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Complex disorders usually affect multiple symptom domains measured by several outcomes. The importance of these outcomes is often different among patients. Current approaches integrate multiple outcomes without considering patient preferences at the individual level. In this article, we propose a new composite Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) that integrates individual level ranking of outcome importance and define a winning probability measuring the overall treatment effect. Stratified randomization can be performed based on the participants’ baseline outcome rankings. A Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U-statistic is used to average the pairwise DOOR between one treated and one control patient, considering the difference in these patients’ ranking of outcome importance. We use both theoretical and empirical methods to examine the statistical properties of our method and to compare with conventional approaches. We conclude that the proposed composite DOOR properly reflects patient-level preferences and can be used in pivotal trials or comparative effectiveness trials for a patient-centered evaluation of overall treatment benefits.

The treatment landscape of relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has evolved significantly over the past decade following the approval of brentuximab vedotin (BV) and the programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. We evaluated how outcomes and practice patterns have changed for R/R cHL patients who underwent autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) at our institution from 2011-2020 (N=183) compared to 2001-2010 (N=159) and evaluated prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in both eras. OS was superior in the modern era (4-year estimates 89.1% vs 79.0%, HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33-0.85, p=0.011) with a trend towards lower non-relapse mortality beyond 2 years post-transplant. Among patients who progressed after AHCT, 4-year post-progression survival increased from 43.3% to 71.4% in the modern era, reflecting increasing use of BV and the PD-1 inhibitors. In multivariable analysis for patients transplanted in the modern era, age ³45 years, primary refractory disease, and lack of complete remission pre-AHCT were associated with inferior PFS, while receipt of a PD-1 inhibitor-based regimen pre-AHCT was associated with superior PFS (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.80, p=0.030). Extranodal disease at relapse was associated with inferior OS (HR 3.12, 95% CI 1.25-7.77, p=0.014). Our study demonstrates improved survival for R/R cHL after AHCT in the modern era attributed to more effective salvage regimens allowing for better disease control pre-AHCT and improved outcomes for patients who progressed after AHCT. Excellent outcomes were observed with PD-1 inhibitor-based salvage regimens pre-AHCT and support a randomized trial evaluating immunotherapy in the second line setting.

The prognosis of patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) that progresses after treatment with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 (CAR19) is poor. We report on the first 3 consecutive patients with autologous CAR19-refractory LBCL who were treated with a single infusion of autologous 1 × 106 CAR+ T cells per kilogram targeting CD22 (CAR22) as part of a phase 1 dose-escalation study. CAR22 therapy was relatively well tolerated, without any observed nonhematologic adverse events higher than grade 2. After infusion, all 3 patients achieved complete remission, with all responses continuing at the time of last follow-up (mean, 7.8 months; range, 6-9.3). Circulating CAR22 cells demonstrated robust expansion (peak range, 85.4-350 cells per microliter), and persisted beyond 3 months in all patients with continued radiographic responses and corresponding decreases in circulating tumor DNA beyond 6 months after infusion. Further accrual at a higher dose level in this phase 1 dose-escalation study is ongoing and will explore the role of this therapy in patients in whom prior CAR T-cell therapies have failed. This trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04088890.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 has significantly improved outcomes in the treatment of refractory or relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). We evaluated the long-term course of hematologic recovery, immune reconstitution, and infectious complications in 41 patients with LBCL treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) at a single center. Grade 3+ cytopenias occurred in 97.6% of patients within the first 28 days postinfusion, with most resolved by 6 months. Overall, 63.4% of patients received a red blood cell transfusion, 34.1% of patients received a platelet transfusion, 36.6% of patients received IV immunoglobulin, and 51.2% of patients received growth factor (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) injections beyond the first 28 days postinfusion. Only 40% of patients had recovered detectable CD19+ B cells by 1 year, and 50% of patients had a CD4+ T-cell count

Pulmonary artery (PA) morphometry has been extensively explored in adults, with particular focus on intra-acinar arteries. However, scaling law relationships for length and diameter of extensive preacinar PAs by age have not been previously reported for in vivo human data. To understand preacinar PA growth spanning children to adults, we performed morphometric analyses of all PAs visible in the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) images from a healthy subject cohort [n = 16; age: 1–51 yr; body surface area (BSA): 0.49–2.01 m(2)]. Subject-specific anatomic PA models were constructed from CT and MR images, and morphometric information—diameter, length, tortuosity, bifurcation angle, and connectivity—was extracted and sorted into diameter-defined Strahler orders. Validation of Murray’s law, describing optimal scaling exponents of radii for branching vessels, was performed to determine how closely PAs conform to this classical relationship. Using regression analyses of vessel diameters and lengths against orders and patient metrics (BSA, age, height), we found that diameters increased exponentially with order and allometrically with patient metrics. Length increased allometrically with patient metrics, albeit weakly. The average tortuosity index of all vessels was 0.026 ± 0.024, average bifurcation angle was 28.2 ± 15.1°, and average Murray’s law exponent was 2.92 ± 1.07. We report a set of scaling laws for vessel diameter and length, along with other morphometric information. These provide an initial understanding of healthy structural preacinar PA development with age, which can be used for computational modeling studies and comparison with diseased PA anatomy. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Pulmonary artery (PA) morphometry studies to date have focused primarily on large arteries and intra-acinar arteries in either adults or children, neglecting preacinar arteries in both populations. Our study is the first to quantify in vivo preacinar PA morphometry changes spanning infants to adults. For preacinar arteries > 1 mm in diameter, we identify scaling laws for vessel diameters and lengths with patient metrics of growth and establish a healthy PA morphometry baseline for most preacinar PAs.

A major cause of morbidity and mortality for patients who undergo hematologic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), a mostly T cell-mediated disease. Examination of the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of HSCT recipients and the use of next-generation nucleotide sequencing have raised the question of whether features of TCR repertoire reconstitution might reproducibly associate with aGVHD. We hypothesized that the peripheral blood TCR repertoire of patients with steroid-nonresponsive aGVHD would be less diverse. We also hypothesized that patients with GVHD who shared HLA might also share common clones at the time of GVHD diagnosis, thereby potentially providing potential clinical indicators for treatment stratification. We further hypothesized that HSCT recipients with the same HLA mismatch might share a more similar TCR repertoire based on a potentially shared focus of alloreactive responses. We studied 2 separate patient cohorts and 2 separate platforms for measuring TCR repertoire. The first cohort of patients was from a multicenter Phase III randomized double-blinded clinical trial of patients who developed aGVHD (NCT01002742). The second cohort comprised samples from biobanks from 2 transplantation centers and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research of patients who underwent mismatched HSCT. There were no statistically significant differences in the TCR diversity of steroid responders and nonresponders among patients with aGVHD on the day of diagnosis. Most clones in the repertoire were unique to each patient, but a small number of clones were found to be both exclusive to and shared among aGVHD nonresponders. We were also able to show a strong correlation between the presence of Vβ20 and Vβ29 and steroid responsiveness. Using the Bhattacharya coefficient, those patients who shared the same HLA mismatch were shown to be no more similar to one another than to those who had a completely different mismatch. Using 2 separate clinical cohorts and 2 separate platforms for analyzing the TCR repertoire, we have shown that the sampled human TCR repertoire is largely unique to each patient but contains glimmers of common clones of subsets of clones based on responsiveness to steroids in aGVHD on the day of diagnosis. These studies are informative for future strategies to assess for reproducible TCR responses in human alloreactivity and possible markers of GVHD responsiveness to therapy.

Key Points Clinically significant bleeding occurred in 9% of patients after CAR T therapy and was associated with features of systemic coagulopathy.Low baseline platelets and possibly high-grade ICANS are risk factors for bleeding and require close monitoring for bleeding up to 1 month., Visual Abstract, Bleeding and thrombotic events are an emerging toxicity associated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapies. To determine their incidence, we retrospectively analyzed consecutive adult patients (N = 127) with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) or B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) treated from 2017 through 2020 with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; n = 89) or a bispecific CD19/CD22 CAR (n = 38). Twelve (9.4%) and 8 (6.3%) patients developed bleeding and thrombosis within the first 3 months, respectively. In the axi-cel subgroup, these occurred in 11.2% and 6.7%, respectively. Bleeding occurred between days 8 and 30 (median, 17.5) and thrombosis between days 2 and 91 (median, 29). Bleeding sites included genitourinary, soft tissue, intracranial, gastrointestinal, and pulmonary and were associated with features of consumptive coagulopathy. On univariate analysis, patients with bleeding were older, had lower baseline platelets (86 × 103/μL vs 178 × 103/μL; P < .01), lower platelet and fibrinogen nadirs , and elevated lactate dehydrogenase. Immune effector cell (IEC)–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) grade ≥3 was associated with increased bleeding (50% vs 15%; P = .01), thrombosis (50% vs 16%; P = .04), prothrombin time prolongation, hypofibrinogenemia, and elevated D-dimer. Low pretreatment platelet counts were associated with bleeding in a multivariate logistic regression model. Patients with thrombocytopenia or severe ICANS are at increased risk of bleeding and should be closely monitored, particularly within the first month after CAR therapy. Future studies in larger cohorts should assess risk factors for systemic coagulopathies in CAR T therapy, including their association with neurotoxicity.

Background: MGTA-145, a CXCR2 agonist, has shown promising activity for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization with plerixafor in pre-clinical models and healthy volunteers. It has the potential to become the first GCSF free regimen for HSC mobilization/apheresis in preparation for transplant, with fewer side effects, better patient experience and optimal resource utilization. Methods: We conducted a single center phase 2 trial of MGTA-145 + plerixafor for HSC mobilization in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), NCT04552743. Primary endpoint was collection of ≥2 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg in up to 2 days of mobilization/apheresis. Secondary endpoints were collection of 4 and 6 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg, safety and engraftment. Patients with MM, 18-70 years of age, within 1 year of starting treatment & CrCl > 30 ml/min were eligible. Patients received plerixafor 0.24 mg/kg (0.16 mg/kg if renal dysfunction) SQ, followed 2 hours later by MGTA-145 (0.03 mg/kg) IV over 3-10 minutes and apheresis within 30 minutes. Mobilization and collection were repeated for a second consecutive day if day 1 yield was < 6 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg. The study was open-label single arm trial of 15 patients. If 13 or more patients met primary endpoint, an expansion cohort of 10 patients was planned. The trial has 85% power at a 5% one-sided type I error rate. Our analysis is based on aggregated results from total cohort of 25 patients. Results: Median age was 62 years, 52% were female, 24% had ISS stage 3, 57% had high-risk FISH (primarily gain1q). Induction therapy was VRD in 68% (17), daratumumab VRD in 24% (6), CyBorD in 8% (2) patients. Median duration of induction was 4 months (3-6) and median lenalidomide exposure was 5 cycles (1-8), with > VGPR in 88% of patients. (Table 1) Plerixafor 0.24 mg/kg was given in 24 (96%) patients. Median pre-apheresis CD34 count was day 1, 24/uL (3-99) & day 2, 15/uL (5-46). Median total HSC cell yield (CD34+ cells/kg x 10 6) was 5.0 (1.1-16.2), day 1 yield was 3.4 (0.3-16.2) and day 2 yield was 1.9 (0.5-4.6) (Fig1). 88% (n=22) of patients met the primary endpoint of collecting sufficient HSCs in < 2 days of mobilization + apheresis to proceed to transplant, 68% (17) in 1 day (2 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg). 3 patients who did not meet primary endpoint successfully collected HSCs with standard GCSF + plerixafor dosing & 2-3 apheresis sessions. Secondary endpoints of 4 and 6 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg in < 2 days were met in 68% (17) and 40% (10) patients. MGTA-145+plerixafor was well tolerated. At least 1 treatment emergent AE (TEAE) with MGTA-145 was seen in 60% of patients (grade 1, n= 14, grade 2, n=1). Pain (all grade 1) was most common, seen in 44% (11), with 38% (9) patients experiencing acute onset transient bone pain with MGTA-145 (duration: 7 minutes, range: 3-28). Using the validated Brief Pain Inventory, 56% (14) patients self-reported pain with mobilization vs 40% (10) at baseline. 7/15 patients without baseline pain reported pain with mobilization. An increase for worst pain was seen on mobilization day 1, that returned to the baseline, but no difference for aggregate score of pain severity/interference (linear mixed effects model). At last follow-up, 18 patients have completed transplant with MGTA-145 mobilized graft, with melphalan 200 mg/m 2 in 15 (83%) patients. Median of 3.5 (2.2-8.1) x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg were infused. All patients have engrafted. Median time to neutrophil engraftment of 12 days (range: 11-15) & platelet engraftment (platelets > 20,000, no transfusion in 7 days) of 17.5 days (15-33) are comparable to historical data (DiPersio et al. 2009). RBC transfusion was needed in 3 (17%) patients. 14 patients have day 100 follow-up, all with durable engraftment. MGTA-145 + plerixafor mobilized grafts had a favorable graft composition. We observed high enrichment for CD90+CD45RA- among CD34+ cells, a CD34 subset of long term engrafting HSCs (median: 36% of CD34+ cells, range 10-66%, N=25). 74% (17 of 23) grafts were minimal residual disease negative with next generation flow cytometry. Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate the novel G-CSF-free regimen of MGTA-145 + plerixafor for HSC cell mobilization & collection for hematologic malignancies. The study cohort was representative of transplant eligible patients with MM, with 88% patients meeting the primary endpoint. The regimen was well tolerated. Patients achieved timely & durable engraftment. Our data support further development of this regimen for rapid HSC mobilization. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Sidana: Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Allogene: Research Funding; Magenta Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Kumar: Bluebird Bio: Consultancy; Adaptive: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Carsgen: Research Funding; Astra-Zeneca: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; KITE: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Tenebio: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Beigene: Consultancy; Antengene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche-Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding. Muffly: Pfizer, Amgen, Jazz, Medexus, Pfizer: Consultancy; Astellas, Jasper, Adaptive, Baxalta: Research Funding; Adaptive: Honoraria, Other: fees for non-CME/CE services: , Research Funding. Arai: Magenta Therapeutics: Research Funding. Meyer: Indee, Jura: Consultancy; Orca Biosystems: Research Funding; GigaImmune: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Triursus Therapeutics: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Rezvani: US Department of Justice: Consultancy; Kaleido: Other: One-time scientific advisory board; Nohla Therapeutics: Other: One-time scientific advisory board; Pharmacyclics-Abbvie: Research Funding. Weng: Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Frank: Kite-Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Allogene Therapeutics: Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding. Shiraz: Kite Pharma-Gilead: Research Funding. Girgenti: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment. Goncalves: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Patents & Royalties. Schmelmer: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Patents & Royalties. Davis: Magenta Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months. Shizuru: Jasper Therapeutics, Inc.: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Chair of scientific advisory board; Forty seven Inc: Other: Inventor on a patent licenses by Forty Seven. Forty seven was acquired by Gilead in 2020. Miklos: Pharmacyclics: Patents & Royalties; Kite, a Gilead Company, Amgen, Atara, Wugen, Celgene, Novartis, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Bioscience, Adicet, Pharmacyclics, Janssen, Takeda, Adaptive Biotechnologies and Miltenyi Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics, Amgen, Kite, a Gilead Company, Novartis, Roche, Genentech, Becton Dickinson, Isoplexis, Miltenyi, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Biosciences, Adicet, Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies, Novartis, Juno/Celgene-BMS, Kite, a Gilead Company, Pharmacyclics-AbbVie, Janssen, Pharmacyclics, AlloGene, Precision Bioscience, Miltenyi Biotech, Adicet, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Background We previously discovered high expression of the disialoganglioside GD2 on H3K27M+ gliomas and demonstrated preclinical efficacy of intravenous (IV) GD2-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells in preclinical models of H3K27M-mutated diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs). We are now conducting a Phase I clinical trial (NCT04196413) of autologous GD2-targeting CAR T-cells for H3K27M+ DIPG and spinal cord DMG. Here we present the results of subjects treated at dose level 1 (DL1; 1 million GD2-CAR T-cells/kg IV). Methods Four patients (3 DIPG, 1 spinal DMG; ages 4–25; 1M/3F) were enrolled at DL1. Three subjects with H3K27M+ DIPG received 1e6 GD2-CAR T-cells/kg IV on study. One patient with spinal DMG enrolled but became ineligible after manufacturing and was treated on an eIND at DL1. An Ommaya reservoir was placed in all subjects for therapeutic monitoring of intracranial pressure. Subjects underwent lymphodepletion with fludarabine/cyclophosphamide and remained inpatient for at least two weeks post-infusion. Results All subjects developed cytokine release syndrome (Grade 1–3) manifested by fever, tachycardia and hypotension. Other toxicities included ICANS (Grade 1–2) and neurological symptoms/signs mediated by intratumoral inflammation which we have termed Tumor Inflammation-Associated Neurotoxicity (TIAN). No evidence of on-target, off-tumor toxicity was observed in any patients. No dose-limiting toxicities occurred. CAR T cells trafficked to the CNS and were detected in CSF and blood. 3/4 patients exhibited marked improvement or resolution of neurological deficits and radiographic improvement. The patient treated on an eIND exhibited >90% reduction in spinal DMG volume but progressed by month 3. Re-treatment of this subject via intracerebroventricular administration resulted in a second reduction in spinal DMG volume by ~80%. Conclusions GD2-CAR T-cells at DL1 demonstrate a tolerable safety profile in patients with H3K27M+ DIPG/DMG with clear signs of T-cell expansion and activity including clinical responses.

Replacement of failed organs followed by safe withdrawal of immunosuppressive drugs has long been the goal of organ transplantation. We studied changes in the balance of T cells and myeloid cells in the blood of HLA-matched and -mismatched patients given living donor kidney transplants followed by total lymphoid irradiation, anti-thymocyte globulin conditioning, and donor hematopoietic cell transplant to induce mixed chimerism and immune tolerance. The clinical trials were based on a conditioning regimen used to establish mixed chimerism and tolerance in mice. In preclinical murine studies, there was a profound depletion of T cells and an increase in immunosuppressive polymorphonuclear (pmn) myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the spleen and blood following transplant. Selective depletion of pmn MDSCs in mice abrogated mixed chimerism and tolerance. In our clinical trials, patients given an analogous tolerance conditioning regimen developed similar changes, including profound depletion of T cells and a marked increase in MDSCs in blood posttransplant. Posttransplant pmn MDSCs transiently increased expression of lectin-type oxidized LDL receptor-1, a marker of immunosuppression, and production of the T-cell inhibitor arginase-1. These posttransplant pmn MDSCs suppressed the activation, proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine secretion of autologous T-cell receptor microbead-stimulated pretransplant T cells when cocultured in vitro. In conclusion, we elucidated changes in receptors and function of immunosuppressive myeloid cells in patients enrolled in the tolerance protocol that were nearly identical to those of MDSCs required for tolerance in mice. These trials were registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00319657 and #NCT01165762.

Despite impressive progress, more than 50% of patients treated with CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR19) experience progressive disease. Ten of 16 patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) with progressive disease after CAR19 treatment had absent or low CD19. Lower surface CD19 density pretreatment was associated with progressive disease. To prevent relapse with CD19− or CD19lo disease, we tested a bispecific CAR targeting CD19 and/or CD22 (CD19-22.BB.z-CAR) in a phase I clinical trial (NCT03233854) of adults with relapsed/refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and LBCL. The primary end points were manufacturing feasibility and safety with a secondary efficacy end point. Primary end points were met; 97% of products met protocol-specified dose and no dose-limiting toxicities occurred during dose escalation. In B-ALL (n = 17), 100% of patients responded with 88% minimal residual disease-negative complete remission (CR); in LBCL (n = 21), 62% of patients responded with 29% CR. Relapses were CD19−/lo in 50% (5 out of 10) of patients with B-ALL and 29% (4 out of 14) of patients with LBCL but were not associated with CD22−/lo disease. CD19/22-CAR products demonstrated reduced cytokine production when stimulated with CD22 versus CD19. Our results further implicate antigen loss as a major cause of CAR T cell resistance, highlight the challenge of engineering multi-specific CAR T cells with equivalent potency across targets and identify cytokine production as an important quality indicator for CAR T cell potency., Bispecific CAR T cells targeting CD19 and CD22 exhibit clinical activity and low toxicity in patients with large B cell lymphoma and B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, with relapses associated with loss of CD19 but not CD22.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) caused by alloreactive T cells. Murine models of HCT are used to understand GVHD and T-cell reconstitution in GVHD target organs, most notably the gastrointestinal (GI) tract where the disease contributes most to patient mortality. T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire sequencing was used to measure T-cell reconstitution from the same donor graft (C57BL/6 H-2b) in the GI tract of different recipients across a spectrum of matching, from syngeneic (C57BL/6), to minor histocompatibility (MHC) antigen mismatch BALB.B (H-2b), to major MHC mismatched B10.BR (H-2k) and BALB/c (H-2d). Although the donor T-cell pools had highly similar TCR, the TCR repertoire after HCT was very specific to recipients in each experiment independent of geography. A single invariant natural killer T clone was identifiable in every recipient group and was enriched in syngeneic recipients according to clonal count and confirmatory flow cytometry. Using a novel cluster analysis of the TCR repertoire, we could classify recipient groups based only on their CDR3 size distribution or TCR repertoire relatedness. Using a method for evaluating the contribution of common TCR motifs to relatedness, we found that reproducible sets of clones were associated with specific recipient groups within each experiment and that relatedness did not necessarily depend on the most common clones in allogeneic recipients. This finding suggests that TCR reconstitution is highly stochastic and likely does not depend on the evaluation of the most expanded TCR clones in any individual recipient but instead depends on a complex polyclonal architecture.

Preclinical studies have shown that persistent mixed chimerism is linked to acceptance of organ allografts without immunosuppressive (IS) drugs. Mixed chimerism refers to continued mixing of donor and recipient hematopoietic cells in recipient tissues after transplantation of donor cells. To determine whether persistent mixed chimerism and tolerance can be established in patients undergoing living donor kidney transplantation, we infused allograft recipients with donor T cells and hematopoietic progenitors after posttransplant lymphoid irradiation. In 24 of 29 fully human leukocyte antigen (HLA)–matched patients who had persistent mixed chimerism for at least 6 months, complete IS drug withdrawal was achieved without subsequent evidence of rejection for at least 2 years. In 10 of 22 HLA haplotype–matched patients with persistent mixed chimerism for at least 12 months, reduction of IS drugs to tacrolimus monotherapy was achieved. Withdrawal of tacrolimus during the second year resulted in loss of detectable chimerism and subsequent rejection episodes, unless tacrolimus therapy was reinstituted. Posttransplant immune reconstitution of naïve B cells and B cell precursors was more rapid than the reconstitution of naïve T cells and thymic T cell precursors. Robust chimerism was observed only among naïve T and B cells but not among memory T cells. No evidence of rejection was observed in all surveillance graft biopsies obtained from mixed chimeric patients withdrawn from IS drugs, and none developed graft-versus-host disease. In conclusion, persistent mixed chimerism established in fully HLA- or haplotype-matched patients allowed for complete or partial IS drug withdrawal without rejection.

Introduction: Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) is an autologous anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy that induces durable responses in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. At a median of 27.1 months follow-up on the ZUMA-1 trial, median overall survival (OS) was 25.8 months with 39% progression free survival (PFS) at 2 years post-infusion (Locke, Lancet Onc 2019). We previously reported outcomes of axi-cel patients treated with standard of care therapy at a median follow up of 12.9 months, including 42% who did not meet eligibility criteria for ZUMA-1 based on co-morbidities (Nastoupil, JCO 2020). Here we report results from this cohort at a median follow up of 32.4 months, as well as late outcomes of interest including cytopenias, infections and secondary malignancies. Methods and Results: The US Lymphoma CAR-T Consortium comprised of 17 US academic centers who contributed data independent of the manufacturer. Two hundred and ninety-eight patients underwent leukapheresis with intent to manufacture standard of care axi-cel as of September 30, 2018. In infused patients (n=275), OS and PFS were calculated from date of infusion. After median follow-up of 32.4 months (95% CI 31.1 - 34.3), median OS was not reached (95% CI 25.6 - not evaluable) (Figure 1A) with 1-, 2- and 3-year OS of 68.5% (95% CI 62.6-73.7), 56.4% (95% CI 50.1-62.2) and 52.2% (95% CI 45.7-58.2%), respectively. Median PFS was 9 months (95% CI 5.9-19.6) (Figure 1B); 1-, 2- and 3-year PFS was 47.4% (95% CI 41.4-53.2), 41.6% (95% CI 35.6-47.5) and 37.3% (95% CI 31.3-43.2), respectively. Twenty-seven PFS events occurred at or after 1 year post infusion;19 events were progressive lymphoma, with the latest relapse observed 28 months after axi-cel infusion. Eight patients died while in remission from their lymphoma: 4 from secondary malignancy, 3 from infection, and 1 from unknown causes. Results of multivariable modeling were similar to our prior analysis: factors associated with both a shorter PFS and shorter OS included male sex, elevated pre-lymphodepletion LDH, and poor ECOG status. Complete blood count and B- and T-cell recovery data were collected at 1 and 2-years post-infusion, excluding patients who had relapsed or been treated for secondary malignancy at time of collection (Table 1). Rates of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count ≤1000) at 1- and 2- years were 9.2% (10/109) and 11.2% (9/80) and rates of CD4 count ≤200/ul were 62% (23/37) and 27% (7/26). Recovery of B cells was seen in 54% (15/28) and 57% (13/23) at 1-and 2-years post infusion. Infections were reported in 31.2% (34/109) patients between 6- and 12-months post infusion, and 17% (18/109) were severe, requiring either hospitalization and/or IV antibiotics. Twenty-one patients (24%, 21/89) had an infection between 1- and 2- years, 11% of which were severe. Twenty percent (10/49) of patients between 2- and 3-years had an infection and 4 (8%) were severe. Neutropenia, low CD4 counts, and IgG levels were not associated with infection, though patients with infection between 6-12 months were more likely to have received IVIG (p Twenty-two of 275 (8%) patients were diagnosed with subsequent malignancy after axi-cel treatment: 14/275 (5%) patients were diagnosed with myeloid malignancies (MDS (n=12), AML (n=1), CMML (n=1)); other malignancies included squamous cell carcinoma of skin (n=3); sarcoma (n=1); endometrial (n=1); lung (n=1); mesothelioma (n=1) and AITL (n=1). Patients with myeloid malignancy had a median age of 62 at axi-cel apheresis (IQR 56-67), 64% were male and median lines of prior therapy was 4 (IQR 3-6), including 36% with a prior autologous stem cell transplant. Eleven patients were in remission from lymphoma at myeloid malignancy diagnosis, while 3 were diagnosed after progression and interval therapy. Conclusion: This multi-center retrospective study showed similar long-term results to the ZUMA-1 trial, despite including patients who did not meet ZUMA-1 eligibility criteria based on comorbidities. Sixteen percent of PFS events were seen after 1 year, largely due to disease progression. Late infection was common but was not explained by persistent neutropenia or low CD4 counts. Subsequent malignancy, including MDS, occurred in 8% of patients and require further study to better identify patients at risk. J.Y.S and M.D.J contributed equally; S.D and M.L contributed equally. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Jain: BMS, Kite/Gilead, Novartis, Precision Biosciences, Takeda: Consultancy. Nastoupil: Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: DSMC, Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Honoraria; IGM Biosciences: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding; Epizyme: Honoraria, Research Funding; Caribou Biosciences: Research Funding; Gilead/Kite: Honoraria, Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Honoraria, Research Funding; Denovo Pharma: Other: DSMC; Bayer: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Ghobadi: Atara: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Wugen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Lin: Gamida Cell: Consultancy; Juno: Consultancy; Merck: Research Funding; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sorrento: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Takeda: Research Funding; Vineti: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding. Reagan: Seagen: Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy; Genentech: Research Funding; Curis: Consultancy. Oluwole: Curio Science: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding. McGuirk: EcoR1 Capital: Consultancy; Gamida Cell: Research Funding; Bellicum Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Kite/ Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel accommodations, expense, Kite a Gilead company, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding; Juno Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Astelllas Pharma: Research Funding; Pluristem Therapeutics: Research Funding; Fresenius Biotech: Research Funding; Allovir: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Magenta Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Deol: Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy. Sehgal: Juno/Celgene: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Research Funding. Goy: AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; LLC(Targeted Oncology): Consultancy; Xcenda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Xcenda: Consultancy; Acerta: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie/Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Honoraria, 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; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Vincerx: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Elsevier's Practice Update Oncology, Intellisphere, LLC(Targeted Oncology): Consultancy; Hoffman la Roche: Consultancy; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie/Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Phamacyclics: Research Funding; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Michael J Hennessey Associates INC: Consultancy; Genentech/Hoffman la Roche: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Honoraria, Other; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Vincerx pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Physicians' Education Resource: Consultancy, Other: Meeting/travel support; Incyte: Honoraria; Medscape: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Genomic Testing Cooperative: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Leadership role; Infinity/Verastem: Research Funding; Rosewell Park: Consultancy; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; OncLive Peer Exchange: Honoraria; Elsevier PracticeUpdate: Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Constellation: Research Funding; COTA (Cancer Outcome Tracking Analysis): Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Leadership role; Hackensack Meridian Health, Regional Cancer Care Associates/OMI: Current Employment. Hill: Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Beigene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Gentenech: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZenica: Consultancy, Honoraria; Epizyme: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte/Morphysis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene (BMS): Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Andreadis: CRISPR Therapeutics: Research Funding; GenMAB: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Roche: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months; Epizyme: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria; TG Therapeutics: Honoraria; Kite: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Atara: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding. Muñoz: Seagen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Juno/Celgene: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Fosunkite: Consultancy; Innovent: Consultancy; Debiopharma: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Genmab: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Epizyme: Consultancy; Servier: Consultancy; Acrotech: Speakers Bureau; Verastem: Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Speakers Bureau; Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Speakers Bureau; Aurobindo: Speakers Bureau; Physicians' Education Resource: Honoraria; Kyowa Kirin: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; OncView: Honoraria; Targeted Oncology: Honoraria. Westin: AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Research Funding; 47 Inc: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Umoja: Consultancy; Iksuda Therapeutics: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding. Chavez: Bristol Myers Squibb: Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Speakers Bureau; BeiGene: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy; Adaptive: Research Funding; Epizyme: Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Research Funding. Bennani: Kyowa Kirin: Other: Advisory Board; Daichii Sankyo Inc: Other: Advisory Board; Purdue Pharma: Other: Advisory Board; Verastem: Other: Advisory Board; Vividion: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board. Vose: Kite, a Gilead Company: Honoraria, Research Funding. Miklos: Pharmacyclics: Patents & Royalties; Adaptive Biotechnologies, Novartis, Juno/Celgene-BMS, Kite, a Gilead Company, Pharmacyclics-AbbVie, Janssen, Pharmacyclics, AlloGene, Precision Bioscience, Miltenyi Biotech, Adicet, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite, a Gilead Company, Amgen, Atara, Wugen, Celgene, Novartis, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Bioscience, Adicet, Pharmacyclics, Janssen, Takeda, Adaptive Biotechnologies and Miltenyi Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics, Amgen, Kite, a Gilead Company, Novartis, Roche, Genentech, Becton Dickinson, Isoplexis, Miltenyi, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Biosciences, Adicet, Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding. Neelapu: Takeda Pharmaceuticals and related to cell therapy: Patents & Royalties; Kite, a Gilead Company, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Celgene, Pfizer, Allogene Therapeutics, Cell Medica/Kuur, Incyte, Precision Biosciences, Legend Biotech, Adicet Bio, Calibr, Unum Therapeutics and Bluebird Bio: Honoraria; Kite, a Gilead Company, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Poseida, Cellectis, Celgene, Karus Therapeutics, Unum Therapeutics (Cogent Biosciences), Allogene, Precision BioSciences, Acerta and Adicet Bio: Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Celgene, Pfizer, Allogene, Kuur, Incyte, Precision BioSciences, Legend, Adicet Bio, Calibr, and Unum Therapeutics: Other: personal fees. Locke: GammaDelta Therapeutics: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; Bluebird Bio: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; Calibr: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; Amgen: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; Allogene Therapeutics: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role, Research Funding; Cellular Biomedicine Group: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; Wugen: Consultancy, Other; Takeda: Consultancy, Other; Novartis: Consultancy, Other, Research Funding; Umoja: Consultancy, Other; Cowen: Consultancy; EcoR1: Consultancy; Emerging Therapy Solutions: Consultancy; Gerson Lehrman Group: Consultancy; Moffitt Cancer Center: Patents & Royalties: field of cellular immunotherapy; Legend Biotech: Consultancy, Other; Janssen: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role, Research Funding; Iovance Biotherapeutics: Consultancy, Other: Scientific Advisory Role. Dahiya: Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy; Atara Biotherapeutics: Consultancy; Miltenyi Biotech: Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Lunning: Spectrum: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Acrotech: Consultancy; Legend: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Kyowa Kirin: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Morphosys: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Verastem: Consultancy; Myeloid Therapeutics: Consultancy; Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb Co.: Consultancy; Daiichi-Sankyo: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy.

BACKGROUND GVHD and non-relapse mortality (NRM) remain frequent complications of HLA-matched HSCT despite the use of standard immunosuppression like tacrolimus and methotrexate. Alternative GVHD prophylaxis (PPX) strategies like T-cell depletion and post-transplant cyclophosphamide negatively impact relapse, infection, and organ toxicity, and no strategy has yet demonstrated a clear benefit for GVHD-free survival. Orca-T is an investigational cellular product comprising stem and immune cells that leverages highly purified donor regulatory T cells to control alloreactive immune responses. Unlike point-of-care graft engineering approaches, Orca-T is produced in a central GMP laboratory and has been successfully distributed to multiple centers across in the U.S. Early clinical trials using Orca-T showed a good safety profile, promising GVHD control, and potentially improved immune reconstitution. Here, we present trial results from both a single-institution Phase 1/2 trial that has completed enrollment and an ongoing multicenter Phase 1b trial. METHODS As of 28 July 2021, 113 patients aged 18-72 have received Orca-T for AML, ALL, MDS, lymphoma, or myelofibrosis. We present here data from 80 patients that have ≥90 days follow-up. 28 and 52 patients, respectively, received Orca-T followed by single-agent GVHD prophylaxis on a single-center Phase 2 study (NCT01660607) and a multicenter Phase Ib (NCT04013685). Orca-T products were derived from HLA-matched related (n=46) or unrelated (n=34) donors. Patients received a variety of myeloablative conditioning regimens (e.g., non-TBI, n=66; TBI-based, n=14) followed by single-agent PPX with either tacrolimus (n=73) or sirolimus (n=7). Median follow-up for these patients is 541 days (single-center) and 248 days (multicenter). We identified a contemporaneous SOC cohort, and we reported on their clinical outcomes at Stanford (n=95) with both matched related (n=52) and unrelated (n=43) transplant recipients who received unmanipulated PBSC products (median f/u 546) and methotrexate plus tacrolimus prophylaxis. RESULTS The Orca-T investigational cell therapy was manufactured reliably, delivered in less than 72 hours for all patients, and every patient enrolled received Orca-T. The Treg drug product was characterized by high Treg purity of 93.8% +/- 3.1% and a dose of 2.6 +/- 0.4 x 106 per kg (equivalent between trials). An Orca-T product was produced and infused for all patients, and there were no logistics failures or infusion reactions. All patients engrafted and Orca-T patients showed earlier neutrophil (median of 12 days vs. 14 days, p On the single-center, Phase 2 clinical trial study at Stanford there is evidence of improved 1-year GVHD and relapse-free survival (GRFS) which was 77% (CI 51-88%) for Orca-T patients vs 34% (CI 25-44%) with SOC (Figure 1A). We observed improved rates of >grade 2 acute GVHD at Day +180 (aGVHD, 14% versus 33%), moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD at 1 year (4% versus 42%) and NRM at 1 year (0% versus 13%). Relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) trended upwards for Orca-T. Severe infectious complications were rare. Key clinical results from both Orca-T trials are summarized in Table 1; 23 of 80 patients had ≥1 year follow-up. Consistent with findings from the single-institution study, on the multicenter study, rates of moderate-to-severe cGVHD and non-relapse mortality were low at 1-year post-transplant at 3% and 4%, respectively. For all patients who received Orca-T across both studies, we observed GRFS of 72% (Figure 1B), RFS of 78%, and OS of 91% at 1 year. These survival rates compare favorably to the contemporaneous SOC control (33%, 71% and 78%, respectively). Immune reconstitution in Orca-T patients with single agent tacrolimus appears similar to SOC except for observable differences in the IL-2 pathway. CONCLUSIONS Manufacture of high precision Orca-T investigational cell therapy drug products was scaled in a central GMP with reliable distribution to centers. Patients that received Orca-T and single-agent PPX showed significantly reduced aGVHD, cGVHD and NRM. Orca-T shows promise to improve GRFS and other transplant outcomes. Orca-T has been granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy status by the FDA, and a phase 3 prospectively, randomized study is planned. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Gandhi: Gamida Cell: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CareDx Inc: Honoraria. Muffly: Pfizer, Amgen, Jazz, Medexus, Pfizer: Consultancy; Astellas, Jasper, Adaptive, Baxalta: Research Funding; Adaptive: Honoraria, Other: fees for non-CME/CE services: , Research Funding. Shiraz: Kite Pharma-Gilead: Research Funding. Mehta: Kadmon: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; CSLBehring: Research Funding; Syndax: Research Funding. McGuirk: Allovir: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Magenta Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Gamida Cell: Research Funding; Kite/ Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel accommodations, expense, Kite a Gilead company, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Juno Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; EcoR1 Capital: Consultancy; Bellicum Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Pluristem Therapeutics: Research Funding; Fresenius Biotech: Research Funding; Astelllas Pharma: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Waller: Verastem Oncology: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cambium Oncology: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Arai: Magenta Therapeutics: Research Funding. Rezvani: US Department of Justice: Consultancy; Nohla Therapeutics: Other: One-time scientific advisory board; Pharmacyclics-Abbvie: Research Funding; Kaleido: Other: One-time scientific advisory board. Weng: Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Miklos: Adaptive Biotechnologies, Novartis, Juno/Celgene-BMS, Kite, a Gilead Company, Pharmacyclics-AbbVie, Janssen, Pharmacyclics, AlloGene, Precision Bioscience, Miltenyi Biotech, Adicet, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmacyclics, Amgen, Kite, a Gilead Company, Novartis, Roche, Genentech, Becton Dickinson, Isoplexis, Miltenyi, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Biosciences, Adicet, Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company, Amgen, Atara, Wugen, Celgene, Novartis, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Bioscience, Adicet, Pharmacyclics, Janssen, Takeda, Adaptive Biotechnologies and Miltenyi Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Patents & Royalties. Frank: Kite-Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding; Allogene Therapeutics: Research Funding. Fernhoff: Orca Bio: Current Employment. Putnam: Orca Bio: Current Employment. McClellan: Orca Bio: Current Employment, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Shaw: Orca bio: Consultancy; mallinkrodt: Other: payments. Abedi: Seattle Genetics: Speakers Bureau; BMS/Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie: Speakers Bureau. Meyer: Triursus Therapeutics: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; GigaImmune: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Orca Biosystems: Research Funding; Indee, Jura: Consultancy.

Background: Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and other H3K27M-mutated diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs) are universally lethal central nervous system tumors. We previously discovered that the disialoganglioside GD2 is highly and homogenously expressed on H3K27M+ gliomas and demonstrated that GD2 CAR T cells are effective in preclinical models (Mount/Majzner et al., Nat Med, 2018). Methods: Four subjects (3 DIPG, 1 spinal cord DMG; 4-25 yr; 1M/3F) were enrolled at DL1. Three subjects with H3K27M+ DIPG received 1e6 autologous GD2 CAR T cells/kg intravenously (IV) on study. One patient, a 25 y/o with spinal cord DMG, developed rapidly progressive disease after enrollment, resulting in complete paraparesis that led to removal from the study prior to cell infusion; she was treated on a single patient eIND with the same treatment regimen as DL1. We utilized a retroviral vector expressing a 14g2a.4-1BB.z CAR construct and an inducible iCasp9 safety switch. Manufacturing was performed in the Miltenyi Prodigy on CD4/CD8 enriched apheresis product. CAR T cells were cultured in the presence of dasatinib to improve T cell fitness (Weber et al., Science, 2021). An Ommaya reservoir was placed in all patients for monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP). Results: We generated GD2 CAR T cell products meeting release criteria for all four patients. All subjects received lymphodepletion with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine and remained inpatient for 14+ days after infusion. All patients developed cytokine release syndrome (Grade 1-3) manifested by fever, tachycardia and hypotension, beginning 6-7 days after infusion. Due to concern for tumoral edema and increased ICP, patients were managed with conservative fluid resuscitation, and early intervention with tocilizumab and anakinra +/- corticosteroids. Other toxicities included ICANS (Grade 1-2) and neurotoxicity mediated by inflammation in sites of disease which we have termed Tumor Inflammation-Associated Neurotoxicity (TIAN). TIAN most often manifested as worsening of existing deficits, but one patient developed symptoms of increased ICP which quickly resolved upon removal of CSF via the Ommaya. No evidence of on-target, off-tumor toxicity was observed in any patients. No dose-limiting toxicities occurred.CAR T cells trafficked to the CNS and were detected in both the CSF and peripheral blood. Inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 were elevated in the CSF and blood. 3/4 patients exhibited marked improvement or resolution of neurological deficits and some radiographic improvement. The patient treated on a single patient eIND exhibited a >90% reduction in her spinal cord DMG tumor volume at two months post-infusion. Durability of the therapeutic benefit remains to be determined. Conclusions: This is the first report of GD2 CAR T cell therapy for DIPG and spinal cord DMG. Toxicities are similar to other CAR T cells with additional, manageable complications due to inflammation at CNS sites of tumor. Treatment at DL1 demonstrated a tolerable safety profile and clear signs of T cell expansion and activity including clinical responses. This approach has the potential to transform therapy for patients with H3K27M+ DIPG/DMG. Further correlative studies, including single-cell RNAseq, longer-term outcomes and results from patients on subsequent dose levels will also be presented. Citation Format: Robbie G. Majzner, Sneha Ramakrishna, Aaron Mochizuki, Shabnum Patel, Harshini Chinnasamy, Kristen Yeom, Liora Schultz, Rebecca Richards, Cynthia Campen, Agnes Reschke, Jasia Mahdi, Angus Martin Shaw Toland, Christina Baggott, Sharon Mavroukakis, Emily Egeler, Jennifer Moon, Kayla Landrum, Courtney Erickson, Lindsey Rasmussen, Valentin Barsan, John S. Tamaresis, Anne Cunniffe Marcy, Michael Kunicki, Michelle Fujimoto, Zach Ehlinger, Sreevidya Kurra, Timothy Cornell, Sonia Partap, Paul Fisher, Gerald Grant, Hannes Vogel, Bita Sahaf, Kara Davis, Steven Feldman, Crystal L. Mackall, Michelle Monje. GD2 CAR T cells mediate clinical activity and manageable toxicity in children and young adults with DIPG and H3K27M-mutated diffuse midline gliomas [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr CT031.

Introduction We are conducting a Phase I clinical trial utilizing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells targeting GD2 (NCT04196413) for H3K27M-mutant diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and spinal cord diffuse midline glioma (DMG). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is collected for correlative studies at the time of routine intracranial pressure monitoring via Ommaya catheter. Here we present single cell RNA-sequencing results from the first 3 subjects. Methods Single cell RNA-sequencing was performed utilizing 10X Genomics on cells isolated from CSF at various time points before and after CAR T-cell administration and on the CAR T-cell product. Output was aligned with Cell Ranger and analyzed in R. Results As detailed in the Majzner et al. abstract presented at this meeting, three of four subjects treated at dose-level one exhibited clear radiographic and/or clinical benefit. We have to date completed single cell RNA-sequencing for three of these four subjects (two with benefit, one without). After filtering out low-quality signals and doublets, 89,604 cells across 3 subjects were analyzed. Of these, 4,122 cells represent cells isolated from CSF and 85,482 cells represent CAR T-cell product. Two subjects who demonstrated clear clinical and radiographic improvement exhibited fewer S100A8+S100A9+ myeloid suppressor-cells and CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T-cells in the CSF pre-infusion compared to the subject who did not derive a therapeutic response. In one subject with DIPG who demonstrated improvement, polyclonal CAR T-cells detectable in CSF at Day +14 demonstrated enrichment of CD8A, GZMA, GNLY and PDCD1 compared to the pre-infusion CAR T-cells by trajectory analysis, suggesting differentiation toward a cytotoxic phenotype; the same subject exhibited increasing numbers of S100A8+S100A9+ myeloid cells and CX3CR1+P2RY12+ microglia over time. Further analyses will be presented as data become available. Conclusions The presence of immunosuppressive myeloid populations, detectable in CSF, may correlate to clinical response in CAR T cell therapy for DIPG/DMG.

Background Approximately 70% of all breast cancers express the estrogen receptor, and are regulated by estrogen. While the ovaries are the primary source of estrogen in premenopausal women, most breast cancer is diagnosed following menopause, when systemic levels of this hormone decline. Estrogen production from androgen precursors is catalyzed by the aromatase enzyme. Although aromatase expression and local estrogen production in breast adipose tissue have been implicated in the development of primary breast cancer, the source of estrogen involved in the regulation of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer progression is less clear. Methods Bone is the most common distant site of breast cancer metastasis, particularly for ER+ breast cancers. We employed a co-culture model using trabecular bone tissues obtained from total hip replacement (THR) surgery specimens to study ER+ and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer cells within the human bone microenvironment. Luciferase-expressing ER+ (MCF-7, T-47D, ZR-75) and ER- (SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-231, MCF-10A) breast cancer cells were cultured directly on bone tissue fragments or in bone tissue-conditioned media, and monitored over time with bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Bone tissue-conditioned media were generated in the presence vs. absence of aromatase inhibitors, and testosterone. Bone tissue fragments were analyzed for aromatase expression by immunohistochemistry. Results ER+ breast cancer cells were preferentially sustained in co-cultures with bone tissues and bone tissue-conditioned media relative to ER- cells. Bone fragments analyzed by immunohistochemistry revealed expression of the aromatase enzyme. Bone tissue-conditioned media generated in the presence of testosterone had increased estrogen levels and heightened capacity to stimulate ER+ breast cancer cell proliferation. Pretreatment of cultured bone tissues with aromatase inhibitors, which inhibited estrogen production, reduced the capacity of conditioned media to stimulate ER+ cell proliferation. Conclusions These results suggest that a local estrogen signaling axis regulates ER+ breast cancer cell viability and proliferation within the bone metastatic niche, and that aromatase inhibitors modulate this axis. Although endocrine therapies are highly effective in the treatment of ER+ breast cancer, resistance to these treatments reduces their efficacy. Characterization of estrogen signaling networks within the bone microenvironment will identify new strategies for combating metastatic progression and endocrine resistance. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13058-017-0910-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Nonmyeloablative total lymphoid irradiation and antithymocyte globulin (TLI-ATG) conditioning is protective against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), while retaining graft-versus-tumor activity across various hematologic malignancies. We report our comprehensive experience using TLI-ATG conditioning in 612 patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent allogeneic transplantation at Stanford University from 2001 to 2016. All patients received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor–mobilized peripheral blood grafts and cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil for GVHD prophylaxis. The median age was 60 years (range, 21-78), with a median follow-up of 6.0 years (range, 1.0-16.4). Common diagnoses included acute myeloid leukemia (AML; n = 193), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; n = 94), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; n = 80), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL; n = 175), and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL; n = 35). Thirty-four percent of patients had a comorbidity index ≥3, 30% had a high to very high disease risk index, and 56% received unrelated donor grafts, including 15% with HLA-mismatched donors. Ninety-eight percent underwent transplant in the outpatient setting, and 57% were never hospitalized from days 0 through 100. The 1-year rates of nonrelapse mortality (NRM), grade II-IV acute GVHD, and extensive chronic GVHD were 9%, 14%, and 22%, respectively. The 4-year estimates for overall and progression-free survival were 42% and 32% for AML, 30% and 21% for MDS, 67% and 43% for CLL, 68% and 45% for NHL, and 78% and 49% for HL. Mixed chimerism correlated with the risk of relapse. TLI-ATG conditioning was well tolerated, with low rates of GVHD and NRM. Durable remissions were observed across hematologic malignancies, with particularly favorable outcomes for heavily pretreated lymphomas. Several efforts are underway to augment donor chimerism and reduce relapse rates while maintaining the favorable safety and tolerability profile of this regimen.

Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) reactivation occurs in approximately half of patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). While encephalitis and delayed engraftment are well-documented complications of HHV-6 following HSCT, the extent to which HHV-6 viremia causes disease in children is controversial. We performed a retrospective review of HHV-6 reactivation and possible manifestations in pediatric allogeneic HSCT patients at a single institution. Of 89 children and young adults who underwent allogeneic HSCT over a three-and-a-half-year period, 34 patients reactivated HHV-6 early post-transplant. Unrelated donor stem cell source and lack of antiviral prophylaxis were risk factors for the development of HHV-6 viremia. Viremia correlated with the presence of acute graft-versus-host disease, but not chronic graft-versus-host disease. We identified two subgroups within the viremic patients-a high-risk viremic and tissue-positive group that reactivated HHV-6 and had suspected end-organ disease and a low-risk viremic but asymptomatic group that reactivated HHV-6 but did not exhibit symptoms or signs of end-organ disease. Peak viral load was found to be strongly associated with mortality. Prospective studies in larger numbers of patients are needed to further investigate the role of HHV-6 in causing symptomatic end-organ disease as well as the association of viral load with mortality.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a curative therapy for a significant proportion of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). We previously developed a conditioning regimen for R/R cHL patients undergoing ASCT incorporating gemcitabine and vinorelbine (GN-BVC), which enabled a reduction in the BCNU dose and toxicity without compromising efficacy (BBMT 2010;16:1145-54). Since this publication, several novel agents have been approved for treatment of R/R cHL including brentuximab vedotin (BV) and the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which may be changing outcomes and toxicities following ASCT. We sought to determine whether post-ASCT outcomes have improved for R/R cHL in the era of novel agents, and to evaluate how BV and the ICIs have impacted toxicities after ASCT in a large cohort of patients treated with the same conditioning regimen. Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective analysis of outcomes for a large cohort of patients with R/R cHL who underwent ASCT using GN-BVC conditioning at Stanford University from 2001-2017 (n=268). We divided the cohort into two treatment eras: Era A: 2001-2009 (n=137) and Era B (increasing use of novel agents): 2010-2017 (n=131). We used Kaplan-Meier and Cox models to compare overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and post-progression survival (PPS) between treatment eras. We also compared outcomes between patients who underwent ASCT in complete remission (CR, n=126) or with a partial response (PR, n=142). For patients treated in era B, we compared outcomes and toxicity profiles for patients treated with standard platinum-based salvage regimens (n=102) to those who received BV-based salvage regimens prior to ASCT (n=29). Results: Patients who underwent ASCT in era B had improved OS compared to those transplanted in era A (4-year OS: 87.8% vs 77.9%, HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-0.91, p=0.022), but PFS did not differ significantly between treatment eras (4-year PFS: 70.2% vs 62.7%, HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.52-1.2, p=0.24, Figure 1). For patients who relapsed after ASCT, PPS was significantly higher for those transplanted in era B compared to era A (84.7% vs 62.8% at 2 years, HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.98, p=0.045). Overall, patients who underwent ASCT in CR compared to those with a PR had significantly improved OS (88.3% vs 78.3% at 4 years, HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.29-0.88, p=0.016) and PFS (78.4% vs 55.1% at 4 years, HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.67, p=0.00016). Among patients who relapsed, those in era B who received novel agents (BV and/or an ICI) at any point in treatment exhibited higher OS compared to historical controls in era A (4-year OS: 72.2% vs 53.1%) but were statistically different only at the p=0.083 level which is above the p=0.05 significance threshold. Of the patients who underwent ASCT in era B (n=131), 102 (78%) received standard platinum-based salvage regimens (e.g. ICE or DHAP) and 29 (22%) received BV-based salvage regimens prior to ASCT, including 11 patients (8%) who received both BV and an ICI pre-ASCT. Outcomes were excellent for patients who received BV-based salvage regimens pre-ASCT (4-year OS 97% and PFS 76%) but were not statistically different compared to patients who received platinum-based regimens (4-year OS 86% and PFS 69%; p=0.56 and p=0.76, respectively). Pneumonitis requiring corticosteroids occurred in 8% of patients treated in era B, including 10% of patients receiving BV-based salvage regimens pre-ASCT and 7% of patients receiving standard platinum-based regimens. One patient who received BV and nivolumab pre-ASCT died from grade 5 pneumonitis. Conclusions: In this cohort of R/R cHL patients who underwent ASCT using the same conditioning regimen, OS was significantly higher for patients transplanted within the past decade. A potential survival benefit was observed among patients who relapsed post-ASCT, likely reflecting the more widespread use of BV and ICIs in the post-ASCT setting. Patients who received BV-based salvage regimens pre-ASCT had excellent outcomes without an apparent increase in toxicity, but the small number of patients limits comparisons to standard platinum-based regimens. Further studies are needed to better define the optimal sequencing of novel agents and ASCT in the treatment of R/R cHL in the modern era. Figure 1 Disclosures Sica: Physician's Education Resources (PER): Honoraria. Advani:Celgene: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Cell Medica, Ltd: Consultancy; Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Developments, Inc.: Consultancy; Regeneron: Research Funding; Celmed: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Stanford University: Employment, Equity Ownership; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Agensys: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Autolus: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bayer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Kura: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Infinity Pharma: Research Funding; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead Sciences, Inc./Kite Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Research Funding; Forty-Seven: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding. Miklos:AlloGene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Precision Bioscience: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Miltenyi Biotech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Becton Dickinson: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kite-Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Juno: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Muffly:Pfizer: Consultancy; Adaptive: Research Funding; KITE: Consultancy. Rezvani:Kaleido: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: one-time compensation from advisory boards; Nohla Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: one-time compensation from advisory boards; AbbVie: Other: Principal investigator ; U.S. Department of Justice: Other: Expert medical witness; Johnson & Johnson: Employment, Other: Brother is employed. Shizuru:Forty Seven Inc: Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties.

7517 Background: Axi-cel, an anti-CD19 CART cell therapy, achieved 83% ORR, 58% CR rate, with 39% PFS at 2 years in patients (pts) with relapsed refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) on the ZUMA-1 study (Locke, Lancet Oncology 2018). Data from a 17-center consortium showed response rates were similar in 274 pts treated with commercial axi-cel (Nastoupil, ASH 2018). Here, we performed retrospective analysis of outcomes in pts with progressive disease (PD) after axi-cel. Methods: Response status was determined by Cheson 2014 and reported as date of radiologic relapse. 274 pts were infused by December 26, 2018 with maximum follow-up of 14 months; 116 pts had PD as of Feb 1, 2019. Twelve sites provided additional data, detailing 85% of PD pts (n=99) with a median time to relapse of 54 days (IQR 16-120). Results: Pre axi-cel pt characteristics: median lines of therapy were 4 (range 2-11), 86% were Stage III/IV and 22% were ECOG >1. Following relapse, 60% (n=61) were biopsied and 70% (43/61) had CD19 expression measured. Thirty percent (13/43) were CD19 negative by: IHC (3/13), flow (2/13) or both (8/13). Seventy percent (n=71) received salvage therapy for PD. Median lines of salvage therapy was 1 (range 0-4). The most common therapies were Lenalidomide-based (30%), checkpoint inhibitors (30%), chemotherapy (20%) and radiation (10%). First salvage therapy ORR by regimen: checkpoint inhibitors = 24%, lenalidomide regimens = 20% and chemotherapy = 11%. One patient received allogeneic transplant. Twelve pts enrolled on clinical trial, with one receiving 2nd CAR-T. Median OS following relapse was 108 days (95% LCL 71). Nineteen pts relapsed 3 months post axi-cel and received therapy had estimated median OS >220 days (95% LCL 81). Conclusions: Patients with LBCL relapsing less than 3 months following axi-cel have extremely poor outcomes supporting the development of novel therapies. Therapy for relapse >3 months appears promising. JYS and SD contributed equally; APR, DBM and BTH contributed equally.

Objective To determine the effects of coculturing endometrial epithelial cells (eEC) with paired endometrial stromal fibroblasts (eSF) on cell-specific gene expression and cytokine secretion patterns. Design In vitro study. Setting University research laboratory. Patient(s) Endometrial biopsies were obtained from premenopausal women. Intervention(s) Polarized eEC and subject-paired eSF were cultured for 12.5 hours alone (monoculture) or combined in a two-chamber coculture system without cell-cell contact. Cells and conditioned media were analyzed for global gene expression and cytokine secretion, respectively. Purified, endometrial tissue-derived eEC and eSF isolated by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) were used as noncultured controls. Main Outcome Measure(s) Cell-specific global gene expression profiling and analysis of secreted cytokines in eEC/eSF cocultures and respective monocultures. Result(s) Transepithelial resistance, diffusible tracer exclusion, expression of tight junction proteins, and apical/basolateral vectorial secretion confirmed eEC structural and functional polarization. Distinct transcriptomes of eEC and eSF were consistent with their respective lineages and their endometrial origin. Coculture of eEC with eSF resulted in altered cell-specific gene expression and cytokine secretion. Conclusion(s) This coculture model provides evidence that interactions between endometrial functionally polarized epithelium and stromal fibroblasts affect cell-specific gene expression and cytokine secretion underscoring their relevance when modeling endometrium in vitro.

Background: Nonmyeloablative total lymphoid irradiation and antithymocyte globulin (TLI-ATG) conditioning is associated with a low risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) while retaining graft-versus-tumor activity across a range of lymphoid and myeloid malignancies. Prior studies of TLI-ATG conditioning have been limited by the relatively small sample size and short duration of follow up. Herein we report mature data from a large, single-institution cohort of patients with lymphoid and myeloid malignancies who underwent allogeneic transplantation using TLI-ATG conditioning. Methods: Patients: We included all consecutively transplanted patients at Stanford University Hospital from December 2001 through December 2016 who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) using TLI-ATG conditioning for lymphoid or myeloid malignancies. All patients received G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood hematopoietic cells and cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil for GVHD prophylaxis. Statistical analysis: The data were analyzed as of December 31, 2017, allowing for a minimum follow up of 1 year for all patients. For time-to-event analyses, the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and the cumulative incidence of acute and chronic GVHD and NRM. An exploratory analysis was done to identify factors associated with mortality and relapse. Log-rank tests were used to calculate differences between groups. Results: Patient characteristics: 613 patients underwent allogeneic HCT with TLI-ATG conditioning at a median age of 60 years (range 21-78 years) with a median follow up of 5.1 years (range 1.0-15.3 years). Diagnoses included acute myeloid leukemia (AML, N=194), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS, N=93), myelofibrosis (N=10), chronic myeloid leukemia (N=12), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (N=11), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, N=83), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL, N=175), and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL, N=35). 44% of patients had HLA-matched related, 41% had HLA-matched unrelated, and 15% had HLA-mismatched unrelated donors. 34% of patients had a comorbidity index ≥3, and 34% of patients had a disease risk index (DRI) of high or very high. 55% of lymphoma patients had failure of prior autologous HCT. Safety and tolerability: Patient outcomes are shown in Figure 1. Among all 613 patients, the cumulative incidences of acute GVHD grade 2-4 and grade 3-4 at day +100 were 11% and 4%, respectively, and the cumulative incidence of extensive chronic GVHD was 21% at 1 year. NRM was 7% at 1 year, and was consistently low across high-risk subgroups including older adults ≥65 years old (9% at 1 year), patients with a comorbidity index ≥3 (9% at 1 year), and patients lacking an HLA-matched related donor (10% at 1 year). 49% of patients remained outpatient without hospitalization during the first 100 days post-transplant. Long-term outcomes: For the five most common diagnoses, the 4-year OS and PFS estimates were 41% and 32% for AML, 31% and 23% for MDS, 66% and 42% for CLL, 67% and 46% for NHL, and 79% and 46% for HL, respectively. Factors associated with mortality included a high or very high DRI (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.65-2.69, p Conclusions: TLI-ATG conditioning was well tolerated with a low risk of GVHD and NRM even among high-risk subgroups, including septuagenarians, patients with multiple comorbidities, and patients lacking an HLA-matched related donor. Nearly half of all patients remained outpatient during the first 100 days post-transplant. Long-term OS and PFS were seen across a range of hematologic malignancies, with particularly favorable outcomes for lymphoma patients, most of whom had failure of prior autologous HCT. Mixed chimerism correlates with the risk of relapse, and efforts are underway to augment donor chimerism and reduce relapse rates. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Miklos: Kite - Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics - Abbot: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding. Muffly:Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding; Shire Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding.

Introduction Central venous access devices (CVADs) are used in the care of paediatric haemophilic patients with difficult peripheral access, but their use is limited by complications such as infection. We previously published our experience with monthly recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) administration to CVADs of haemophilic patients as an intervention for infection prophylaxis, which suggested a 10-fold decrease in infection rate compared to published rates without r-tPA. Aim This study was conducted to assess the CVAD infection rate in an expanded haemophilia cohort receiving r-tPA over an extended period. Methods A retrospective review was performed on patients with haemophilia who received monthly r-tPA to CVADs, with data collected from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012. The data were merged with the previously reported data set (collected from June 1, 1998 to December 31, 2007). Results Over the entire observation period, there were 46 350 CVAD days among 32 patients [26 severe factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency, six severe FIX deficiency]. Eight patients received immune tolerance therapy for inhibitors and 24 patients received prophylactic factor administration. No patients were HIV positive. Three infections were observed, with an overall infection rate of 0.06 infections per 1000 CVAD days. Conclusions A low CVAD infection rate, similar to that observed in our previous study (0.04 per 1000 CVAD days), was observed in this expanded haemophilia cohort treated with prophylactic r-tPA, supporting the use of monthly r-tPA as CVAD infection prophylaxis in haemophilia patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Examination of regional care patterns in antenatal corticosteroid use (ACU) rates may be salient for the development of targeted interventions. Our objective was to assess network-level variation using California perinatal care regions as a proxy. We hypothesized that (1) significant variation in ACU exists within and between California perinatal care regions, and (2) lower performing regions exhibit greater NICU-level variability in ACU than higher performing regions. METHODS: We undertook cross-sectional analysis of 33 610 very low birth weight infants cared for at 120 hospitals in 11 California perinatal care regions from 2005 to 2011. We computed risk-adjusted median ACU rates and interquartile ranges (IQR) for each perinatal care region. The degree of variation was assessed using hierarchical multivariate regression analysis with NICU as a random effect and region as a fixed effect. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2011, mean ACU rates across California increased from 82% to 87.9%. Regional median (IQR) ACU rates ranged from 68.4% (24.3) to 92.9% (4.8). We found significant variation in ACU rates among regions (P < .0001). Compared with Level IV NICUs, care in a lower level of care was a strongly significant predictor of lower odds of receiving antenatal corticosteroids in a multilevel model (Level III, 0.65 [0.45–0.95]; Level II, 0.39 [0.24–0.64]; P < .001). Regions with lower performance in ACU exhibited greater variability in performance. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant variation in ACU rates among California perinatal regions. Regional quality improvement approaches may offer a new avenue to spread best practice.

Copyright © 2014 by the Endocrine Society Endometriosis (E), an estrogen-dependent, progesterone-resistant, inflammatory disorder, affects 10%of reproductive-age women. It is diagnosed and staged at surgery, resulting in an 11-year latency from symptom onset to diagnosis, underscoring the need for less invasive, less expensive approaches. Because the uterine lining (endometrium) in women with E has altered molecular profiles, we tested whether molecular classification of this tissue can distinguish and stage disease. We developed classifiers using genomic data from n = 148 archived endometrial samples from women with E or without E (normal controls or with other common uterine/pelvic pathologies) across the menstrual cycle and evaluated their performance on independent sample sets. Classifiers were trained separately on samples in specific hormonal milieu, using margin tree classification, and accuracies were scored on independent validation samples. Classification of samples from women with E or no E involved 2 binary decisions, each based on expression of specific genes. These first distinguished presence or absence of uterine/pelvic pathology and then no E from E, with the latter further classified according to severity (minimal/mild or moderate/severe). Best performing classifiers identified E with 9 0%-100% accuracy,were cycle phase-specific or independent, and used relatively few genes to determine disease and severity. Differential gene expression and pathway analyses revealed immune activation, altered steroid and thyroid hormone signaling/metabolism, and growth factor signaling in endometrium of women with E. Similar findings were observed with other disorders vs controls. Thus, classifier analysis of genomic data from endometrium can detect and stage pelvic E with high accuracy, dependent or independent of hormonal milieu. We propose that limited classifier candidate genes are of high value in developing diagnostics and identifying therapeutic targets. Discovery of endometrial molecular differences in the presence of E and other uterine/pelvic pathologies raises the broader biological question of their impact on the steroid hormone response and normal functions of this tissue.

AIM Children born preterm (at ≤32wks) are at risk of developing deficits in reading ability. This meta-analysis aims to determine whether or not school-aged preterm children perform worse than those born at term in single-word reading (decoding) and reading comprehension. METHOD Electronic databases were searched for studies published between 2000 and 2013, which assessed decoding or reading comprehension performance in English-speaking preterm and term-born children aged between 6 years and 13 years, and born after 1990. Standardized mean differences in decoding and reading comprehension scores were calculated. RESULTS Nine studies were suitable for analysis of decoding, and five for analysis of reading comprehension. Random-effects meta-analyses showed that children born preterm had significantly lower scores (reported as Cohen’s d values [d] with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) than those born at term for decoding (d=0.42, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.27, p

Despite advances developing targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), patients carrying activating KRAS mutations still have no effective targeted therapeutics and respond poorly to chemotherapy. Discovering drug targets that work in combination with existing chemotherapeutics to inhibit innate chemoresistance and prevent re-initiation of tumor growth could reduce the likelihood of relapse and extend patient survival. Heterogeneous tumor propagating cell (TPC) populations in NSCLC have been shown to have increased chemoresistance, an enhanced ability to re-seed tumors in immunocompromised mice, and express genes associated with poor prognosis. To target chemoresistance in TPCs, we have developed a 3D culture model for functional genomic screens using primary tumor cells from a mouse model of NSCLC driven by activation of KRAS and p53 loss. Using pooled shRNA libraries, we have performed a focused screen in 3D TPC cultures of over 3,000 shRNAs targeting 600 genes associated with chemotherapeutic response in TPCs, TPC gene expression, DNA damage response, or bulk tumor resistance. We selected targets for validation, characterization, and in vivo studies if knockdown of a gene selectively sensitized TPCs to platinum-based chemotherapy or inhibited growth of TPCs. Multiple DNA damage response pathways were implicated in chemoresistance including known regulators, such as ATR and the translesion synthesis pathway. Many genes expressed selectively by TPCs alone or in response to chemotherapy were required for chemoresistance, including regulators of mitochondrial transport, RNA export, and DNA replication. A parallel screen using the KRAS-mutant LKR10 cell line was used as a control for shRNA representation and to determine which targets are required for TPCs to survive in 3D but not in 2D cultures. 3D-specific vulnerabilities include genes that are expressed highly in TPCs or in chemoresistant tumors and represent potential KRAS vulnerabilities that exist in the TPC population. Most chemoresistance targets and KRAS vulnerabilities are not shared by LKR10 cells grown in 2D suggesting growth in a multidimensional matrix exposes therapeutic opportunities that are distinct from cells grown as monolayers. Although functional genomic screens using primary tumor cells in 3D have limited throughput, focused screens utilizing primary tumor cells have the potential to discover therapeutic opportunities that exist in vivo that have not been uncovered in screens utilizing cell lines in 2D. Citation Format: David Richard Simpson, Dedeepya Vaka, Yanyan Zheng, John Tamaresis, Alejandro Sweet-Cordero. A pooled shRNA screen in 3D cultures of primary tumor propagating cells identifies regulators of innate chemoresistance in KRAS-driven NSCLC. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4393.

Background Our ultimate goal is to detect the entire human microbiome, in health and in disease, in a single reaction tube, and employing only commercially available reagents. To that end, we adapted molecular inversion probes to detect bacteria using solely a massively multiplex molecular technology. This molecular probe technology does not require growth of the bacteria in culture. Rather, the molecular probe technology requires only a sequence of forty sequential bases unique to the genome of the bacterium of interest. In this communication, we report the first results of employing our molecular probes to detect bacteria in clinical samples. Results While the assay on Affymetrix GenFlex Tag16K arrays allows the multiplexing of the detection of the bacteria in each clinical sample, one Affymetrix GenFlex Tag16K array must be used for each clinical sample. To multiplex the clinical samples, we introduce a second, independent assay for the molecular probes employing Sequencing by Oligonucleotide Ligation and Detection. By adding one unique oligonucleotide barcode for each clinical sample, we combine the samples after processing, but before sequencing, and sequence them together. Conclusions Overall, we have employed 192 molecular probes representing 40 bacteria to detect the bacteria in twenty-one vaginal swabs as assessed by the Affymetrix GenFlex Tag16K assay and fourteen of those by the Sequencing by Oligonucleotide Ligation and Detection assay. The correlations among the assays were excellent.

Human endometrium regenerates on a cyclic basis from candidate stem/progenitors whose genetic programs are yet to be determined. A subpopulation of endometrial stromal cells, displaying key properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has been characterized. The endometrial MSC (eMSC) is likely the precursor of the endometrial stromal fibroblast. The goal of this study was to determine the transcriptome and signaling pathways in the eMSC to understand its functional phenotype. Endometrial stromal cells from oocyte donors (n = 20) and patients undergoing benign gynecologic surgery (n = 7) were fluorescence-activated cell sorted into MCAM (CD146)(+)/PDGFRB(+) (eMSC), MCAM (CD146)(-)/PDGFRB(+) (fibroblast), and MCAM (CD146)(+)/PDGFRB(-) (endothelial) populations. The eMSC population contained clonogenic cells with a mesenchymal phenotype differentiating into adipocytes when cultured in adipogenic medium. Gene expression profiling using Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST arrays revealed 762 and 1518 significantly differentially expressed genes in eMSCs vs. stromal fibroblasts and eMSCs vs. endothelial cells, respectively. By principal component and hierarchical clustering analyses, eMSCs clustered with fibroblasts and distinctly from endothelial cells. Endometrial MSCs expressed pericyte markers and were localized by immunofluorescence to the perivascular space of endometrial small vessels. Endometrial MSCs also expressed genes involved in angiogenesis/vasculogenesis, steroid hormone/hypoxia responses, inflammation, immunomodulation, cell communication, and proteolysis/inhibition, and exhibited increased Notch, TGFB, IGF, Hedgehog, and G-protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways, characteristic of adult tissue MSC self-renewal and multipotency. Overall, the data support the eMSC as a clonogenic, multipotent pericyte that displays pathways of self-renewal and lineage specification, the potential to respond to conditions during endometrial desquamation and regeneration, and a genetic program predictive of its differentiated lineage, the stromal fibroblast.

Human endometrium regenerates on a cyclic basis from candidate stem/progenitors whose genetic programs are yet to be determined. A subpopulation of endometrial stromal cells, displaying key properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has been characterized. The endometrial MSC (eMSC) is likely the precursor of the endometrial stromal fibroblast. The goal of this study was to determine the transcriptome and signaling pathways in the eMSC to understand its functional phenotype. Endometrial stromal cells from oocyte donors (n = 20) and patients undergoing benign gynecologic surgery (n = 7) were fluorescence-activated cell sorted into MCAM (CD146)(+)/PDGFRB(+) (eMSC), MCAM (CD146)(-)/PDGFRB(+) (fibroblast), and MCAM (CD146)(+)/PDGFRB(-) (endothelial) populations. The eMSC population contained clonogenic cells with a mesenchymal phenotype differentiating into adipocytes when cultured in adipogenic medium. Gene expression profiling using Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST arrays revealed 762 and 1518 significantly differentially expressed genes in eMSCs vs. stromal fibroblasts and eMSCs vs. endothelial cells, respectively. By principal component and hierarchical clustering analyses, eMSCs clustered with fibroblasts and distinctly from endothelial cells. Endometrial MSCs expressed pericyte markers and were localized by immunofluorescence to the perivascular space of endometrial small vessels. Endometrial MSCs also expressed genes involved in angiogenesis/vasculogenesis, steroid hormone/hypoxia responses, inflammation, immunomodulation, cell communication, and proteolysis/inhibition, and exhibited increased Notch, TGFB, IGF, Hedgehog, and G-protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways, characteristic of adult tissue MSC self-renewal and multipotency. Overall, the data support the eMSC as a clonogenic, multipotent pericyte that displays pathways of self-renewal and lineage specification, the potential to respond to conditions during endometrial desquamation and regeneration, and a genetic program predictive of its differentiated lineage, the stromal fibroblast.

The increasing concentration of methane (CH4) in the atmosphere is of concern because of the potential effects that it can have on global atmospheric chemistry and climate. Due to its relatively long atmospheric lifetime, methane emissions do not have an appreciable effect on local or regional air pollution. However, methane chemistry does have an important influence on the global atmosphere, affecting the amount of ozone (O3) in both the troposphere and stratosphere, the amount of hydroxyl (OH) in the troposphere, and the amount of water vapor (H2O) in the stratosphere. The oxidation of methane is an important source of atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) and formaldehyde (CH2O). Methane is the most abundant reactive trace gas in the troposphere. In addition, methane is a greenhouse gas, and its increasing concentrations are of interest to concerns about climate change.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Bone is a preferred site of breast cancer metastasis, suggesting the presence of tissue-specific features that attract and promote the outgrowth of breast cancer cells. We sought to identify parameters of human bone tissue associated with breast cancer cell osteotropism and colonization in the metastatic niche. METHODS: Migration and colonization patterns of MDA-MB-231-fLuc-EGFP (luciferase-enhanced green fluorescence protein) and MCF-7-fLuc-EGFP breast cancer cells were studied in co-culture with cancellous bone tissue fragments isolated from 14 hip arthroplasties. Breast cancer cell migration into tissues and toward tissue-conditioned medium was measured in Transwell migration chambers using bioluminescence imaging and analyzed as a function of secreted factors measured by multiplex immunoassay. Patterns of breast cancer cell colonization were evaluated with fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Enhanced MDA-MB-231-fLuc-EGFP breast cancer cell migration to bone-conditioned versus control medium was observed in 12/14 specimens ( P = .0014) and correlated significantly with increasing levels of the adipokines/cytokines leptin ( P = .006) and IL-1β ( P = .001) in univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry of fragments underscored the extreme adiposity of adult human bone tissues and revealed extensive breast cancer cell colonization within the marrow adipose tissue compartment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that breast cancer cells migrate to human bone tissue-conditioned medium in association with increasing levels of leptin and IL-1β, and colonize the bone marrow adipose tissue compartment of cultured fragments. Bone marrow adipose tissue and its molecular signals may be important but understudied components of the breast cancer metastatic niche.