Patients with follicular lymphoma who experience disease progression within 24 months of diagnosis (POD24) have a lower survival. Positron emission tomography (PET) response and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment at end of induction (EOI) may allow their early identification. A representative cohort of 141 patients from the RELEVANCE phase 3 trial with both available serum samples for ctDNA testing and PET images at randomization and at EOI (week 24) was investigated. Twelve percent were POD24. ctDNA was analyzed using a customized 130-kilobase capture panel, with phased variant (PV) enriched regions representing 39% of the panel. ctDNA was detected in 140 patients (99.3%) at baseline. To optimize specificity, only PVs, found in 124 patients (88%), were considered for ctDNA MRD assessment at EOI. Median progression-free survival (PFS) from EOI was not reached (NR) for the 112 patients with undetected ctDNA at EOI vs 17.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to NR) for patients with positive ctDNA (MRD+) (P = .0038). Similarly, median PFS was NR for the 104 patients with undetected disease on PET at EOI vs 28.3 months (95% CI, 2.9 to NR; P = .0002) for patients with PET positivity. Both tests had a negative predictive value (NPV) of >90% for POD24. The positive predictive value was 58.3% for ctDNA MRD and 45% for PET but increased to 85.7% when both parameters were combined, without alteration of NPV. These data show that the combination of PET response and ctDNA MRD at EOI allows an early prediction of POD24, which may lead to a preemptive treatment decision. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01650701.

Modakafusp alfa is a first-in-class immunocytokine-directing interferon alfa to CD38+ cells. Our previous phase 1/2 trial identified 2 potential phase 2 doses of modakafusp alfa for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM): 1.5 or 3 mg/kg every 4 weeks. The overall response rate (ORR) among 30 patients treated at 1.5 mg/kg was 43%. This phase 2 dose optimization study randomized 147 patients with triple-class refractory disease and ≥3 previous lines of therapy 1:1 to modakafusp alfa 120 mg (n = 71) or 240 mg (n = 75) every 4 weeks (fixed-dose equivalents of 1.5 and 3 mg/kg every 4 weeks). Patients had received a median of 6 previous lines of therapy; 66% were penta-exposed and 45% had previously been exposed to anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) therapy. Modakafusp alfa development was discontinued for strategic reasons by the sponsor and the study was terminated early. At median follow-up of 7.3 and 7.6 months in the 120- and 240-mg arms, ORRs were 32% and 41%, and median progression-free survival was 4.1 and 5.3 months, respectively. ORRs were higher in patients who had not received previous BCMA therapy (46% vs 29%). The most common treatment-related adverse events (TEAEs) in the 120- and 240-mg arms were thrombocytopenia (75% and 84%; grade ≥3, 55% and 61%; respectively) and neutropenia (68% and 73%; grade ≥3, 56% and 68%; respectively); 90% and 96% of patients, respectively, experienced grade ≥3 TEAEs; 39% and 44%, respectively, experienced serious TEAEs. Our results confirm the efficacy of single-agent modakafusp alfa for patients with RRMM. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03215030.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ineligible for intensive chemotherapy (IC) have limited treatment options. The phase 3 ENHANCE-3 study aimed to determine whether magrolimab (magrolimab arm) was superior to placebo (control arm) when either was combined with venetoclax and azacitidine. Adults with previously untreated AML who were ineligible for IC were randomized to receive magrolimab (1 mg/kg on days 1 and 4, 15 mg/kg on day 8, 30 mg/kg on days 11 and 15, then weekly for 5 weeks, and then every 2 weeks) or placebo, venetoclax (100 mg on day 1, 200 mg on day 2, and 400 mg daily thereafter), and azacitidine (75 mg/m2 days 1-7) in 28-day cycles. The primary end point was overall survival (OS); key secondary end points included complete remission (CR) rate and safety. After randomization of 378 patients, the trial was stopped at a prespecified interim analysis owing to futility. At final analysis, with median follow-up of 7.6 months (magrolimab arm) vs 7.4 months (control arm), median OS was 10.7 vs 14.1 months (hazard ratio, 1.178; 95% confidence interval, 0.848-1.637). The CR rate within 6 cycles was 41.3% vs 46.0%. Addition of magrolimab to venetoclax and azacitidine resulted in more fatal adverse events (19.0% vs 11.4%), primarily driven by grade 5 infections (11.1% vs 6.5%) and respiratory events (2.6% vs 0%). There were similar incidences of any-grade infections, febrile neutropenia, and neutropenia between arms. These results highlight the difficulty in improving outcomes for patients with AML who were ineligible for IC. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT05079230.

Previous results from CASSIOPEIA demonstrated superior progression-free survival (PFS) and minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity with the addition of daratumumab to bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTd) induction/consolidation and with daratumumab maintenance vs observation in transplant-eligible, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Here, we present long-term MRD status and PFS outcomes after a median follow-up of 80.1 months. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to daratumumab plus VTd (D-VTd) or VTd induction/consolidation; patients remaining on study were rerandomized to daratumumab maintenance or observation for ≤2 years. MRD status was assessed at predefined time points during each study phase. D-VTd improved overall MRD-negativity rates (10-5) after induction (34.6% vs 23.1%) and consolidation (63.7% vs 43.7%) and provided PFS benefit, regardless of postinduction MRD status, vs VTd alone. Daratumumab maintenance improved overall MRD-negativity rates over observation, regardless of induction/consolidation treatment (D-VTd/daratumumab vs D-VTd/observation, 10-5 [77.3% vs 70.7%] and 10-6 [60.7% vs 52.0%]; VTd/daratumumab vs VTd/observation, 10-5 [70.9% vs 51.2%] and 10-6 [48.4% vs 30.7%]) and improved MRD-negativity rates, regardless of risk status, as defined by cytogenetic abnormalities or the revised International Staging System score. Furthermore, daratumumab maintenance provided PFS benefit vs observation, regardless of induction/consolidation treatment and postconsolidation MRD status. D-VTd followed by daratumumab maintenance consistently produced the highest landmark, cumulative, and sustained MRD-negativity rates (10-5 and 10-6), translating to superior long-term PFS outcomes. These results demonstrate that daratumumab-based induction/consolidation followed by daratumumab maintenance resulted in the deepest and most durable MRD negativity, leading to superior PFS outcomes. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02541383.

Rilzabrutinib is a covalent, reversible Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting multiple immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)-related mechanisms. The phase 3 LUNA3 study in previously treated adults with persistent/chronic ITP evaluated oral rilzabrutinib 400 mg twice daily (n = 133) vs placebo (n = 69) for 24 weeks. At baseline overall, median age was 47 years, 63% female, 7.7 year median ITP duration, and 28% prior splenectomy. Overall (N = 202), 85 (64%) rilzabrutinib and 22 (32%) placebo patients achieved platelet response (≥50 × 109/L or 30 × 109/L to <50 × 109/L and doubled from baseline) during the first 12 weeks and were eligible to continue. The primary end point, durable platelet response (platelet count ≥50 × 109/L for ≥two-thirds of ≥8 of the last 12 of 24 weeks without rescue therapy), was observed in 31 (23%) rilzabrutinib vs 0 placebo patients (P < .0001). All secondary efficacy end points were significantly superior for rilzabrutinib (P < .05). Median time to first platelet response was 15 days in rilzabrutinib responders. Rilzabrutinib significantly reduced rescue therapy use by 52% (P = .0007) and improved week 25 bleeding scores (P = .0006). Improved physical fatigue was sustained from week 13 (P = .01) through 25 (P = .0003). Treatment-related adverse events were mainly grade 1/2. One rilzabrutinib patient with multiple risk factors had serious treatment-related grade 3 peripheral embolism (lower left leg), and another died from unrelated pneumonia. Rilzabrutinib in patients who failed multiple previous ITP therapies showed rapid and durable platelet response, reduced rescue medication and bleeding, improved physical fatigue, and favorable safety. Trial registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT04562766) and www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu (#2020-002063-60).

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell (IEC)-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) are common complications after IEC therapy for hematologic malignancies. This 2-part phase 2 study (INCB 39110-211) investigated the safety and efficacy of itacitinib, a potent, highly selective Janus kinase 1 inhibitor with broad anti-inflammatory activity, for the prevention of CRS and ICANS in patients who received commercial CD19-directed IEC therapy. Patients in part 1 received 200 mg itacitinib once daily 3 days before IEC therapy (axicabtagene ciloleucel [axi-cel], brexucabtagene autoleucel, or tisagenlecleucel) through day 26 with guidelines for use of other CRS/ICANS interventions. In part 2 (double-blind), patients were randomized to receive 200 mg itacitinib twice daily or placebo 3 days before IEC therapy with axi-cel. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with CRS grade ≥2 by day 14 using the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy consensus grading system. Overall, 111 patients were enrolled (63 in part 1; 48 in part 2); 109 patients were analyzed for efficacy and 110 for safety. By day 14, grade ≥2 CRS occurred in fewer patients on 200 mg twice daily itacitinib (17.4%) than on placebo (56.5%; P = .003). The proportion of patients with grade ≥2 ICANS by day 28 was lower than with placebo (8.7% vs 21.7%). Itacitinib was well tolerated, with pyrexia being the most common treatment-emergent adverse event (200 mg itacitinib twice daily, 43.5%; placebo, 50.0%), and itacitinib-related cytopenias were manageable. Itacitinib did not affect IEC therapy efficacy (objective response rate at 6 months, 39.1% [200 mg itacitinib twice daily] vs 26.1% [placebo]). This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04071366.

Recurrent ischemic priapism is a common complication of sickle cell anemia (SCA) and is associated with devastating physical and psychosocial consequences. All previous trials for priapism prevention have failed to demonstrate clear efficacy. We conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind phase 2 feasibility trial comparing fixed moderate-dose hydroxyurea plus placebo (usual-care arm) with fixed moderate-dose hydroxyurea plus tadalafil (experimental arm) in 64 males (aged 18-40 years) with at least 3 episodes of SCA-related priapism in the past 12 months. Priapism data were obtained via daily text messages to the participants. The trial's primary outcome measures were 100% recruitment, 98.4% retention, and 93.5% adherence rates. Over a median of 10 months (interquartile range, 3-12), 2.5 and 3.02 priapism events per participant-month were recorded in the usual-care and the experimental arms, with an incidence rate ratio of 0.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3-1.9; P = .654). The rates of serious adverse events (P = .999) and hospitalization (P = .289) were similar in the 2 arms. Sperm concentration, motility, and normal morphology significantly decreased on hydroxyurea therapy but recovered to prehydroxyurea levels 3 months after therapy cessation. Post hoc, single-arm, pre-post analysis showed a 58.3% priapism incidence rate reduction in the usual-care arm (5.9-2.5 events per month; difference, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.1-5.8; P = .005) and a 66.3% priapism reduction in the experimental arm (8.9-3.02 events per month; difference, 5.9; 95% CI, 3.4-8.5; P < .001) compared with the prerandomization rates. A randomized controlled trial for priapism prevention is feasible in men with SCA. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT05142254.

Patients with TP53-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have an extremely poor prognosis, necessitating new treatments. The global, randomized, phase 3 ENHANCE-2 trial evaluated the anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody magrolimab plus azacitidine (Magro/Aza) for previously untreated TP53-mutated AML. Patients determined ineligible for intensive therapy were randomized to receive Magro/Aza or venetoclax plus Aza (Ven/Aza); those eligible for intensive therapy were randomized to receive Magro/Aza or 7+3 induction chemotherapy. The primary end point was overall survival (OS) in the nonintensive arm. At interim analysis, nonintensive-arm OS hazard ratio (HR) between treatment groups was 1.191 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.744-1.906), meeting the study's definition for futility and resulting in study termination. At final analysis, median OS was 4.4 vs 6.6 months (HR, 1.132; 95% CI, 0.783-1.637; P = .5070) in the nonintensive arm (n = 205) and 7.3 vs 11.1 months (HR, 1.434; 95% CI, 0.635-3.239; P = .3798) in the intensive arm (n = 52) between Magro/Aza and control groups, respectively. Incidences of grade ≥3 adverse events were similar across Magro/Aza and control groups (nonintensive, n = 194: 96.9% and 95.9%; intensive, n = 50: 92.6% and 95.7%), including grade ≥3 anemia (nonintensive: 27.1% and 23.5%; intensive: 25.9% and 21.7%). Grade ≥3 infections were observed in 50.0% and 53.1% of patients in the nonintensive arm and 44.4% and 65.2% of intensive-arm patients. ENHANCE-2 did not meet its primary end point of OS in TP53-mutated AML but provides important data informing future studies in this challenging population. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04778397.

Venetoclax (VEN) combined with hypomethylating agents is approved for frontline therapy in older/unfit patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, prospective data on this low-intensity therapy in treatment-naive younger patients with AML are lacking. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of VEN plus decitabine (VEN-DEC) as induction in untreated young fit patients with AML in a randomized trial. Patients aged 18 to 59 years eligible for intensive chemotherapy were randomized 1:1 to receive VEN-DEC or IA-12 (idarubicin and cytarabine). All patients achieved composite complete remission (CRc) underwent high-dose cytarabine consolidation. The primary end point was CRc rate after induction. Of 255 screened, 188 were enrolled and randomly assigned, with 94 in each group. In the intention-to-treat population, CRc was 89% (84/94) in the VEN-DEC group vs 79% (74/94) in the IA-12 group (noninferiority P = .0021), with measurable residual disease negativity rates of 80% (67/84) vs 76% (56/74), respectively. VEN-DEC showed superior CRc in patients aged ≥40 years (91% vs 75%) and those with adverse risk (91% vs 42%) or epigenetic mutations (91% vs 67%), but lower CRc in RUNX1::RUNX1T1 fusion cases (44% vs 88%) than IA-12. Patients in the VEN-DEC group experienced fewer grade ≥3 infections (32% vs 67%) and shorter severe thrombocytopenia duration (median, 13 vs 19 days; P < .001). At a median follow-up of 12.1 months, overall and progression-free survival were similar between groups. In conclusion, VEN-DEC demonstrated noninferior response rates with superior safety over IA-12 in young patients with AML. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT05177731.

Fixed-duration venetoclax-rituximab (VenR) in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the phase 3 MURANO trial resulted in superior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) vs bendamustine-rituximab (BR). We report the final analyses of MURANO (median follow-up, 7 years). Patients were randomized to VenR (venetoclax 400 mg daily for 2 years plus monthly rituximab for 6 months; n = 194) or BR (6 months; n = 195). In a substudy, patients with progressive disease (PD) received VenR as retreatment or crossover from BR. At the final data cut (3 August 2022), the median PFS with VenR was 54.7 months vs 17.0 months with BR. The 7-year PFS with VenR was 23.0%. The 7-year OS was 69.6% and 51.0%, respectively. Among VenR-treated patients with undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD; uMRD) and no PD at end of treatment (EOT; n = 83), the median PFS from EOT was 52.5 vs 18.0 months in patients with MRD at EOT (n = 35; P < .0001). Fourteen patients had enduring uMRD. Three distinct mutations in BCL2 in 4 patients were identified. In the substudy, 25 patients were retreated with VenR, and 9 patients crossed over to VenR; the median PFS was 23 and 27 months, and the best overall response rate was 72% and 89%, respectively. At the end of combination treatment (EOCT), after retreatment or crossover, 8 and 6 patients achieved uMRD, respectively. No new safety findings were observed. Overall, these final MURANO analyses support consideration of fixed-duration VenR therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory CLL. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02005471.

The multicenter, phase 3 German-Speaking Myeloma Multicenter Group (GMMG) ReLApsE trial randomized patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) equally to lenalidomide/dexamethasone (LEN/DEX; 25 mg days 1-21, DEX 40 mg weekly, in 4-week cycles) reinduction, salvage high-dose chemotherapy (sHDCT; melphalan 200 mg/m2), autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), and LEN maintenance (10 mg/d; transplant arm, n = 139) vs continuous LEN/DEX (control arm, n = 138). Ninety-four percent of patients had received frontline HDCT/ASCT. We report an updated analysis of survival end points with a median follow-up of 99 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 20.5 and 19.3 months in the transplant and control arm, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.98; P = .9). Median overall survival (OS) was 67.1 and 62.7 months, respectively, (HR 0.89; P = .44). Landmark analyses from sHDCT and the contemporaneous LEN/DEX cycle 5 were performed because of 29% dropout of patients before sHDCT/ASCT in the transplant arm but did not reveal significant differences in PFS/OS. Time to progression after frontline HDCT/ASCT was a prognostic factor but did not predict benefit from sHDCT/ASCT. The GMMG ReLApsE trial does not support use of sHDCT/ASCT in RRMM after frontline HDCT/ASCT. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu as #EudraCT2009-013856-61.

BMT CTN (Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network) 1506 ("MORPHO") was a randomized study of gilteritinib compared with placebo as maintenance therapy after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A key secondary end point was to determine the impact on survival of before and/or after HCT measurable residual disease (MRD), as determined using a highly sensitive assay for FLT3-ITD mutations. Generally, gilteritinib maintenance therapy was associated with improved relapse-free survival (RFS) for participants with detectable peri-HCT MRD, whereas no benefit was evident for those lacking detectable MRD. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the data and found that the level of MRD detected with this approach correlated remarkably with RFS and relapse risk, and that MRD detectable at any level negatively affected RFS. In the placebo arm, 42.2% of participants with detectable FLT3-ITD MRD relapsed compared with 13.4% of those without detectable MRD. We found that 14.8% of participants had multiple FLT3-ITD clones detected as MRD and had worse survival irrespective of treatment arm. Finally, we examined the kinetics of FLT3-ITD clonal relapse or eradication and found that participants on the placebo arm with detectable MRD relapsed rapidly after HCT, often within a few weeks. MRD-positive participants on the gilteritinib arm relapsed either with FLT3 wild-type clones (assessed by capillary electrophoresis), after cessation of gilteritinib with persistent MRD, or on progression of multiclonal disease. These data demonstrate the potential of FLT3-ITD MRD to guide therapy with gilteritinib for this subtype of AML. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02997202.

Complement C5 inhibitor treatment with ravulizumab or eculizumab for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) improves outcomes and survival. Some patients remain anemic due to clinically significant extravascular hemolysis (cs-EVH; hemoglobin [Hb] ≤9.5 g/dL and absolute reticulocyte count [ARC] ≥120 × 109/L). In the phase 3 ALPHA trial, participants received oral factor D inhibitor danicopan (150 mg 3 times daily) or placebo plus ravulizumab or eculizumab during the 12-week, double-blind treatment period 1 (TP1); those receiving placebo switched to danicopan during the subsequent 12-week, open-label TP2 and continued during the 2-year long-term extension (LTE). There were 86 participants randomized in the study, of whom 82 entered TP2, and 80 entered LTE. The primary end point was met, with Hb improvements from baseline at week 12 (least squares mean change, 2.8 g/dL) with danicopan. For participants switching from placebo to danicopan at week 12, improvements in mean Hb were observed at week 24. Similar trends were observed for the proportion of participants with ≥2 g/dL Hb increase, ARC, proportion of participants achieving transfusion avoidance, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue scale scores. Improvements were maintained up to week 72. No new safety signals were observed. The breakthrough hemolysis rate was 6 events per 100 patient-years. These long-term data demonstrate sustained efficacy and safety of danicopan plus ravulizumab/eculizumab for continued control of terminal complement activity, intravascular hemolysis, and cs-EVH in PNH. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04469465.

Early intervention in smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) may delay progression to MM. Here, we present the final analysis of the phase 2 CENTAURUS study. In total, 123 patients with intermediate/high-risk SMM were randomized to IV daratumumab 16 mg/kg after a long-intense (n = 41), intermediate (n = 41), or short-intense (n = 41) dosing schedule. At a combined median follow-up of 85.2 months, in the long-intense, intermediate, and short-intense arms complete response or better rates were 4.9%, 9.8%, and 0%; overall response rates were 58.5%, 53.7%, and 37.5%; progressive disease/death rates were 0.096, 0.102, and 0.109 (P < .0001 for all arms); and median progression-free survival was not reached, 84.4, and 74.1 months, respectively. Median overall survival was not reached in any arm. Thirty-six patients in the long-intense or intermediate arms continued daratumumab in an optional extension phase after completing 20 cycles of per-protocol treatment. The median duration of study treatment was 44.0 (range, 1.0-91.6), 35.2 (range, 1.9-90.6), and 1.6 (range, 0.1-1.9) months in the long-intense, intermediate, and short-intense arms, respectively. No new safety signals were observed. With extended follow-up (median, ∼7 years), these data highlight the tolerability of daratumumab and support ongoing trials investigating daratumumab as an early intervention for SMM. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT02316106.

Interferon alfa has activity against multiple myeloma (MM). Modakafusp alfa is an immunocytokine comprising 2 attenuated interferon alfa-2b molecules and an anti-CD38 immunoglobulin G4 antibody, targeting delivery of interferon alfa to CD38-expressing (CD38+) immune and myeloma cells. This phase 1/2 trial enrolled patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma with ≥3 prior lines of treatment and refractory to, or intolerant of, ≥1 proteasome inhibitor and ≥1 immunomodulatory drug. During dose escalation, modakafusp alfa was administered at 10 doses in 4 schedules across 13 cohorts. The primary end point was safety for dose escalation, and overall response rate (ORR) for dose expansion. We enrolled 106 patients who had received a median of 6.5 lines of prior therapy; 84% of patients had myeloma previously refractory to an anti-CD38 antibody. The most feasible dosing schedule was every 4 weeks (Q4W), at which the maximum tolerated dose was 3 mg/kg. Among 30 patients treated at 1.5 mg/kg Q4W, the ORR was 43.3%, with a median duration of response of 15.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.1-26.1); median progression-free survival was 5.7 months (95% CI, 1.2-14). Grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) occurred in 28 (93.3%) patients, the most common were neutropenia (66.7%) and thrombocytopenia (46.7%); infections were reported in 8 (26.7%) patients (including grade 3 in 4 [16.7%]). Modakafusp alfa therapy induced upregulation of the type 1 interferon gene signature score, increased CD38 receptor density in CD38+ cells, and innate and adaptive immune cell activation. Modakafusp alfa resulted in antitumor activity and immune activation in patients with MM. AEs were primarily hematologic. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03215030.

Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) and warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA) are rare autoimmune hemolytic anemias characterized by red blood cell destruction, largely attributable to complement activation resulting in intravascular and extravascular hemolysis. Pegcetacoplan is a subcutaneously administered C3-targeted therapy, which may be suitable for treating CAD and wAIHA. In this open-label phase 2 study, analyses were conducted in 2 cohorts, 1 for patients with CAD and the other for those with wAIHA. In each cohort, patients were randomly assigned to receive pegcetacoplan 270 mg/d or 360 mg/d for up to 48 weeks. Safety end points included the incidence and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and adverse events of special interest (AESI). Efficacy end points included change from baseline in hemoglobin (Hb), lactate dehydrogenase, absolute reticulocyte count, haptoglobin, indirect bilirubin, and functional assessment of chronic illness therapy (FACIT)-fatigue scale. Thirteen of 13 (100%) and 10 of 11 (91%) patients with CAD and wAIHA, respectively, experienced at least 1 TEAE. Ten patients had at least 1 serious AE; none were considered related to pegcetacoplan. The only treatment-related AESIs were injection site reactions. Pegcetacoplan increased Hb levels, reduced hemolysis, and increased FACIT-fatigue scale scores in the first weeks; at week 48 the median (interquartile range) change from baseline Hb for the CAD and wAIHA total groups was 2.4 (0.90-3.00) and 1.7 g/dL (-1.40 to 2.90), respectively, and improvements in hemolysis and FACIT-fatigue scale scores were maintained. This study demonstrated that pegcetacoplan is generally well tolerated and suggests it can be effective for patients with CAD and wAIHA. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT03226678.

Despite several approved therapies, multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease with high unmet medical need. "Off-the-shelf" T-cell bispecific antibodies (TCBs) targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member D (GPRC5D) have demonstrated high objective response rates in heavily pretreated patients with MM; however, primary resistance, short duration of response, and relapse driven by antigen shift frequently occur. Although GPRC5D represents the most selective target in MM, recent findings indicate antigen loss occurs more frequently than with BCMA. Thus, anti-GPRC5D immunotherapies must hit hard during a short period of time. Here, we characterize forimtamig, a novel GPRC5D-targeting TCB with 2+1 format. Bivalent binding of forimtamig to GPRC5D confers higher affinity than classical 1+1 TCB formats correlating with formation of more stable immunological synapses and higher potency in tumor cell killing and T-cell activation. Using an orthotopic mouse model of MM, forimtamig recruited T effector cells to the bone marrow and induced rapid tumor killing even after the introduction of step-up dosing to mitigate cytokine release. Combination of forimtamig with standard-of-care agents including anti-CD38 antibodies, immunomodulatory drugs, and proteasome inhibitors improved depth and duration of response. The combination of forimtamig with novel therapeutic agents including BCMA TCB and cereblon E3 ligase modulatory drugs was potent and prevented occurrence of GPRC5D -negative tumor relapse. Forimtamig is currently being evaluated in phase 1 clinical trials in patients with relapsed and refractory MM for monotherapy and in combination treatments. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT04557150.

Antibiotic (ABX)-induced microbiome dysbiosis is widespread in oncology, adversely affecting outcomes and side effects of various cancer treatments, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies. In this study, we observed that prior exposure to broad-spectrum ABXs with extended anaerobic coverage such as piperacillin-tazobactam and meropenem was associated with worse anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy survival outcomes in patients with large B-cell lymphoma (N = 422) than other ABX classes. In a discovery subset of these patients (n = 67), we found that the use of these ABXs was in turn associated with substantial dysbiosis of gut microbiome function, resulting in significant alterations of the gut and blood metabolome, including microbial effectors such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and other anionic metabolites, findings that were largely reproduced in an external validation cohort (n = 58). Broader evaluation of circulating microbial metabolites revealed reductions in indole and cresol derivatives, as well as trimethylamine N-oxide, in patients who received ABX treatment (discovery, n = 40; validation, n = 28). These findings were recapitulated in an immune-competent CAR-T mouse model, in which meropenem-induced dysbiosis led to a systemic dysmetabolome and decreased murine anti-CD19 CAR-T efficacy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SCFAs can enhance the metabolic fitness of CAR-Ts, leading to improved tumor killing capacity. Together, these results suggest that broad-spectrum ABX deplete metabolically active commensals whose metabolites are essential for enhancing CAR-T efficacy, shedding light on the intricate relationship between ABX exposure, microbiome function and their impact on CAR-T efficacy. This highlights the potential for modulating the microbiome to augment CAR-T immunotherapy. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT06218602.

A robust prognostic and biological classification for newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma (FL) using molecular profiling remains challenging. FL tumors from patients treated in the RELEVANCE trial with rituximab-chemotherapy (R-chemo) or rituximab-lenalidomide (R2) were analyzed using RNA sequencing, DNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization. Unsupervised gene clustering identified 2 gene expression signatures (GSs) enriched in normal memory (MEM) B cells and germinal center (GC) B-cell signals, respectively. These 2 GSs were combined into a 20-gene predictor (FL20) to classify patients into MEM-like (n = 160) or GC-like (n = 164) subtypes, which also displayed different mutational profiles. In the R-chemo arm, patients with MEM-like FL had significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) than patients with GC-like FL (hazard ratio [HR], 2.13; P = .0023). In the R2 arm, both subtypes had comparable PFS, demonstrating that R2 has a benefit over R-chemo for patients with MEM-like FL (HR, 0.54; P = .011). The prognostic value of FL20 was validated in an independent FL cohort with R-chemo treatment (GSE119214 [n = 137]). An IHC algorithm (FLcm) that used FOXP1, LMO2, CD22, and MUM1 antibodies was developed with significant prognostic correlation with FL20. These data indicate that FL tumors can be classified into MEM-like and GC-like subtypes that are biologically distinct and clinically different in their risk profile. The FLcm assay can be used in routine clinical practice to identify patients with MEM-like FL who might benefit from therapies other than R-chemo, such as the R2 combination. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01476787 and #NCT01650701.

No randomized trial has directly compared daratumumab and lenalidomide (D-R) maintenance with standard-of-care lenalidomide (R) alone after transplant. Herein, we report the primary results of the phase 3 AURIGA study evaluating D-R vs R maintenance in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) who had very good or better partial response, were minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive (10-5) and anti-CD38-naïve after transplant. Two hundred patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to D-R (n = 99) or R (n = 101) maintenance for up to 36 cycles. The MRD-negative (10-5) conversion rate by 12 months from start of maintenance (primary end point) was significantly higher for D-R than R (50.5% vs 18.8%; odds ratio [OR], 4.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.37-8.57; P < .0001). MRD-negative (10-6) conversion rate was similarly higher with D-R (23.2% vs 5.0%; OR, 5.97; 95% CI, 2.15-16.58; P = .0002). At median follow-up (32.3 months), D-R achieved a higher overall MRD-negative (10-5) conversion rate (D-R, 60.6% vs R, 27.7%; OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 2.26-7.52; P < .0001) and complete response rate or better (75.8% vs 61.4%; OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.08-3.69; P = .0255) vs R. Progression-free survival (PFS) favored D-R vs R (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29-0.97); estimated 30-month PFS rates were 82.7% for D-R and 66.4% for R. Incidences of grade 3/4 cytopenias (54.2% vs 46.9%) and infections (18.8% vs 13.3%) were slightly higher with D-R than R. In conclusion, D-R maintenance achieved a higher MRD-negative conversion rate and improved PFS after transplant vs R, with no new safety concerns. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03901963.