Elranatamab in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: phase 2 MagnetisMM-3 trial results.

Elranatamab is a humanized B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-CD3 bispecific antibody. In the ongoing phase 2 MagnetisMM-3 trial, patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma received subcutaneous elranatamab once weekly after two step-up priming doses. After six cycles, persistent responders switched to biweekly dosing. Results from cohort A, which enrolled patients without prior BCMA-directed therapy (n = 123) are reported. The primary endpoint of confirmed objective response rate (ORR) by blinded independent central review was met with an ORR of 61.0% (75/123); 35.0% ≥complete response. Fifty responders switched to biweekly dosing, and 40 (80.0%) improved or maintained their response for ≥6 months. With a median follow-up of 14.7 months, median duration of response, progression-free survival and overall survival (secondary endpoints) have not been reached. Fifteen-month rates were 71.5%, 50.9% and 56.7%, respectively. Common adverse events (any grade; grade 3-4) included infections (69.9%, 39.8%), cytokine release syndrome (57.7%, 0%), anemia (48.8%, 37.4%), and neutropenia (48.8%, 48.8%). With biweekly dosing, grade 3-4 adverse events decreased from 58.6% to 46.6%. Elranatamab induced deep and durable responses with a manageable safety profile. Switching to biweekly dosing may improve long-term safety without compromising efficacy. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04649359 .

A phase 2 study of inotuzumab ozogamicin and rituximab, followed by autologous stem cell transplant in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO), a targeted humanized anti-CD22 antibody conjugated to calicheamicin, plus rituximab (R-INO) every 3 weeks, up to six cycles, followed by high dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant (HDT-aSCT) in patients with high-risk relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The primary endpoint was overall response (OR) rate after three cycles of R-INO. Sixty-three patients were enrolled. Common grade 3/4 adverse events during R-INO treatment were thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia and neutropenia. OR rate after three cycles of R-INO was 28.6% (95% confidence interval: 17.9-41.4). Eighteen patients underwent HDT-aSCT; 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) for these patients was 61.1%. Serious infections and hepatic toxicity following aSCT occurred in 33% and 22%, respectively. One- and 2-year PFS rates for all enrolled patients were 28.9% and 25.3%, respectively (median, 3.0 months). R-INO had lower than expected activity as a salvage regimen for transplant eligible patients with DLBCL.

Female genital tract shedding of CXCR4-tropic HIV Type 1 is associated with a majority population of CXCR4-tropic HIV Type 1 in blood and declining CD4(+) cell counts.

This study compared HIV-1 genotypes shed over time (≤3.5 years) in the vaginal secretions (VS) and blood plasma (BP) of 15 chronically infected women. Analysis of predicted coreceptor tropism (CCR5=R5, CXCR4=X4) for quasispecies shedding revealed three patterns: (1) viral quasispecies shed in both VS and BP were restricted to R5-tropism at all time points, (2) quasispecies shed in VS were restricted to R5-tropism at all time points but X4 quasispecies were identified in the BP at one or more time points, and (3) quasispecies shed in matched VS and BP both contained X4-tropic viruses. Overall, the frequency of X4 quasispecies circulation in VS was 2-fold less than in BP and detection of X4 virus in VS was more likely to occur when X4 quasispecies comprised more than 50% of BP viruses (p=0.01) and when declines in blood CD4(+) lymphocyte levels were the greatest (p=0.038). Additionally, the mean number of predicted N-glycosylation sites between matched VS and BP samples was strongly correlated (r=0.86, p<0.0001) with glycosylation densities in the following order (VS R5=BP R5 > BP X4 > VS X4). The X4 glycosylation densities may result from compartmentalization pressures in the female genital tract or the delayed appearance of these viruses in VS. Our results suggest that the presence of X4 virus in VS is associated with a threshold population of X4 quasispecies in BP, which are increasing during the HIV-induced failure of the human immune system.

Lack of effect of compartmentalized drug resistance mutations on HIV-1 pol divergence in antiretroviral-experienced women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the persistence of compartmentalized HIV drug resistance mutations (DRM) over time in the female genital tract and its effect on pol gene divergence compared to that in blood. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort of 22 antiretroviral-experienced women in the Emory Vaginal Ecology study. METHODS: Blood and vaginal secretions were collected at serial clinic visits. DRM in the HIV reverse transcriptase and protease regions of pol were determined using population based sequencing. Kimura-2 pairwise DNA distances were calculated to measure blood and vaginal secretions divergence in the intervals between clinic visits. RESULTS: Only eight (36%) women had compartmentalized DRM detected at 14 (31%) of their 45 clinic visits. This compartmentalized resistance was transient; 13 of 14 mutations in blood and all 12 mutations in vaginal secretions were compartmentalized for only one clinic visit. Over time, divergence of both reverse transcriptase and protease were greater in vaginal secretions than in blood. However, divergence in blood, but not in vaginal secretions, increased significantly in the presence of drug resistance or compartmentalized drug resistance. CONCLUSION: Compartmentalized DRM between the blood and vaginal secretions are transient in nature, and the presence of DRM does not affect pol gene divergence in the vaginal secretions. Our results provide new evidence that the genital mucosa does not support an independently evolving subpopulation of HIV-1 genomes.

Diversity, divergence, and evolution of cell-free human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in vaginal secretions and blood of chronically infected women: associations with immune status.

Most human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infections are believed to be the result of exposure to the virus in genital secretions. However, prevention and therapeutic strategies are usually based on characterizations of HIV-1 in blood. To understand better the dynamics between HIV-1 quasispecies in the genital tract and blood, we performed heteroduplex assays on amplified env products from cell-free viral RNA in paired vaginal secretion (VS) and blood plasma (BP) samples of 14 women followed for 1.5 to 3.5 years. Diversity and divergence were less in VS than in BP (P = 0.03 and P < 0.01, respectively), and divergence at both sites was correlated with blood CD4(+) cell levels (VS, P = 0.05; BP, P = 0.01). Evolution of quasispecies was observed in 58% of the women; the loss or gain of quasispecies in VS or BP was always accompanied by such changes at the other site. In addition, sustained compartmentalization of quasispecies in VS was found for four women, even as CD4(+) cell levels decreased to low levels (<50 cells/microl). Quasispecies changes over time were associated with fluctuations in CD4(+) cell levels; concordant increases or decreases in VS and BP divergence had greater CD4(+) cell level changes than intervals with discordant changes (P = 0.05), and women with evolving quasispecies had greater decreases in CD4(+) cell levels compared to that for women who maintained the same quasispecies (P < 0.05). Thus, diversity, divergence, and evolution of cell-free HIV-1 in VS can be different from that in BP, and dynamics between their respective quasispecies are associated with changes in CD4(+) cell levels.

Dramatic 5'-residue effect on conformer distribution of short oligonucleotide retro models of the cisplatin-DNA cross-link: implications for the Lippard and cross-link distorted base pair steps present in cisplatin-DNA duplex adducts.

The cisplatin anticancer drug preferentially attacks the GG sequence of DNA duplexes. Virtually all DNAs containing the key G*G* lesion (G* = N7 platinated G) have large distortions in the cross-link (G*G*) base pair (bp) step and also in the adjacent Lippard (XG*) bp step, making the adducts very different from B-form DNA in the XG*G* region. The XG*G* strand in duplexes also differs in several ways from single-strand (ss) models with G*G* and XG*G* sequences. In the duplex, the X residue has an N sugar, the 5'-G* and 3'-G* bases have slight "R" canting (3'-G* H8 atom toward the 5'-G* base), and there is no or weak H-bonding by the NH3 ligands. In most XG*G* ss models, X has an S sugar, the 5'-G* base normally cants strongly toward the 3'-G* base (L canting), and the NH3 forms an H-bond. Well-defined ss models exist in the solid state, but dynamic motion obscures the properties of the ss models in solution. In this work, we employ retro models (better defined, less dynamic ss models) to understand the differences between duplex and ss models. The retro models in this study lack carrier ligand NH's, thus eliminating H-bonding. To correlate previous ss solid-state models with our solution work, we constructed hybrid molecules by overlaying parts of known structures. The combined model and experimental information indicates that the X N-pucker is not favorable in L-canted ss models, that X residue steric effects (not H-bonding) favor L canting in ss models, that X N-pucker is needed for favorable WC hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions in duplexes, and that X N-pucker minimizes X base clashes with bases in the complementary strand in duplexes. The R canting minimizing clashes between the X and G* residues of the Lippard bp step (independent of X pucker) and the repositioning of the X residue base caused by the change from S-pucker to N-pucker together lead to the unusual features of the Lippard bp step in the duplex.

In vitro comparison of topical microbicides for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transmission.

A standardized protocol was used to compare cellular toxicities and anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) activities of candidate microbicides formulated for human use. The microbicides evaluated were cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP), Carraguard, K-Y plus nonoxynol-9 (KY-N9), PRO 2000 (0.5 and 4%), SPL7013 (5%), UC781 (0.1 and 1%), and Vena Gel, along with their accompanying placebos. Products were evaluated for toxicity on cervical and colorectal epithelial cell lines, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and macrophages (MPhi) by using an ATP release assay, and they were tested for their effect on transepithelial resistance (TER) of polarized epithelial monolayers. Anti-HIV-1 activity was evaluated in assays for transfer of infectious HIV-1 from epithelial cells to activated PBMCs and for PBMC and MPhi infection. CAP, Carraguard, PRO 2000, SPL7013, and UC781 along with their placebos were 20- to 50-fold less toxic than KY-N9 and Vena Gel. None of the nontoxic product concentrations disrupted the TER. Transfer of HIV-1(Ba-L) from epithelial cells to PBMCs and PBMC and MPhi infection with laboratory-adapted HIV-1(Ba-L) and HIV-1(LAI) isolates were inhibited by all products except Carraguard, KY-N9, and Vena Gel. KY-N9, Vena Gel, and Carraguard were not effective in blocking PBMC infection with primary HIV-1(A), HIV-1(C), and HIV-1(CRF01-AE) isolates. The concordance of these toxicity results with those previously reported indicates that our protocol may be useful for predicting toxicity in vivo. Moreover, our systematic anti-HIV-1 testing provides a rational basis for making better informed decisions about which products to consider for clinical trials.