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Granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs) promote tumor growth and immunosuppression in multiple myeloma (MM). However, their phenotype is not well established for accurate monitoring or clinical translation. We aimed to provide the phenotypic profile of G-MDSCs based on their prognostic significance in MM, immunosuppressive potential, and molecular program. The preestablished phenotype of G-MDSCs was evaluated in bone marrow samples from controls and MM patients using multidimensional flow cytometry; surprisingly, we found that CD11b+CD14−CD15+CD33+HLADR− cells overlapped with common eosinophils and neutrophils, which were not expanded in MM patients. Therefore, we relied on automated clustering to unbiasedly identify all granulocytic subsets in the tumor microenvironment: basophils, eosinophils, and immature, intermediate, and mature neutrophils. In a series of 267 newly diagnosed MM patients (GEM2012MENOS65 trial), only the frequency of mature neutrophils at diagnosis was significantly associated with patient outcome, and a high mature neutrophil/T-cell ratio resulted in inferior progression-free survival (P < .001). Upon fluorescence-activated cell sorting of each neutrophil subset, T-cell proliferation decreased in the presence of mature neutrophils (0.5-fold; P = .016), and the cytotoxic potential of T cells engaged by a BCMA×CD3-bispecific antibody increased notably with the depletion of mature neutrophils (fourfold; P = .0007). Most interestingly, RNA sequencing of the 3 subsets revealed that G-MDSC–related genes were specifically upregulated in mature neutrophils from MM patients vs controls because of differential chromatin accessibility. Taken together, our results establish a correlation between the clinical significance, immunosuppressive potential, and transcriptional network of well-defined neutrophil subsets, providing for the first time a set of optimal markers (CD11b/CD13/CD16) for accurate monitoring of G-MDSCs in MM.

Background of the project As part of the European Research Area vision, the European Commission is aiming to see the necessary transformations in R&I that will include the promotion of citizen science and societal engagement, the mainstreaming of Open Science practices, the fostering of brain and knowledge circulation, strengthening of academia-business collaboration and embodiment in a global Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystem. The YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of Europe) alliance embraces ���YUFE Transforming Research and Innovation through Europe-wide Knowledge Transfer��� (YUFERING) this challenge by effectively contributing to pilot these needed transformations to improve and harmonise the conditions for R&I in Europe. Focusing on key elements of the ERA and in full alignment with the relevant SwafS call for proposals, YUFERING proposes ground-breaking transformation actions that will bring the partners one step closer to creating and realising a shared robust R&I vision. Deliverable content More specifically, WP5 aims to create a YUFE Open Science Strategy and look for a post-COVID-19 approach that states Open Science as ���the new normal��� in YUFE Universities. In this regard, one of the main objectives is the ���Engagement/Education/Training: Co-creation of a YUFE Open Education Training Suite on Open Science���. In this scheme, Task 5.4. aims to co-create a training and training and engaging scheme for YUFE researchers about Open Science and, one of the subtasks, is the elaboration of an Open Science Calendar that aims to increase awareness on the open science practices among the researchers (and some intended staff --OS Units, Libraries, Research Support--) from the YUFERING Universities. This deliverable presents this output, from its conceptualization until launch by each one of the partners. The calendar created was a co-joint effort with all the partners and was further customized by each institution, having adopted different dissemination strategies that are detailed in this report.

Background: EMD is characterized by a subclone of aggressive MM cells that thrive and grow independent of the bone marrow microenvironment and is often associated with poor-risk features including high-risk cytogenetics, increased proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, and resistance to therapies in MM (Bladé et al. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29:3805; Deng et al. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2015;15:286). Prognosis for pts with EMD is poor, particularly in the RRMM setting. Additionally, prognosis is usually poorer for pts with hematogenous-spread soft-tissue plasmacytomas than for those with bone-related plasmacytomas (Gagelmann et al. Haematologica. 2018;103:890; Mangiacavalli et al. Ann Hematol. 2017;96:73). No standard therapy has been established for this high-unmet need population (Usmani et al. Blood. 2016;128:37; Jimenez-Segura et al. Eur J Haematol. 2019;102:389), and outcomes are considerably worse than those for pts without EMD; for example, a recent analysis of isatuximab + pomalidomide + dex showed a median progression free survival (PFS) of 4.6 mo vs 11.5 mo in the total population (Beksac et al. EHA 2020. Abs. EP978). Melphalan flufenamide (melflufen) is a first-in-class peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) that targets aminopeptidases and rapidly releases alkylating agents into tumor cells. In the phase 2 HORIZON study (OP-106; NCT02963493), melflufen + dex showed clinically meaningful efficacy (overall response rate [ORR], 29%; median PFS, 4.2 mo; median overall survival [OS], 11.6 mo) and a manageable safety profile in pts with heavily pretreated RRMM, including in pts with triple-class-refractory MM (Richardson et al. EHA 2020. Abs. EP945). This analysis presents additional data for the largest cohort of pts with EMD in a clinical trial setting to date. Methods: Pts with RRMM must have received ≥2 lines of prior therapy, including an IMiD and a proteasome inhibitor, and been refractory to pomalidomide and/or an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Pts received melflufen 40 mg (intravenous; d1 of each 28-d cycle) and dex 40 mg/wk until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was ORR (≥ partial response [PR]; investigator-assessed per International Myeloma Working Group [IMWG] criteria). Secondary endpoints included PFS, OS, duration of response (DOR), and safety. For pts with known or suspected EMD, defined as either isolated soft-tissue and/or bone-related extramedullary plasmacytomas with soft-tissue extension, an assessment was required at screening and to confirm a response per IMWG criteria. Results: Of 157 pts enrolled and treated (data cutoff date, Jan 14, 2020), 55 (35%) had EMD (49% soft-tissue and 51% bone-related soft-tissue plasmacytoma). In pts with EMD, median age was 64 y (range, 43-82); median time since diagnosis was 5.6 y (range, 0.7-14.5); 35% had high-risk cytogenetics; 33% had International Staging System stage 3; median prior lines of therapy was 5 (range, 2-12); 60% had disease that was refractory to prior alkylator therapy; and 91% had triple-class-refractory MM. ORR (95% CI) was 24% (13-37) in pts with EMD and 29% (22-37) overall (N=157). In pts with EMD and the overall population, respectively, median (95% CI) DOR was 5.5 mo (1.8-not evaluable [NE]) and 5.5 mo (3.9-7.6), PFS was 2.9 mo (2.0-3.8) and 4.2 mo (3.4-4.9), and median OS was 6.5 mo (5.1-9.7) and 11.6 mo (9.3-15.4;) (Table). In pts with EMD who achieved ≥PR (n=13), median (95% CI) PFS was 17.3 mo (5.3-NE), and OS was 18.5 mo (8.7-NE). Due to low event numbers, the results in pts with ≥PR may be overestimated. The safety profile of melflufen + dex in pts with EMD was consistent with that in the overall population, with grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) reported in 78% and 89% of pts, respectively. In pts with EMD, the most common grade 3/4 TEAEs were anemia (42%), thrombocytopenia (40%), and neutropenia (38%); the most common nonhematologic grade 3/4 TEAE of interest was pneumonia (9%). No treatment-related deaths with melflufen + dex were reported. Conclusions: Melflufen + dex showed activity in advanced RRMM with EMD, with encouraging PFS and OS in pts with confirmed stable disease or better. The safety profile of melflufen + dex was consistent with previous reports. To date, this clinical study provides the largest cohort of pts with EMD demonstrating benefit in this population with a high unmet medical need. These data support further evaluation of melflufen + dex in RRMM with EMD. Disclosures Richardson: Celgene/BMS, Oncopeptides, Takeda, Karyopharm: Research Funding. Mateos:AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Regeneron: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Oriol:Janssen: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Larocca:Amgen: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Honoraria; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Cavo:AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel accomodations, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel accomodations, Speakers Bureau; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Rodríguez-Otero:Abbvie: Consultancy; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; Medscape: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company); Amgen: Honoraria; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Kite: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy. Leleu:AbbVie: Honoraria; Carsgen: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria; Merck: Honoraria; Oncopeptide: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; GSK: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; BMS-celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria. Nadeem:Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES; Adaptive: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES. Hassoun:Takeda: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy. Touzeau:Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses, Research Funding; Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses; GlaxoSmithKline: Honoraria, Research Funding. Amor:GSK: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene-BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Maisel:Texas Oncology: Current Employment; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Kite: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Texas Oncology: Current Employment; Kite: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Karyopharm: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Mazumder:Amgen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; The Oncology Institute: Current Employment. Raptis:UPMC: Current Employment; INTEGRA: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES. Puig:THE BINDING SITE: Consultancy, Honoraria; TAKEDA: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Research Funding; JANSSEN: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Research Funding; BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; CELGENE: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AMGEN: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES, Research Funding. Zamagni:Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Accommodations, Expenses, Speakers Bureau; Celgene Corporation: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Thuresson:Oncopeptides: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Statisticon: Current Employment. Harmenberg:Ultupharma AB: Current equity holder in private company; Medivir AB: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Oncopeptides AB: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Divested equity in a private or publicly-traded company in the past 24 months, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES. Harlin:Oncopeptides AB: Consultancy, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Blade Creixenti:Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. OffLabel Disclosure: This is a phase 2 investigational study of melflufen in RRMM.

© The Author(s) 2020., Detecting persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) allows the identification of patients with an increased risk of relapse and death. In this study, we have evaluated MRD 3 months after transplantation in 106 myeloma patients using a commercial next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategy (LymphoTrack®), and compared the results with nextgeneration flow (NGF, EuroFlow). The use of different marrow pulls and the need of concentrating samples for NGS biased the applicability for MRD evaluation and favored NGF. Despite that, correlation between NGS and NGF was high (R2 = 0.905). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates by NGS and NGF were longer for undetectable vs. positive patients (NGS: 88.7% vs. 56.6%; NGF: 91.4% vs. 50%; p < 0.001 for both comparisons), which resulted in a 3-year overall survival (OS) advantage (NGS: 96.2% vs. 77.3%; NGF: 96.6% vs. 74.9%, p < 0.01 for both comparisons). In the Cox regression model, NGS and NGF negativity had similar results but favoring the latter in PFS (HR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.09–0.45, p < 0.001) and OS (HR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06–0.75, p = 0.02). All these results reinforce the role of MRD detection by different strategies in patient prognosis and highlight the use of MRD as an endpoint for multiple myeloma treatment.

CO-001 Introducción: Para establecer diferencias pronósticas entre los pacientes con MM que alcanzan RC, el IMWG introdujo un criterio de respuesta más estricto (RC estricta) añadiendo al criterio de RC, la existencia de cadenas ligeras en suero (CLLs) normales y la ausencia de CP clonales en MO por IHQ. En el año 2011 la CMF de baja sensibilidad se incluyó como técnica alternativa a la IHQ para establecer RC estricta (RCs). Sin embargo, el valor pronóstico de la ratio kappa/lambda no está claro (Blood 2015. 126:858-62). Métodos: Se incluyeron 458 pacientes =65 años del ensayo clínico GEM2012MENOS65 (NCT01916252). Ocho discontinuaron pronto y no fueron evaluables. Las CLLs fueron clasificadas como normal (0.26- 1.65) o anormal (1.65 si el paciente era ) (FREELITE assay). La EMR fue evaluada mediante citometria de flujo (CMF). El límite de detección fue de 3x10-6. Todas las RC con CLLs normales y ausencia de CP por CMF con una sensibilidad de 10-2 fueron considerados en RCs. La mediana de seguimiento fue 47.5 meses. , ,

Altres ajuts: Fundació per a la Bioquímica Clínica i Patologia Molecular Impaired HDL-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux and higher circulating concentrations of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels are independent risk factors for cardiovascular mortality. The TMAO precursors, γ-butyrobetaine (γBB) and Trimethyllysine (TML), have also been recently associated with cardiovascular death, but their interactions with HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux remain unclear. We aimed to determine the associations between APOB depleted plasma-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux and plasma TMAO, γBB, and TML concentrations and explore their association with two-year follow-up mortality in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and unstable angina (UA). Baseline and ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCA1 and ABCG1 (ABCA1/G1)-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux to APOB-depleted plasma was decreased in patients with STEMI, and the latter was further impaired in those who died during follow-up. Moreover, the circulating concentrations of TMAO, γBB, and TML were higher in the deceased STEMI patients when compared with the STEMI survivors or UA patients. However, after statistical adjustment, only ABCA1/G1-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux remained significantly associated with mortality. Furthermore, neither the TMAO, γBB, nor TML levels altered the HDL-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux in vitro. We conclude that impaired ABCA1/G1-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux is independently associated with mortality at follow-up in STEMI patients.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ixazomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (IRd) in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in routine clinical practice. Patients & methods: Patient-level data from the global, observational INSIGHT MM and the Czech Registry of Monoclonal Gammopathies were integrated and analyzed. Results: At data cut-off, 263 patients from 13 countries were included. Median time from diagnosis to start of IRd was 35.8 months; median duration of follow-up was 14.8 months. Overall response rate was 73%, median progression-free survival, 21.2 months and time-to-next therapy, 33.0 months. Ixazomib/lenalidomide dose reductions were required in 17%/36% of patients; 32%/30% of patients discontinued ixazomib/lenalidomide due to adverse events. Conclusion: The effectiveness and safety of IRd in routine clinical practice are comparable to those reported in TOURMALINE-MM1. Clinical trial registration: NCT02761187 (ClinicalTrials.gov)

En este trabajo presentamos algunos de los criterios con los que el profesorado valora la aplicación de un proyecto de física en contexto, analizando su contribución al desarrollo de las capacidades recogidas en las finalidades y los objetivos del bachillerato y buscando identificar los puntos fuertes y los aspectos que habría que revisar para orientar los posibles cambios a introducir para su mejora. Los resultados muestran, por una parte, que el proyecto interesa y se adapta al currículum y a las PAAU y es rico en actividades de enseñanza-aprendizaje, aunque no siempre se saben utilizar de manera eficiente y que, por otra, genera un proceso de formación en el profesorado que se valora como muy positivo y que comporta cambios profesionales más allá de la aplicación del proyecto.

The identification of general population groups particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health and the development of healthcare policies are priority challenges in the current and future pandemics. This study aimed to identify the personal and social determinants of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health in a large sample of the Colombian population. In this cross-sectional study, an anonymous online survey was answered by 18,061 participants from the general population residing in Colombia during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (from 20 May to 20 June 2020). The risk of depression, anxiety, and somatization disorders were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), and Somatic Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-5), respectively. Overall, 35% of participants showed risk of depression, 29% of anxiety, and 31% of somatization. According to the analysis of social determinants of health, the most affected groups were people with low incomes, students, and young adults (18-29 years). Specifically, low-income young females were the most at-risk population group. These findings show how the lockdown measures affected the general population's mental health in Colombia and highlight some social risk factors in health.

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) carrying high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) have inferior outcome despite achieving similar complete response (CR) rates when compared to cases with standard-risk CA. This questions the legitimacy of CR as treatment endpoint for high-risk MM, and represents a biological conundrum regarding the nature of tumor reservoirs persisting after therapy in patients with standard- and high-risk CA. Here, we used next-generation flow (NGF) to evaluate measurable residual disease (MRD) in MM patients with standard- (N=300) vs high-risk CA (N=90) enrolled in the PETHEMA/GEM2012MENOS65 trial (NCT01916252), and to identify mechanisms determining MRD resistance in both patient subgroups (N=40). The 36-month progression-free and overall survival rates were higher than 90% in patients with undetectable MRD, with no significant differences (P=0.202) between cases having standard- vs high-risk CA. Persistent MRD resulted in median progression-free survival of approximately three and two years in patients with standard- and high-risk CA, respectively (P

Risk of developing myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is significantly increased in both multiple myeloma (MM) and MGUS, suggesting that is therapy independent. However, the incidence and sequelae of dysplastic hematopoiesis at diagnosis are unknown. Here, we used multidimensional flow cytometry (MFC) to prospectively screen for presence of MDS-associated phenotypic alterations (MDS-PA) in the bone marrow of 285 MM patients enrolled in the PETHEMA/GEM2012MENOS65 trial (NCT01916252), and investigated the clinical significance of monocytic MDS-PA in a larger series of 1,252 patients enrolled in four PETHEMA/GEM protocols. At diagnosis, 33/285 (11.6%) cases displayed MDS-PA. Bulk- and single-cell targeted sequencing of MDS recurrently mutated genes in CD34+ progenitors (and dysplastic lineages) from 67 patients unveiled clonal hematopoiesis in 13/26 (50%) cases with MDS-PA versus 9/41 (22%) without MDS-PA; TET2 and NRAS were the most frequently mutated genes. Dynamics of MDS-PA at diagnosis and after autologous transplant were evaluated in 86/285 patients, and showed that in most cases (69/86, 80%) MDS-PA either persisted or remained absent in patients with or without MDS-PA at diagnosis, respectively. Noteworthy, MDS-associated mutations unfrequently emerged after high-dose therapy. Based on MFC profiling, we found that patients with MDS-PA have altered hematopoiesis and Treg distribution in the tumor microenvironment. Importantly, presence of monocytic MDS-PA at diagnosis anticipated greater risk of hematological toxicity and was independently associated with inferior progression-free (HR:1.5, P=.02) and overall survival (HR:1.7, P=.01). This study unveils the biological and clinical significance of dysplastic hematopoiesis in newly-diagnosed MM, which can be screened with moderate sensitivity using cost-effective MFC. Copyright © 2020 American Society of Hematology.

Multiple myeloma is a heterogeneous disease whose pathogenesis has not been completely elucidated. Although B-cell receptors play a crucial role in myeloma pathogenesis, the impact of clonal immunoglobulin heavy-chain features in the outcome has not been extensively explored. Here we present the characterization of complete heavy-chain gene rearrangements in 413 myeloma patients treated in Spanish trials, including 113 patients characterized by next-generation sequencing. Compared to the normal B-cell repertoire, gene selection was biased in myeloma, with significant overrepresentation of IGHV3, IGHD2 and IGHD3, as well as IGHJ4 gene groups. Hypermutation was high in our patients (median: 8.8%). Interestingly, regarding patients who are not candidates for transplantation, a high hypermutation rate (≥7%) and the use of IGHD2 and IGHD3 groups were associated with improved prognostic features and longer survival rates in the univariate analyses. Multivariate analysis revealed prolonged progression-free survival rates for patients using IGHD2/IGHD3 groups (HR: 0.552, 95% CI: 0.361−0.845, p = 0.006), as well as prolonged overall survival rates for patients with hypermutation ≥7% (HR: 0.291, 95% CI: 0.137−0.618, p = 0.001). Our results provide new insights into the molecular characterization of multiple myeloma, highlighting the need to evaluate some of these clonal rearrangement characteristics as new potential prognostic markers., This work was partially supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness PI15/01956, CIBERONC-CB16/12/00233, and “Una manera de hacer Europa” (Innocampus; CEI-2010-1-0010)”. M.G.-A., I.P.-C., and C.J. are supported by the Fundación Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia (FEHH, co-funded by Fundación Cris in the latter case), A.M. by the European Social Fund and the Spanish Education Council through the University of Salamanca, and M.E.S. by the ISCIII (CPII18/00028). All Spanish funding is co-sponsored by the European Union FEDER program.

Electronegative low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (LDL(-)), a modified LDL that is present in blood and exerts atherogenic effects on endothelial cells and monocytes. This study aimed to determine the action of LDL(-) on monocytes differentiated into macrophages. LDL(-) and in vitro-modified LDLs (oxidized, aggregated, and acetylated) were added to macrophages derived from THP1 monocytes over-expressing CD14 (THP1-CD14). Then, cytokine release, cell differentiation, lipid accumulation, and gene expression were measured by ELISA, flow cytometry, thin-layer chromatography, and real-time PCR, respectively. LDL(-) induced more cytokine release in THP1-CD14 macrophages than other modified LDLs. LDL(-) also promoted morphological changes ascribed to differentiated macrophages. The addition of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and anti-TLR4 counteracted these effects. LDL(-) was highly internalized by macrophages, and it was the major inductor of intracellular lipid accumulation in triglyceride-enriched lipid droplets. In contrast to inflammation, the addition of anti-TLR4 had no effect on lipid accumulation, thus suggesting an uptake pathway alternative to TLR4. In this regard, LDL(-) upregulated the expression of the scavenger receptors CD36 and LOX-1, as well as several genes involved in triglyceride (TG) accumulation. The importance and novelty of the current study is that LDL(-), a physiologically modified LDL, exerted atherogenic effects in macrophages by promoting differentiation, inflammation, and triglyceride-enriched lipid droplets formation in THP1-CD14 macrophages, probably through different receptors.

PD1 expression in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is increased after treatment in multiple myeloma patients with persistent disease. The GEM-Pembresid trial analyzed the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab as consolidation in patients achieving at least very good partial response but with persistent measurable disease after first- or second-line treatment. Moreover, the characteristics of the immune system were investigated to identify potential biomarkers of response to pembrolizumab. One out of the 17 evaluable patients showed a decrease in the amount of M-protein, although a potential late effect of high-dose melphalan could not be ruled out. Fourteen adverse events were considered related to pembrolizumab, two of which (G3 diarrhea and G2 pneumonitis) prompted treatment discontinuation and all resolving without sequelae. Interestingly, pembrolizumab induced a decrease in the percentage of NK cells at cycle 3, due to the reduction of the circulating and adaptive subsets (0.615 vs. 0.43, p = 0.007, 1.12 vs. 0.86, p = 0.02). In the early progressors, a significantly lower expression of PD1 in CD8+ effector memory T cells (MFI 1327 vs. 926, p = 0.03) was observed. In conclusion, pembrolizumab used as consolidation monotherapy shows an acceptable toxicity profile but did not improve responses in this MM patient population. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov with identifier NCT02636010 and with EUDRACT number 2015-003359-23.