Abstract CT205: A phase I/Ib trial of intratumoral Poly-ICLC in resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is usually fatal, though multimodality therapy— now including immunotherapy— has improved survival. Recurrence after surgery is close to 100%, even with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. Our collaborators have performed deep immunophenotyping of treatment-naïve MPM lesions using mass cytometry (CyTOF) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to define the tumor microenvironment. A population of rare CD141+ dendritic cells (DC1) is disproportionately represented in some MPM lesions analyzed. These DC1 cells— which express high levels of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)— are among the most potent cross-presenters of antigen and are key to priming anti-tumor CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stabilized with polylysine and carboxymethylcellulose (poly-ICLC), is a double-stranded RNA host-targeted therapeutic viral-mimic. Poly-ICLC activates multiple innate immune receptors including TLR3 and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5), leading to cross-presentation of antigen to T cells and induction of strong Th1 response. We hypothesize that injection of poly-ICLC prior to surgical resection may activate intratumoral (IT) DC1s, increase tumor antigen presentation to cytotoxic T cells, and induce tumor-specific immune surveillance.

Methods: This is a phase I/Ib study to evaluate the safety of IT poly-ICLC prior to surgical resection for patients with MPM (NCT04525859). The primary endpoint is safety as assessed by frequency and severity of toxicities by CTCAE 5.0. Secondary endpoints are objective response as measured by RECIST 1.1 and recurrence free survival measured from the time of first poly-ICLC injection. Exploratory endpoints include evaluation of circulating immune cells (including regulatory T cells and NK cells), evaluation of immune cell infiltration in pre-injection tumor biopsy and surgically resected tissue, as well as characterization of immune parameters such as local B cell specificity. The protocol features a Simon’s two-stage design, with six patients enrolled in a phase I safety cohort, proceeding to a phase Ib expansion cohort (additional 13 patients) if no more than 1 dose limiting toxicity occurs. Eligible patients must have MPM deemed operable by the treating thoracic surgeon. Eligible subjects may not have uncontrolled immunocompromised states or autoimmune disorders. After enrollment, patients undergo biopsies at which time 2mg poly-ICLC is injected across two sites in the tumor. Patients then undergo resection of the tumor (pleurectomy/decortication or extra pleural pneumonectomy per standard of care) at day 21+/- 7 after poly-ICLC injection. Blood is drawn at three points (prior to poly-ICLC injection, at time of surgery, and at a post-operative visit) for immune profiling. At the time of submission six patients have been treated and phase Ib accrual is continuing as planned. Interim analysis of phase I safety and exploratory endpoints will be reported in late 2022.

Citation Format: Bailey G. Fitzgerald, Thomas U. Marron, Robert Sweeney, Jorge Gomez, Nicole Hall, Daniel O'Grady, Christian Rolfo, Raj Veluswamy, Deborah Doroshow, John Mandeli, David Yankelevitz, Nina Bhardwaj, Sacha Gnjatic, Fred R. Hirsch, Miriam Merad, Alexander Tsankov, Raja Flores, Andrea Wolf. A phase I/Ib trial of intratumoral Poly-ICLC in resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr CT205.

Neoadjuvant clinical trials provide a window of opportunity for cancer drug discovery

Window-of-opportunity trials, during which patients receive short-duration pre-surgical therapies, provide a platform for understanding the therapies’ mechanisms of action, but will require a paradigm shift in trial design, specimen collection and analysis.

Neoadjuvant cemiplimab for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 trial

BACKGROUND

Surgical resection of early stage hepatocellular carcinoma is standard clinical practice; however, most tumours recur despite surgery, and no perioperative intervention has shown a survival benefit. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy has induced pathological responses in multiple tumour types and might decrease the risk of postoperative recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to evaluate the clinical activity of neoadjuvant cemiplimab (an anti-PD-1) in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODS

For this single-arm, open-label, phase 2 trial, patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (stage Ib, II, and IIIb) were enrolled and received two cycles of neoadjuvant cemiplimab 350 mg intravenously every 3 weeks followed by surgical resection. Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older, had confirmed resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and adequate liver function. Patients were excluded if they had metastatic disease, if the surgery was not expected to be curative, if they had a known additional malignancy requiring active treatment, or if they required systemic steroid treatment or any other immunosuppressive therapy. After resection, patients received an additional eight cycles of cemiplimab 350 mg intravenously every 3 weeks in the adjuvant setting. The primary endpoint was significant tumour necrosis on pathological examination (defined as >70% necrosis of the resected tumour). Secondary endpoints included delay of surgery, the proportion of patients with an overall response, change in CD8+ T-cell density, and adverse events. Tumour necrosis and response were analysed in all patients who received at least one dose of cemiplimab and completed surgical resection; safety and other endpoints were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. Patients underwent pre-treatment biopsies and blood collection throughout treatment. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03916627, Cohort B) and is ongoing.

FINDINGS

Between Aug 5, 2019, and Nov 25, 2020, 21 patients were enrolled. All patients received neoadjuvant cemiplimab, and 20 patients underwent successful resection. Of the 20 patients with resected tumours, four (20%) had significant tumour necrosis. Three (15%) of 20 patients had a partial response, and all other patients maintained stable disease. 20 (95%) patients had a treatment-emergent adverse event of any grade during the neoadjuvant treatment period. The most common adverse events of any grade were increased aspartate aminotransferase (in four patients), increased blood creatine phosphokinase (in three), constipation (in three), and fatigue (in three). Seven patients had grade 3 adverse events, including increased blood creatine phosphokinase (in two patients) and hypoalbuminaemia (in one). No grade 4 or 5 events were observed. One patient developed pneumonitis, which led to a delay in surgery by 2 weeks.

INTERPRETATION

This report is, to our knowledge, the largest clinical trial of a neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 monotherapy reported to date in hepatocellular carcinoma. The observed pathological responses to cemiplimab in this cohort support the design of larger trials to identify the optimal treatment duration and definitively establish the clinical benefit of preoperative PD-1 blockade in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

FUNDING

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

518 First-in-human results with the novel tumor-targeting antibody ATRC-101: phase 1b study in patients with solid tumors

Background

ATRC-101 is an engineered version of an immunoglobulin G1 antibody that was discovered in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experiencing stable disease while being treated with anti–programmed death-1 therapy. ATRC-101 targets a tumor-specific ribonucleoprotein complex containing polyadenylate binding protein-1, which has been found to be present in the majority of NSCLC, acral melanoma, breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer samples tested. Target immunoreactivity and single-agent activity have been observed in mouse models. Preclinical data suggest that ATRC-101 stimulates both innate and adaptive immune activity against tumors.

Methods

ATRC-101-A01 is a phase 1b trial (3+3 dose escalation with expansion cohorts) in patients with solid tumors treated with ATRC-101 monotherapy every 2 or 3 weeks (Q2W or Q3W), or ATRC-101 in combination with pembrolizumab, until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression at doses of 0.3–30 mg/kg, pending dose-limiting toxicities. The primary objective is safety and secondary objectives are to characterize the pharmacokinetic profile, immunogenicity, and anti-tumor activity of ATRC-101, and to determine the recommended dose for expansion. Pharmacodynamic studies will also be performed to evaluate changes from baseline in specific immune cell populations and cytokine levels in blood and tumors. Results from the ATRC-101 0.3–30 mg/kg monotherapy Q3W cohorts are presented in this abstract (data cutoff: July 16, 2021).

Results

Twenty-four participants with solid tumors (13 colorectal, 5 ovarian, 3 breast, 2 NSCLC, 1 acral melanoma) aged 27–75 years with a median 5 lines of prior therapy were treated Q3W in five dose cohorts. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Eight participants (33%) experienced grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events. The maximum serum concentration of ATRC-101 and treatment exposure appeared to be dose proportional. Stable disease was observed in eight patients and best response per RECIST v1.1 was associated with expression of the ATRC-101 target. Multiple biomarkers, such as treatment-associated changes in the composition of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells in the blood, and serum cytokines/chemokines, including those predicted to activate antigen-presentation pathways, support the proposed mechanism of action of ATRC-101 and will be presented.

Conclusions

These first-in-human data suggest a manageable safety profile for ATRC-101 Q3W, with no dose-limiting toxicities observed. Pharmacokinetics appear to be dose proportional. Enrollment in the Q2W monotherapy dose-escalation cohort and at the 30 mg/kg dose level Q3W is continuing. Trial sites have been activated to test ATRC-101 in combination with pembrolizumab, and combination with chemotherapy is also planned.

Trial Registration

Trial Registration:

NCT04244552

Ethics Approval

This study was approved by the institutional review board or ethics committee as required for each participating site.

Ceralasertib-Mediated ATR Inhibition Combined With Olaparib in Advanced Cancers Harboring DNA Damage Response and Repair Alterations (Olaparib Combinations)

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have emerged as promising therapy in cancers with homologous recombination repair deficiency. However, efficacy is limited by both intrinsic and acquired resistance. The Olaparib Combinations basket trial explored olaparib alone and in combination with other homologous recombination–directed targeted therapies. Here, we report the results of the arm in which olaparib was combined with the orally bioavailable ataxia telangiectasia and RAD3-related inhibitor ceralasertib in patients with relapsed or refractory cancers harboring DNA damage response and repair alterations, including patients with BRCA-mutated PARP inhibitor–resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC).

Abstract LB048: An adjuvant personalized neoantigen peptide vaccine for the treatment of malignancies (PGV-001)

Background: The majority of novel cancer immunotherapies rely on adequate priming of T cells to tumor-specific neoantigens, which is believed to be lacking in patients who do not respond to therapy. We developed a personalized genomic vaccine (PGV-001) in which patient-specific synthetic neoantigen peptides (25 mer),are formulated and administered to patients with multiple cancer types in the adjuvant setting (NCT02721043). Methods: This trial enrolled patients whom had undergone curative-intent surgery (solid tumor patients) or autologous stem cell transplant (multiple myeloma patients), and for whom there was >30% chance of recurrence. Sequencing of tumor and germline DNA and RNA was performed and the OpenVax custom computation pipeline was used to identify candidate neoantigens; this platform ranks transcribed mutations using predicted MHC-I binding affinity and neoantigen abundance. A maximum of 10 peptides were synthesized per patient. Peptides were administered over the course of 27 weeks with poly-ICLC and a tetanus helper peptide. Primary objectives were to determine the safety and tolerability of vaccination, feasibility of vaccine production and administration, and immunogenicity. Results: Within 15 patients enrolled, the OpenVax pipeline identified an average of 67.1 neoantigens/patient (range 8-193), only two patients did not have adequate number of neoantigens identified to synthesize 10 peptides. 13 of the 15 patients received PGV-001, including 10 patients with solid tumor diagnoses and 3 patients with multiple myeloma, 11 of whom received all 10 doses, while 1 experienced progression of disease while on treatment. The vaccine was well tolerated, with grade 1 injection site reactions in 31% of patients, and grade 1 fever in one patient; there were no other significant adverse events. While one patient was lost to follow-up, of the remaining 12 patients the median progression-free survival from the time of their surgery or transplant of 618 days. With a mean follow-up of 925 days, 4 patients remain without evidence of disease, 4 patients are receiving subsequent lines of therapy, and 4 patients have died, though notably only two with documented recurrence of their malignancy. Initial analysis of the patient samples analyzed confirms immunogenicity. T cell responses were measured using ex vivo ELISpot and intracellular cytokine staining following expansion with neoantigen peptide libraries, both demonstrating induction of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-2. Notably, robust T cell reactivity was only seen at the completion of all 10 vaccines, supporting the need for a prolonged schedule. Conclusions: PGV-001 was successfully synthesized for 15 patients and administered successfully to 13 patients without significant adverse events. Immune monitoring of immunogenicity is ongoing, with initial analysis demonstrating induction of neoantigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell expansion.

Citation Format: Thomas Urban Marron, Mansi Saxena, Nina Bhardwaj, Marcia Meseck, Alex Rubinsteyn, John Finnigan, Julia Kodysh, Ana Blazquez, Tim O'Donnel, Mathew Galsky, Deborah Doroshow, Brett Miles, Krysztof Misiukiewicz, Hanna Irie, Amy Tiersten, Samir Parekh, Marshall Posner, Andrea Wolf, John Mandeli, Rachel Brody, Sacha Gnjatic, Eric Schadt, Philip Friedlander, Jeffrey Hammerbacher. An adjuvant personalized neoantigen peptide vaccine for the treatment of malignancies (PGV-001) [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 LB048.

Biomedical Research in Times of Emergency: Lessons From History

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has sickened millions, killed hundreds of thousands, and utterly disrupted the daily lives of billions of people around the world. In an effort to ameliorate this devastation, the biomedical research complex has allocated billions of dollars and scientists have initiated hundreds of clinical trials in an expedited effort to understand, prevent, and treat this disease. National emergencies can stimulate significant investment of financial, physical, and intellectual resources that catalyze impressive scientific accomplishments, as evident with the Manhattan Project, penicillin, and the polio vaccines in the 20th century. However, pressurized research has also led to false promises, disastrous consequences, and breaches in ethics. Antiserum in the 1918 flu epidemic, contaminated yellow fever vaccines in World War II, and unethical human experimentation with mustard gas offer just a few cautionary exemplars. It is critical to continue biomedical research efforts to address this pandemic, and it is appropriate that they receive priority in both attention and funding. But history also demonstrates the importance of treating early results-such as those associated with hydroxychloroquine-with caution as we only begin to understand the biology, epidemiology, and potential target points of COVID-19.

Abstract A080: Olaparib and the ATR inhibitor AZD6738 in relapsed, refractory cancer patients with homologous recombination (HR) repair mutations – OLAPCO

Introduction: Olaparib is a PARP inhibitor (PARPi) that provides significant clinical benefit in several BRCA-mutant cancers, including ovarian, breast, pancreas and prostate. The benefit is reduced considerably in patients with multiple prior lines of therapy and olaparib resistance has no specific treatment. PARP inhibition results in replication stress (RS) due to unrepaired single strand DNA breaks (SSB) and PARP trapping in BRCA- and other HR repair-deficient tumors. ATR has critical roles in the cellular response to SSB and RS. This makes ATR inhibitors an attractive partner with olaparib, since ATR inhibition has the potential to reverse the two major mechanisms of PARP inhibitor resistance, including restored HR or stabilization of stalled replication forks. The OLAPCO trial (NCT02576444 clinicaltrials.gov) investigated. the combination of olaparib and AZD6738, an inhibitor of ATR, in relapsed, refractory cancer patients with tumors harboring HR repair mutations and in patients with BRCA-mutated PARPi pre-treated/resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Methods: Patients with treatment-refractory, relapsed cancer were enrolled at 4 participating centers. Germline and somatic mutations had to be deleterious by COSMIC or ClinVar for eligibility. Performance status and organ function requirements were standard for early phase trials. Olaparib was given at 300 mg bid daily and AZD6738 at 160 mg daily days 1-7 in a 28-day cycle. Patients were treated until progression. Objective response was assessed by RECIST1.1 and toxicity was assessed by CTCAE4.0. Endpoints were confirmed complete [CR] or partial [PR] response rate and clinical benefit (CB) rate (response [PR] and stable disease [SD] for > 16 weeks). Results: We enrolled 24 patients; 17 (71%) females; median age 59 (36-78) years. Patients were heavily pretreated, with a median of 4 (0-10) prior regimens. Myelosuppression, especially anemia and thrombocytopenia, was the most frequent toxicity but no patient required discontinuation. Two patients required olaparib reductions for anemia. At the time of data cut-off, 20 patients are evaluable for response assessment. One of 5 patients with ATM mutations had a CR, 2 patients have CB ongoing at 12+ months. Of 7 patients with HGSOC resistant to platinum and PARP inhibitors (1-3 prior agents), 1 achieved a PR ( -90%), 3 had a best response of SD with regression < 30% (1 ongoing at 1 year) and 3 patients had progression (PD) as best response (Table 1). No other mutation or cancer type demonstrated objective response. Conclusions: The combination of olaparib and the ATR inhibitor AZD6738 demonstrated preliminary activity in patients with tumors harboring ATM mutations and in PARPi-resistant BRCA1/2-mutated HGSOC. Activity in ATM loss with an ATR inhibitor is consistent with the expected synthetic lethality of these interwoven DNA repair pathways. The encouraging data in HGSOC patients who have already progressed on a PARP inhibitor warrants additional study to further define the potential of this regimen to reverse PARPi resistance in BRCA-mutated HGSOC and other relevant solid tumors. The durability of responses in both groups (4 >1 year) is promising. Table 1MutationATMBRCA prostate pancreasBRCA Prior PARPi HGSOCCHEK2MUS81PALB2IDH and SDHD #5471142 CR1 PR0 1 SD > 4 mos213 11 PD 33112 Inevaluable110 11

Citation Format: Joseph Paul Eder, Davendra Sohal, Haider Mahdi, Khanh Do, Vicki Keedy, Navid Hafez, Deborah Doroshow, Manuel Avedissian, Peter Mortimer, Colin Glover, Patricia LoRusso, Juliane M Juergensmeier, Geoffrey I Shapiro. Olaparib and the ATR inhibitor AZD6738 in relapsed, refractory cancer patients with homologous recombination (HR) repair mutations – OLAPCO [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A080. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-A080

New Directions in the Historiography of Psychiatry

Gerald Grob's work in the history of psychiatry over the course of almost fifty years created a model for how historians might successfully situate mental health in its social and political context, and how inseparable it was from this context. Over the last twenty years, the field has grown tremendously. Historians have incorporated categories of analysis like gender and race, methodologies like cultural history and intellectual history, and sought to continue Grob's quest to understand American mental health history as a critical component of American history writ large. In this piece, we suggest several potential areas for future study. Building on Grob's work on the asylum, we focus on the continued need to explore the texture of lived experience for both practitioners and those experiencing mental illness, both within and beyond the institution. In an era when the politics of deinstitutionalization continue to shape the modern mental health enterprise, we suggest that further examination of the consequences of deinstitutionalization is both inherently rich and relevant to contemporary mental health practice. Finally, we discuss opportunities for historians to engage with policymaking and social justice, pointing to incarceration and juvenile justice as two especially relevant areas for further study.