMM patients treated with proteasome inhibitor (PI)-based treatment showed a significantly better prognosis than pPCL patients receiving the same treatment (OS: p< 0.01, PFS: p< 0.01, respectively). Similar findings were observed for patients undergoing either autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) or CD38 antibody treatment, both presenting a favorable prognosis in NDMM. However, no significant difference emerged between the two groups in terms of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs)-based or PI+IMiDs-based regimens. Multivariate analysis indicated elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was an independent predictor of adverse prognosis in NDMM (HR: 3.12, p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study revealed the clinical features and prognosis of pPCL and NDMM patients according to the new diagnostic criteria. The findings highlighted a generally improved prognosis in NDMM compared to pPCL, especially among female patients or those treated with PI-based regimens. It is important to note that our study had a limited sample size, potentially introducing some bias. We hope well-designed and long-term follow-up studies can be conducted to provide more reliable results.

Numerical optimization of Lenalidomide immunomodulatory drug inside the supercritical carbon dioxide system using different machine learning models

supercritical fluids (SCFs) have been introduced as a reliable alternative for conventional organic solvents due to their unique gases-like and liquids-like behavior above the critical point. Nowadays, industrial-based employment of SCFs (especially SCCO2) for increasing the solubility of low water-soluble orally-taken medicines has increased significantly due to their noteworthy advantages like eco-friendliness, low carcinogenicity/toxicity, high technical efficiency, accessible critical points and affordable cost. The main aim is to design, optimize and modify the solubility of the Lenalidomide orally-administered immunomodulatory drug in SC-CO2 as a function of temperature (T) and pressure (P). Models are built as a novel model for using a variety of machine learning techniques, such as the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), and Support Vector Model (SVM). These models tuned on their hyper-parameters and then evaluated using different metrics. In terms of RMSE, LASSO, MLP, and SVM have error values equal to 9.978 × 10-2, 2.545 × 10-2, and 1.259 × 10-1, respectively. Also, the LASSO model has an R2 score of 0.9043, this score is 0.9950 for MLP and 0.9258 for SVM models. Accordingly, the MLP is the model that fits best on the solubility of Lenalidomide among these models and selected for rest of analysis in this study.

Structural analysis of PLD3 reveals insights into the mechanism of lysosomal 5' exonuclease-mediated nucleic acid degradation.

The phospholipase D (PLD) family is comprised of enzymes bearing phospholipase activity towards lipids or endo- and exonuclease activity towards nucleic acids. PLD3 is synthesized as a type II transmembrane protein and proteolytically cleaved in lysosomes, yielding a soluble active form. The deficiency of PLD3 leads to the slowed degradation of nucleic acids in lysosomes and chronic activation of nucleic acid-specific intracellular toll-like receptors. While the mechanism of PLD phospholipase activity has been extensively characterized, not much is known about how PLDs bind and hydrolyze nucleic acids. Here, we determined the high-resolution crystal structure of the luminal N-glycosylated domain of human PLD3 in its apo- and single-stranded DNA-bound forms. PLD3 has a typical phospholipase fold and forms homodimers with two independent catalytic centers via a newly identified dimerization interface. The structure of PLD3 in complex with an ssDNA-derived thymidine product in the catalytic center provides insights into the substrate binding mode of nucleic acids in the PLD family. Our structural data suggest a mechanism for substrate binding and nuclease activity in the PLD family and provide the structural basis to design immunomodulatory drugs targeting PLD3.

IMiD-Free Interval and IMiDs Sequence: Which Strategy Is Better Suited for Lenalidomide-Refractory Myeloma?

This review discusses immunomodulatory drug (IMiDs) sequencing and IMiD-free interval strategies for lenalidomide-refractory myeloma. IMiDs and proteasome inhibitors (PIs) improve clinical outcomes in patients with myeloma; however, refractoriness to lenalidomide, a category of IMiD, predicts poor outcomes. Next-generation IMiDs, such as pomalidomide, are effective even for lenalidomide-refractory myeloma. Therefore, an IMiD-sequencing strategy from lenalidomide to pomalidomide would be desirable. PIs are an antimyeloma therapeutic agent with another mode of action that might restore cereblon, a target of IMiDs; therefore, an IMiD-free interval via class switching from lenalidomide to PIs may be a promising alternative for lenalidomide-refractory myeloma. Additionally, the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody is a key drug for salvage therapy in anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody-naïve patients. In clinical practice, safety profiles and social convenience can play important roles in the choice of combination therapy. In the future, the selection of optimal treatments should be based on the status of the immunological environment and genetic alterations. This review aims to discuss IMiDs sequencing and IMiD-free interval strategies for lenalidomide- refractory myeloma.

Risk factors for drug-related acute pancreatitis: an analysis of the FDA adverse event reporting system (FAERS).

Objective: While several drugs have been linked to acute pancreatitis (AP), the AP-related risk of most drugs remains unclear. This study investigated the risk factors for drug-induced AP by analyzing a large dataset from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Methods: The reporting odds ratios (ROR) were used to assess the reports of drug-induced AP from the first quarter of 2004 to the second quarter of 2022. Single-factor, LASSO, and multi-factor regression analysis were performed to explore drug-related AP-related risk factors. Bonferroni correction was applied for the multiple comparisons performed. Results: A total of 264 drugs associated with AP, including antineoplastic drugs (35/264), antidiabetic drugs (28/264), antibacterial drugs (24/264), immunomodulatory drugs (11/264), antipsychotic drugs (6/264), and other drugs (160/264) were retrieved. Multi-factor analysis showed that males, age 41-54years old, and 36 drugs, including Tigecycline, were risk factors for drug-related AP. The median time to drug-related AP onset was 31days (interquartile range [IQR] 7-102days) and about 75% of adverse events occurred within 100days. Conclusion: These findings may help clinicians to identify drug-related AP at the early stage and can be used to inform future studies of drug-related AP pathogenesis.

Immuno-inflammatory in vitro hepatotoxicity models to assess side effects of biologicals exemplified by aldesleukin.

Hepatotoxicity induced by immunotherapeutics is an appearing cause for immune-mediated drug-induced liver injury. Such immuno-toxic mechanisms are difficult to assess using current preclinical models and the incidence is too low to detect in clinical trials. As hepatotoxicity is a frequent reason for post-authorisation drug withdrawal, there is an urgent need for immuno-inflammatory in vitro models to assess the hepatotoxic potential of immuno-modulatory drug candidates. We developed several immuno-inflammatory hepatotoxicity test systems based on recombinant human interleukin-2 (aldesleukin). Co-culture models of primary human CD8+ T cells or NK cells with the hepatocyte cell line HepaRG were established and validated with primary human hepatocytes (PHHs). Subsequently, the HepaRG model was refined by increasing complexity by inclusion of monocyte-derived macrophages (MdMs). The main readouts were cytotoxicity, inflammatory mediator release, surface marker expression and specific hepatocyte functions. We identified CD8+ T cells as possible mediators of aldesleukin-mediated hepatotoxicity, with MdMs being implicated in increased aldesleukin-induced inflammatory effects. In co-cultures of CD8+ T cells with MdMs and HepaRG cells, cytotoxicity was induced at intermediate/high aldesleukin concentrations and perforin was upregulated. A pro-inflammatory milieu was created measured by interleukin-6 (IL-6), c-reactive protein (CRP), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) increase. NK cells responded to aldesleukin, however, only minor aldesleukin-induced cytotoxic effects were measured in co-cultures. Results obtained with HepaRG cells and with PHHs were comparable, especially regarding cytotoxicity, but high inter-donor variations limited meaningfulness of the PHH model. The in vitro test systems developed contribute to the understanding of potential key mechanisms in aldesleukin-mediated hepatotoxicity. In addition, they may aid assessment of immune-mediated hepatotoxicity during the development of novel immunotherapeutics.

Physical exercise and synaptic protection in human and pre-clinical models of multiple sclerosis.

In multiple sclerosis, only immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive drugs are recognized as disease-modifying therapies. However, in recent years, several data from pre-clinical and clinical studies suggested a possible role of physical exercise as disease-modifying therapy in multiple sclerosis. Current evidence is sparse and often conflicting, and the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective and antinflammatory role of exercise in multiple sclerosis have not been fully elucidated. Data, mainly derived from pre-clinical studies, suggest that exercise could enhance long-term potentiation and thus neuroplasticity, could reduce neuroinflammation and synaptopathy, and dampen astrogliosis and microgliosis. In humans, most trials focused on direct clinical and MRI outcomes, as investigating synaptic, neuroinflammatory, and pathological changes is not straightforward compared to animal models. The present review analyzed current evidence and limitations in research concerning the potential disease-modifying therapy effects of exercise in multiple sclerosis in animal models and human studies.

Updating medications and treatment strategy for systemic lupus erythematosus: A narrative review

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the most heterogeneous systemic autoimmune diseases physicians manage. Despite therapeutic advances, the morbidity of SLE has remained considerable. All hopes for the future in this regard are pinned on targeting the interferon pathways, drugs that block B-cell function or T-cell function, Janus kinase inhibitors, also known as JAK inhibitors, and approaches involving stem cells or mesenchymal cells. New treatment recommendations clarifying anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory drugs emphasized the treat-to-target medical strategy, which combines low disease activity and low glucocorticoid (GC) exposure. Researchers support GCs at the lowest dose. The SLE patients need to take hydroxychloroquine. Biological medicines, including belimumab and anifrolumab, are prescribed based on disease stage and severity. To proceed with personalized therapy choices, we need a deeper understanding of biological pathways and specific disease-perpetuating components. New information from ongoing therapeutic studies and real-world data will assist in further clarifying the underlying multidimensional interrelations, bringing in a new era of precision medicine in lupus erythematosus that will benefit both patients and physicians. In order to determine the most effective therapy plan for lupus nephritis, rheumatologists and nephrologists should engage in close interdisciplinary communication. This review study will examine the most recent steps to deal with and treat this disease and future plans to help SLE patients.

Serum immunoglobulins and biomarkers of dementia: a population-based study

BackgroundInflammation plays a key role in the development of dementia, but its link to early biomarkers, particularly those in plasma or neuroimaging, remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum immunoglobulins and biomarkers of dementia.MethodsBetween 1997 and 2009, serum immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG and IgM) were measured in dementia-free participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study. A random subset of participants had assessment of biomarkers in plasma (total tau (t-tau), neurofilament light chain (NfL), amyloid-β40 (Aβ-40), amyloid-β42 (Aβ-42), while another subset of participants underwent neuroimaging to quantify brain volume, white matter structural integrity and markers of cerebral small vessel disease. Linear regression models were constructed to determine cross-sectional associations between IgA, IgG, IgM and biomarkers of dementia, with adjustment for potential confounders. Multiple testing correction was applied using the false discovery rate. As a sensitivity analysis, we re-ran the models for participants within the reference range of immunoglobulins, excluding those using immunomodulating drugs, and conducted a stratified analysis by APOE-ε4 carriership and sex.ResultsOf 8,768 participants with serum immunoglobulins, 3,455 participants (65.8 years [interquartile range (IQR): 61.5–72.0], 57.2% female) had plasma biomarkers available and 3,139 participants (57.4 years [IQR: 52.7–60.7], 54.4% female) had neuroimaging data. Overall, no associations between serum immunoglobulins and biomarkers of dementia remained significant after correction for multiple testing. However, several suggestive associations were noted: higher serum IgA levels concurred with lower plasma levels of Aβ-42 (standardized adjusted mean difference: -0.015 [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.029−-0.002], p = 2.8 × 10–2), and a lower total brain volume, mainly driven by less gray matter (-0.027 [-0.046−-0.008], p = 6.0 × 10–3) and more white matter hyperintensities (0.047 [0.016 – 0.077], p = 3.0 × 10–3). In sensitivity analyses, higher IgM was linked to lower t-tau, Aβ-40, and Aβ-42, but also a loss of white matter microstructural integrity. Stratified analyses indicate that these associations potentially differ between carriers and non-carriers of the APOE-ε4 allele and men and women.ConclusionsWhile associations between serum immunoglobulins and early markers of dementia could not be established in this population-based sample, it may be valuable to consider factors such as APOE-ε4 allele carriership and sex in future investigations.

Adoptive NK Cell Therapy - a Beacon of Hope in Multiple Myeloma Treatment.

Major advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) have been achieved by effective new agents such as proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, or monoclonal antibodies. Despite significant progress, MM remains still incurable and, recently, cellular immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment for relapsed/refractory MM. The emergence of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology has transformed immunotherapy by enhancing the antitumor functions of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, leading to effective control of hematologic malignancies. Recent advancements in gene delivery to NK cells have paved the way for the clinical application of CAR-NK cell therapy. CAR-NK cell therapy strategies have demonstrated safety, tolerability, and substantial efficacy in treating B cell malignancies in various clinical settings. However, their effectiveness in eliminating MM remains to be established. This review explores multiple approaches to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity, persistence, expansion, and manufacturing processes, and highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with CAR-NK cell therapy against MM. By shedding light on these aspects, this review aims to provide valuable insights into the potential of CAR-NK cell therapy as a promising approach for improving the treatment outcomes of MM patients.

Regulation of eDHFR-tagged proteins with trimethoprim PROTACs

Temporal control of protein levels in cells and living animals can be used to improve our understanding of protein function. In addition, control of engineered proteins could be used in therapeutic applications. PRoteolysis-TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) have emerged as a small-molecule-driven strategy to achieve rapid, post-translational regulation of protein abundance via recruitment of an E3 ligase to the target protein of interest. Here, we develop several PROTAC molecules by covalently linking the antibiotic trimethoprim (TMP) to pomalidomide, a ligand for the E3 ligase, Cereblon. These molecules induce degradation of proteins of interest (POIs) genetically fused to a small protein domain, E. coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR), the molecular target of TMP. We show that various eDHFR-tagged proteins can be robustly degraded to 95% of maximum expression with PROTAC molecule 7c. Moreover, TMP-based PROTACs minimally affect the expression of immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD)-sensitive neosubstrates using proteomic and biochemical assays. Finally, we show multiplexed regulation with another known degron-PROTAC pair, as well as reversible protein regulation in a rodent model of metastatic cancer, demonstrating the formidable strength of this system. Altogether, TMP PROTACs are a robust approach for selective and reversible degradation of eDHFR-tagged proteins in vitro and in vivo.