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Anticancer drug development is a costly and protracted activity, and failure at late phases of clinical testing is common. We have previously proposed the Pharmacological Audit Trail (PhAT) intended to improve the efficiency of drug development, with a focus on the use of tumour tissue-based biomarkers. Blood-based ‘liquid biopsy’ approaches, such as targeted or whole-genome sequencing studies of plasma circulating cell-free tumour DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTCs), are of increasing relevance to this drug development paradigm. Liquid biopsy assays can provide quantitative and qualitative data on prognostic, predictive, pharmacodynamic and clinical response biomarkers, and can also enable the characterization of disease evolution and resistance mechanisms. In this Perspective, we examine the promise of integrating liquid biopsy analyses into the PhAT, focusing on the current evidence, advances, limitations and challenges. We emphasize the continued importance of analytical validation and clinical qualification of circulating tumour biomarkers through prospective clinical trials. In this Perspective, members of the group that previously proposed the Pharmacological Audit Trail (PhAT) as a tool to improve and accelerate drug development through the use of tissue biomarkers discuss the promise of integrating liquid biopsy approaches into this paradigm. They focus on the potential applications of plasma circulating cell-free tumour DNA and circulating tumour cells as prognostic, predictive, pharmacodynamic, clinical response and resistance biomarkers, while also highlighting key technological considerations, limitations and challenges, and the importance of analytical validation and clinical qualification.

Introduction Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly a standard of care for many cancers; these agents can result in immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including fever, which is common but can rarely be associated with systemic immune activation (SIA or acquired HLH). Methods All consecutive patients receiving ICIs in the Drug Development Unit of the Royal Marsden Hospital between May 2014 and November 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with fever ≥ 38°C or chills/rigors (without fever) ≤ 6 weeks of commencing ICIs were identified for clinical data collection. Results Three patients met diagnostic criteria for SIA/HLH with median time to onset of symptoms of 10 days. We describe the clinical evolution, treatment used, and outcomes for these patients. High-dose steroids are used first-line with other treatments, such as tocilizumab, immunoglobulin and therapeutic plasmapheresis can be considered for steroid-refractory SIA/HLH. Conclusion SIA/HLH post ICI is a rare but a potentially fatal irAE that presents with fever and a constellation of nonspecific symptoms. Early recognition and timely treatment are key to improving outcomes.

Anticancer drug development is a costly and protracted activity, and failure at late phases of clinical testing is common. We have previously proposed the Pharmacological Audit Trail (PhAT) intended to improve the efficiency of drug development, with a focus on the use of tumour tissue-based biomarkers. Blood-based 'liquid biopsy' approaches, such as targeted or whole-genome sequencing studies of plasma circulating cell-free tumour DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTCs), are of increasing relevance to this drug development paradigm. Liquid biopsy assays can provide quantitative and qualitative data on prognostic, predictive, pharmacodynamic and clinical response biomarkers, and can also enable the characterization of disease evolution and resistance mechanisms. In this Perspective, we examine the promise of integrating liquid biopsy analyses into the PhAT, focusing on the current evidence, advances, limitations and challenges. We emphasize the continued importance of analytical validation and clinical qualification of circulating tumour biomarkers through prospective clinical trials.

Early-phase cancer clinical trials are becoming increasingly accessible for patients with advanced cancer who have exhausted standard treatment options and later phase trial options. Many of these trials mandate research tissue biopsies. Research biopsies have been perceived as ethically fraught due to the perception of potential coercion of vulnerable human subjects. We performed an audit of two years of practice to assess the safety of ultrasound (US)-guided research biopsies, and to look at the yield of a simultaneous tumour next-generation sequencing (NGS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) molecular characterisation programme. We show that in our institution, US-guided research biopsies were safe, produced adequate tumour content and in a selected subset who underwent in-house NGS sequencing, showed a high rate of actionable mutations with 30% having a Tier 1 variant. Nevertheless, these research biopsies may only provide direct benefit for a minority of patients and we conclude with a reflection on the importance of obtaining truly informed consent.

Background: Preclinical experiments in-vitro show MEK inhibitors can cause upregulation of p-FAK in KRASM cells. The combination of a MEK and FAK inhibitor could overcome this in-vitro and in-vivo. Methods: We are conducting an open label phase I dose escalation with expansion study (NCT03875820). Dose escalation evaluated a twice a week schedule (Mon/Thurs) CH5126766/VS-6766 (CH) 3 weeks out of 4 with a twice a day dosing schedule of defactinib (Def) administered 3 weeks out of 4. The dose levels explored were cohort 1 (CH 3.2 mg, 200 mg Def), cohort 2a (CH 4 mg Def 200 mg) and cohort 2b (CH 3.2 mg and Def 400 mg). Pharmacokinetic data were collected at cycle 1 d15 when both drugs were administered. In a subset of patients consenting to multiple biopsies, 3 biopsies were performed (baseline, after a single dose of CH run in and after 8-15 days of the combination therapy). At the recommended phase 2 dose (R2PD), expansion cohorts in patients with low grade ovarian cancer (LGSOC, n=20), KRASM non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, n=20) and KRASM colorectal cancer (CRC, n=10) will be treated. Results: Forty two patients have been treated on the trial so far. There were no dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the first 3 patients in cohort 1 and thus patients were recruited to cohort 2a and 2b. The cohort 2b dose level was deemed intolerable because of 2/3 patients experiencing DLTs of grade 2 rash not allowing dosing of 75% of the planned dose. No DLTs were seen in the first 6 patients treated on schedule 2a. However, given chronic grade 2 toxicities in patients on treatment > 6 months, the RP2D was deemed to be cohort 1. The most common side effects in the study were rash, CK elevation, AST elevation, hyperbilirubinemia and nausea, most of which were NCI CTC grade 1-2. All changes were reversible. The mean AUC of CH and Def at R2PD was 6179 ng*hr/ml and 2071 ng*hr/ml, respectively, which is in the range of what was seen in the single agent dose escalation studies. Sequential biopsies were obtained in 7 patients and 6/7 showed an increase in p-FAK following single agent CH which was reduced in 5/7 with combined CH and Def therapy. The response rate was 67% (4/6) or 50% (4/8) in KRASM LGSOC or all LGSOC patients treated to date, respectively. A range of KRASM were found in tumors of LGSOC patients who responded (G12V, G12A and G12D). Of the 4 patients with LGSOC who have responded to treatment, 3 have had a prior MEK inhibitor and are currently are on study for a median of 20.5 months (range 7-23 months). Expansion cohorts in LGSOC and KRASM NSCLC and CRC are ongoing and will be presented. Conclusion: We report a novel intermittent schedule of the combination of a RAF-MEK and FAK inhibitor with very promising clinical activity in patients with KRASM LGSOC including those who had been previously treated with a MEK inhibitor. Citation Format: Rajiv Shinde, Angelika Terbuch, Martin Little, Reece Caldwell, Roopa Kurup, Ruth Riisnaes, Mateus Crespo, Ruth Ruddle, Bora Gurel, Adam Stewart, Jenny King, Mona Parmar, Alison Turner, Florence Raynaud, Muneeb Mahmud, Christina Yap, Jonathan A. Pachter, Gordon B. Mills, Anna Minchom, Juanita Lopez, Susana N. Banerjee, Johann S. de Bono, Matthew Krebs, Udai Banerji. Phase I study of the combination of a RAF-MEK inhibitor CH5126766 and FAK inhibitor defactinib in an intermittent dosing schedule with expansions in KRAS mutant cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr CT143.

Background Metastatic CC prognosis remains poor. Molecular characterisation (MC) allows better understanding of the mutations (mut) driving carcinogenesis or treatment resistance. We report the cervical tumour MC of pts in a P1 unit and its clinical implications. Methods CC pts referred to the P1 unit of The Royal Marsden Hospital from 2011-18 underwent tumour molecular profiling using OncoCartaTM (Sequenom), TruSeq® Cancer Amplicon (Illumina), GeneReadTM custom DNA damage (Qiagen) or FoundationOne® panel. Retrospective data was extracted from electronic medical records. Results Of the 37 pts (median age: 34.7 years) analysed, 45.9% had squamous histology, and 37.8% were FIGO stage 2 at diagnosis; 34 different pathogenic mut were identified with 70.3% of pts having mut. PIK3CA mut were the most common (32.4%), followed by KRAS (13.5%), APC (8.1%), TP53 (8.1%), PTEN (5.4%), KDR (5.4%), ATM (5.4%), STK11 (5.4%) and BRCA1 (5.4%). 40.5% (15/37) patients had a potentially actionable mutation. Median overall survival (mOS) was 36 months (mo) in study population, 33 mo in KRAS mut, 40 mo in PIK3CA mut, 52 mo in APC mut and 40 mo in the mut-negative group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. In the KRAS mut group, 60% were adenocarcinoma and 40% adenosquamous. All KRAS mut pts had FIGO stage 2/3 at diagnosis. 80% had visceral metastasis when referred to the P1 unit; whereas in the PIK3CA mut group, tumour histologies were 33.3% squamous, 25% adenocarcinoma, 25% adenosquamous, 8.3% mucinous, 8.3% uncommon histologies. In the PIK3CA mut group, 75% were stage 1/2 at diagnosis, and 41.6% had visceral metastasis when referred. 5.4% (2/37) of pts were allocated to a P1 trial based on the finding of a PIK3CA mut with a mOS of 40 mo compared to 36 mo for the total population (p = 0.6). One pt received an AKT inhibitor (i) but developed progressive disease (PD) after 3 cycles; the other received a PI3K i with PD after 4 cycles. Conclusions Our study corroborates existing knowledge of the association between KRAS mut and adenocarcinoma histology in CC which confers worse prognosis. The high rate of potentially actionable mut indicates the increasing scope for targeted treatment trials in CC, thus prompting early MC which may improve pt allocation to P1 trials. Legal entity responsible for the study The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Foundation Trust. Funding The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Foundation Trust. Disclosure S. Banerjee: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Tesaro; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Clovis; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Merck Serono; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Nucana; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Immunogen; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Seattle Genetics; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Roche; Honoraria (self), Honoraria/reimbursement: Gamamabs. J.S. de Bono: Honoraria (self), Non-remunerated activity/ies: Astellas Pharma; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution), Non-remunerated activity/ies: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self): Genentech/Roche; Honoraria (self): Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Non-remunerated activity/ies: Sanofi; Honoraria (self): Bayer; Honoraria (self): Boehringer Ingelheim; Honoraria (self): Merck Serono; Honoraria (self): Merck Sharp & Dohme; Non-remunerated activity/ies: Genmab; Non-remunerated activity/ies: GlaxoSmithKline; Non-remunerated activity/ies: Orion Pharma GmbH; Non-remunerated activity/ies: Qiagen; Non-remunerated activity/ies: Taiho Pharmaceutical; Non-remunerated activity/ies: Vertex; Licensing / Royalties, Royalties paid to Institution, no personal income: Abiraterone Rewards to Inventors; Licensing / Royalties, Royalties paid to Institution, no personal income: PARP inhibitors and DNA repair defects. U. Banerji: Honoraria (self), Precision Medicine - Advanced Prostate Cancer Meeting, London UK -30/11/2018: Astellas; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Translational Clinical Oncology Advisory Board, London, 24/07/2018; FIH Precision Oncology SAB, Frankfurt, 10-11/11/2015: Novartis; Advisory / Consultancy, Clinical Advisory Board, London, 19/03/2018 and 12/02/2015: Karus Therapeutics; Advisory / Consultancy, GI Advisory Board, London, 2/12/2017: Phoenix ACT; Honoraria (self), European Digestive Oncology Research Forum, London, 27-28/11/2017: Eli Lilly; Honoraria (self), KOL ERK Workshop, New Orleans, 17/04/2016; HSP90 Workshop, Washington DC,8/03/2014: Astex; Honoraria (self), AUY922 meeting, New Jersey, USA,12/02/2015: Vernalis; Research grant / Funding (institution), ONX-0801:Funding for investigator-initiated Phase I trial: Onyx Pharmaceuticals; Research grant / Funding (institution), ONX-0801:top-up funding for investigator-initiated phase I trial: BTG International; Research grant / Funding (institution), RAF/MEK: funding for investigator-initiated phase I trial: Chugai; Research grant / Funding (institution), TAX-TORC: funding for investigator-initiated phase I trial: AstraZeneca; Research grant / Funding (institution), FRAME: funding for investigator-initiated phase I trial: Verastem. A. Minchom: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Loxo; Advisory / Consultancy: Janssen; Honoraria (self): Faron; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Bayer Media Event. J. Lopez: Advisory / Consultancy: Genmab; Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis; Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Roche/Genentech; Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Basilea. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background ImmTAC® bispecific molecules are unique TCR–anti-CD3 agents that redirect T cells against intracellular antigens, in contrast to antibody-based therapies, which are limited to extracellular antigens. The most advanced ImmTAC, tebentafusp (IMCgp100), against melanocyte-associated lineage antigen gp100, has shown monotherapy responses in advanced melanoma, a solid tumor. In contrast, bispecific antibodies have shown activity in hematologic cancers but appear less active in solid tumors. ImmTAC molecules recognize a specific peptide presented on a defined Class I HLA molecule via an affinity enhanced, engineered, soluble TCR. Through the addition of an anti-CD3 scFv domain fused to the TCR targeting domain, an ImmTAC can redirect T cell activity against cancer cells, regardless of the specificity of the T cell. IMCnyeso is an ImmTAC against NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1A, which are cancer testis antigens expressed in a variety of solid malignancies, but with very low or absent normal tissue expression. Trial design IMCnyeso-101 is a multi-center, open-label, first-in-human study of IMCnyeso in HLA-A*02:01-positive patients with NY-ESO-1- and/or LAGE-1A-positive advanced NSCLC, synovial sarcoma, melanoma, or urothelial carcinoma. The study includes dose escalation (Bayesian logistic regression models) and expansion for IMCnyeso monotherapy (QW), followed by expansion into indication specific arms to test for signs of efficacy in defined patient cohorts. Primary endpoints are establishing MTD/RP2D and safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints include: characterization of PK and ADA, efficacy by RECIST v1.1 (PFS, ORR and DOR) and OS. The dose escalation portion of the study is in progress. The trial continues to enroll; NCT number NCT03515551. Clinical trial identification NCT03515551. Legal entity responsible for the study Immunocore. Funding Immunocore. Disclosure J. Lopez: Research grant / Funding (institution), During the conduct of the study: Immunocore, Roche, Genentech; Advisory / Consultancy, Outside the submitted work: Novartis (personal fees); Research grant / Funding (institution), Outside the submitted work: MSD; Research grant / Funding (institution), Outside the submitted work (grant and non-financial support): Basilea; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution), Outside the submitted work: Genmab. T. Sato: Advisory / Consultancy: Immunocore; Advisory / Consultancy: IDEAYA Biosciences; Advisory / Consultancy: Neon Therapeutics, Inc. F. Thistlethwaite: Honoraria (self), Achilles Therapeutics. B. Van Tine: Honoraria (institution), Advisory / Consultancy: Immunocore ; Advisory / Consultancy: Epizyme; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Lilly; Advisory / Consultancy: CytRX; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Janssen; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Caris; Advisory / Consultancy: Immune Design; Advisory / Consultancy: Daiichi Sankyo; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: Adaptimmune; Advisory / Consultancy: Plexxicon; Advisory / Consultancy: Bayer; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self): Pfizer; Research grant / Funding (self): Merck; Research grant / Funding (self): Tracon. J.A. Rodon: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Novartis; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Eli Lilly; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Orion Pharmaceuticals; Advisory / Consultancy: Servier Pharma; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Peptomyc; Honoraria (self): Merck Sharp; Advisory / Consultancy: Merck Sharp & Dome; Advisory / Consultancy: Kelun Pharma/Klus Pharma; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Roche Pharma; Advisory / Consultancy: Elipses Pharma; Research grant / Funding (institution): Bayer; Research grant / Funding (institution): Spectrum Pharmaceuticals; Research grant / Funding (institution): Tocagen; Research grant / Funding (institution): Symphogen; Research grant / Funding (institution): BioAtla; Research grant / Funding (institution): GenMab; Research grant / Funding (institution): CytomX; Research grant / Funding (institution): Kelun-Biotech; Research grant / Funding (institution): Takeda-Millenium; Research grant / Funding (institution): Glaxosmithkline; Research grant / Funding (institution): Ipsen. J. Dukes: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Immunocore Ltd. R. Easton: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Immunocore. S. Marshall: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Immunocore. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.