The CD33xCD123xCD70 Multispecific CD3-Engaging DARPin MP0533 Induces Selective T Cell-Mediated Killing of AML Leukemic Stem Cells.

The prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is limited, especially for elderly or unfit patients not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. The disease is driven by leukemic stem cells (LSCs), which are characterized by clonal heterogeneity and resistance to conventional therapy. These cells are therefore believed to be a major cause of progression and relapse. We designed MP0533, a multispecific CD3-engaging designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin) that can simultaneously bind to three antigens on AML cells (CD33, CD123, and CD70), aiming to enable avidity-driven T cell-mediated killing of AML cells coexpressing at least two of the antigens. In vitro, MP0533 induced selective T cell-mediated killing of AML cell lines, as well as patient-derived AML blasts and LSCs, expressing two or more target antigens, while sparing healthy HSCs, blood, and endothelial cells. The higher selectivity also resulted in markedly lower levels of cytokine release in normal human blood compared to single antigen-targeting T-cell engagers. In xenograft AML mice models, MP0533 induced tumor-localized T-cell activation and cytokine release, leading to complete eradication of the tumors while having no systemic adverse effects. These studies show that the multispecific-targeting strategy used with MP0533 holds promise for improved selectivity toward LSCs and efficacy against clonal heterogeneity, potentially bringing a new therapeutic option to this group of patients with a high unmet need. MP0533 is currently being evaluated in a dose-escalation phase 1 study in patients with relapsed or refractory AML (NCT05673057).

Molecular and immunological mechanisms of clonal evolution in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the proliferation of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM). It is known that early genetic mutations in post-germinal center B/plasma cells are the cause of myelomagenesis. The acquisition of additional chromosomal abnormalities and distinct mutations further promote the outgrowth of malignant plasma cell populations that are resistant to conventional treatments, finally resulting in relapsed and therapy-refractory terminal stages of MM. In addition, myeloma cells are supported by autocrine signaling pathways and the tumor microenvironment (TME), which consists of diverse cell types such as stromal cells, immune cells, and components of the extracellular matrix. The TME provides essential signals and stimuli that induce proliferation and/or prevent apoptosis. In particular, the molecular pathways by which MM cells interact with the TME are crucial for the development of MM. To generate successful therapies and prevent MM recurrence, a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive MM progression and therapy resistance is essential. In this review, we summarize key mechanisms that promote myelomagenesis and drive the clonal expansion in the course of MM progression such as autocrine signaling cascades, as well as direct and indirect interactions between the TME and malignant plasma cells. In addition, we highlight drug-resistance mechanisms and emerging therapies that are currently tested in clinical trials to overcome therapy-refractory MM stages.

IL-33-ST2 signaling promotes stemness in subtypes of myeloid leukemia cells through the Wnt and Notch pathways.

Cell stemness is characterized by quiescence, pluripotency, and long-term self-renewal capacity. Therapy-resistant leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are the primary cause of relapse in patients with chronic and acute myeloid leukemia (CML and AML). However, the same signaling pathways frequently support stemness in both LSCs and normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), making LSCs difficult to therapeutically target. In cell lines and patient samples, we found that interleukin-33 (IL-33) signaling promoted stemness only in leukemia cells in a subtype-specific manner. The IL-33 receptor ST2 was abundant on the surfaces of CD34+ BCR/ABL1 CML and CD34+ AML cells harboring AML1/ETO and DEK/NUP214 translocations or deletion of chromosome 9q [del(9q)]. The cell surface abundance of ST2, which was lower or absent on other leukemia subtypes and HSCs, correlated with stemness, activated Wnt signaling, and repressed Notch signaling. IL-33-ST2 signaling promoted the maintenance and expansion of AML1/ETO-, DEK/NUP214-, and BCR/ABL1-positive LSCs in culture and in mice by activating Wnt, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling. Wnt signaling and its inhibition of the Notch pathway up-regulated the expression of the gene encoding ST2, thus forming a cell-autonomous loop. IL-33-ST2 signaling promoted the resistance of CML cells to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) nilotinib and of AML cells to standard chemotherapy. Thus, inhibiting IL-33-ST2 signaling may target LSCs to overcome resistance to chemotherapy or TKIs in these subtypes of leukemia.

Tumour mutations in long noncoding RNAs enhance cell fitness.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are linked to cancer via pathogenic changes in their expression levels. Yet, it remains unclear whether lncRNAs can also impact tumour cell fitness via function-altering somatic "driver" mutations. To search for such driver-lncRNAs, we here perform a genome-wide analysis of fitness-altering single nucleotide variants (SNVs) across a cohort of 2583 primary and 3527 metastatic tumours. The resulting 54 mutated and positively-selected lncRNAs are significantly enriched for previously-reported cancer genes and a range of clinical and genomic features. A number of these lncRNAs promote tumour cell proliferation when overexpressed in in vitro models. Our results also highlight a dense SNV hotspot in the widely-studied NEAT1 oncogene. To directly evaluate the functional significance of NEAT1 SNVs, we use in cellulo mutagenesis to introduce tumour-like mutations in the gene and observe a significant and reproducible increase in cell fitness, both in vitro and in a mouse model. Mechanistic studies reveal that SNVs remodel the NEAT1 ribonucleoprotein and boost subnuclear paraspeckles. In summary, this work demonstrates the utility of driver analysis for mapping cancer-promoting lncRNAs, and provides experimental evidence that somatic mutations can act through lncRNAs to enhance pathological cancer cell fitness.

Results from a phase I/II trial of cusatuzumab combined with azacitidine in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy.

Cusatuzumab is a high-affinity, anti-CD70 monoclonal antibody under investigation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This two-part, open-label, multicenter, phase I/II trial evaluated cusatuzumab plus azacitidine in patients with newly diagnosed AML ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. Patients received a single dose of cusatuzumab at one of four dose levels (1, 3, 10, or 20 mg/kg) 14 days before starting combination therapy. In phase I dose escalation, cusatuzumab was then administered on days 3 and 17, in combination with azacitidine (75 mg/m2) on days 1-7, every 28 days. The primary objective in phase I was to determine the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of cusatuzumab plus azacitidine. The primary objective in phase II was efficacy at the RP2D (selected as 10 mg/kg). Thirty-eight patients were enrolled: 12 in phase I (three per dose level; four with European LeukemiaNet 2017 adverse risk) and 26 in phase II (21 with adverse risk). An objective response (≥partial remission) was achieved by 19/38 patients (including 8/26 in phase II); 14/38 achieved complete remission. Eleven patients (37.9%) achieved an objective response among the 29 patients in phase I and phase II treated at the RP2D. At a median follow-up of 10.9 months, median duration of first response was 4.5 months and median overall survival was 11.5 months. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were infections (84.2%) and hematologic toxicities (78.9%). Seven patients (18.4%) reported infusion-related reactions, including two with grade 3 events. Thus, cusatuzumab/azacitidine appears generally well tolerated and shows preliminary efficacy in this setting. Investigation of cusatuzumab combined with current standard-of-care therapy, comprising venetoclax and azacitidine, is ongoing.

MEK1 drives oncogenic signaling and interacts with PARP1 for genomic and metabolic homeostasis in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a lethal malignancy etiologically caused by asbestos exposure, for which there are few effective treatment options. Although asbestos carcinogenesis is associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS), the bona fide oncogenic signaling pathways that regulate ROS homeostasis and bypass ROS-evoked apoptosis in MPM are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK is hyperactive and a molecular driver of MPM, independent of histological subtypes and genetic heterogeneity. Suppression of MAPK signaling by clinically approved MEK inhibitors (MEKi) elicits PARP1 to protect MPM cells from the cytotoxic effects of MAPK pathway blockage. Mechanistically, MEKi induces impairment of homologous recombination (HR) repair proficiency and mitochondrial metabolic activity, which is counterbalanced by pleiotropic PARP1. Consequently, the combination of MEK with PARP inhibitors enhances apoptotic cell death in vitro and in vivo that occurs through coordinated upregulation of cytotoxic ROS in MPM cells, suggesting a mechanism-based, readily translatable strategy to treat this daunting disease. Collectively, our studies uncover a previously unrecognized scenario that hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway is an essential feature of MPM and provide unprecedented evidence that MAPK signaling cooperates with PARP1 to homeostatically maintain ROS levels and escape ROS-mediated apoptosis.

Siglec-7 represents a glyco-immune checkpoint for non-exhausted effector memory CD8+ T cells with high functional and metabolic capacities.

While inhibitory Siglec receptors are known to regulate myeloid cells, less is known about their expression and function in lymphocytes subsets. Here we identified Siglec-7 as a glyco-immune checkpoint expressed on non-exhausted effector memory CD8+ T cells that exhibit high functional and metabolic capacities. Seahorse analysis revealed higher basal respiration and glycolysis levels of Siglec-7+ CD8+ T cells in steady state, and particularly upon activation. Siglec-7 polarization into the T cell immune synapse was dependent on sialoglycan interactions in trans and prevented actin polarization and effective T cell responses. Siglec-7 ligands were found to be expressed on both leukemic stem cells and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells suggesting the occurrence of glyco-immune checkpoints for Siglec-7+ CD8+ T cells, which were found in patients' peripheral blood and bone marrow. Our findings project Siglec-7 as a glyco-immune checkpoint and therapeutic target for T cell-driven disorders and cancer.

Splenic red pulp macrophages provide a niche for CML stem cells and induce therapy resistance.

Disease progression and relapse of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are caused by therapy resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs), and cure relies on their eradication. The microenvironment in the bone marrow (BM) is known to contribute to LSC maintenance and resistance. Although leukemic infiltration of the spleen is a hallmark of CML, it is unknown whether spleen cells form a niche that maintains LSCs. Here, we demonstrate that LSCs preferentially accumulate in the spleen and contribute to disease progression. Spleen LSCs were located in the red pulp close to red pulp macrophages (RPM) in CML patients and in a murine CML model. Pharmacologic and genetic depletion of RPM reduced LSCs and decreased their cell cycling activity in the spleen. Gene expression analysis revealed enriched stemness and decreased myeloid lineage differentiation in spleen leukemic stem and progenitor cells (LSPCs). These results demonstrate that splenic RPM form a niche that maintains CML LSCs in a quiescent state, resulting in disease progression and resistance to therapy.

Multi-hallmark long noncoding RNA maps reveal non-small cell lung cancer vulnerabilities.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely dysregulated in cancer, yet their functional roles in cancer hallmarks remain unclear. We employ pooled CRISPR deletion to perturb 831 lncRNAs detected in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and measure their contribution to proliferation, chemoresistance, and migration across two cell backgrounds. Integrative analysis of these data outperforms conventional "dropout" screens in identifying cancer genes while prioritizing disease-relevant lncRNAs with pleiotropic and background-independent roles. Altogether, 80 high-confidence oncogenic lncRNAs are active in NSCLC, which tend to be amplified and overexpressed in tumors. A follow-up antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) screen shortlisted two candidates, Cancer Hallmarks in Lung LncRNA 1 (CHiLL1) and GCAWKR, whose knockdown consistently suppressed cancer hallmarks in two- and three-dimension tumor models. Molecular phenotyping reveals that CHiLL1 and GCAWKR control cellular-level phenotypes via distinct transcriptional networks. This work reveals a multi-dimensional functional lncRNA landscape underlying NSCLC that contains potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Tnfrsf4-expressing regulatory T cells promote immune escape of chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells.

Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) promote the disease and seem resistant to therapy and immune control. Why LSCs are selectively resistant against elimination by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that LSCs in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) can be recognized and killed by CD8+ CTLs in vitro. However, Tregs, which preferentially localized close to CD8+ CTLs in CML BM, protected LSCs from MHC class I-dependent CD8+ CTL-mediated elimination in vivo. BM Tregs in CML were characterized by the selective expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor 4 (Tnfrsf4). Stimulation of Tnfrsf4 signaling did not deplete Tregs but reduced the capacity of Tregs to protect LSCs from CD8+ CTL-mediated killing. In the BM of newly diagnosed CML patients, TNFRSF4 mRNA levels were significantly increased and correlated with the expression of the Treg-restricted transcription factor FOXP3. Overall, these results identify Tregs as key regulators of immune escape of LSCs and TNFRSF4 as a potential target to reduce the function of Tregs and boost antileukemic immunity in CML.

SAKK 16/14: Durvalumab in Addition to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Stage IIIA(N2) Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer-A Multicenter Single-Arm Phase II Trial.

PURPOSE: For patients with resectable stage IIIA(N2) non-small-cell lung cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin and docetaxel followed by surgery resulted in a 1-year event-free survival (EFS) rate of 48% in the SAKK 16/00 trial and is an accepted standard of care. We investigated the additional benefit of perioperative treatment with durvalumab. METHODS: Neoadjuvant treatment consisted of three cycles of cisplatin 100 mg/m2 and docetaxel 85 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks followed by two doses of durvalumab 750 mg once every 2 weeks. Durvalumab was continued for 1 year after surgery. The primary end point was 1-year EFS. The hypothesis for statistical considerations was an improvement of 1-year EFS from 48% to 65%. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients were enrolled, 67 were included in the full analysis set. Radiographic response rate was 43% (95% CI, 31 to 56) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 58% (95% CI, 45 to 71) after sequential neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Fifty-five patients were resected, of which 34 (62%) achieved a major pathologic response (MPR; ≤ 10% viable tumor cells) and 10 (18%) among them a complete pathologic response. Postoperative nodal downstaging (ypN0-1) was observed in 37 patients (67%). Fifty-one (93%) resected patients had an R0 resection. There was no significant effect of pretreatment PD-L1 expression on MPR or nodal downstaging. The 1-year EFS rate was 73% (two-sided 90% CI, 63 to 82). Median EFS and overall survival were not reached after 28.6 months of median follow-up. Fifty-nine (88%) patients had an adverse event grade ≥ 3 including two fatal adverse events that were judged not to be treatment-related. CONCLUSION: The addition of perioperative durvalumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IIIA(N2) non-small-cell lung cancer is safe and exceeds historical data of chemotherapy alone with a high MPR and an encouraging 1-year EFS rate of 73%.

Epigenetic Silencing of Immune-Checkpoint Receptors in Bone Marrow- Infiltrating T Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Immune-checkpoint (IC) inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of multiple solid tumors and defined lymphomas, but they are largely ineffective in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The reason why especially PD1/PD-L1 blocking agents are not efficacious is not well-understood but it may be due to the contribution of different IC ligand/receptor interactions that determine the function of T cells in AML. METHODS: To analyze the interactions of IC ligands and receptors in AML, we performed a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of FACS-purified leukemia stem/progenitor cells and paired bone marrow (BM)-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from 30 patients with AML. The gene expression profiles of activating and inhibiting IC ligands and receptors were correlated with the clinical data. Epigenetic mechanisms were studied by inhibiting the histone deacetylase with valproic acid or by gene silencing of PAC1. RESULTS: We observed that IC ligands and receptors were mainly upregulated in leukemia stem cells. The gene expression of activating IC ligands and receptors correlated with improved prognosis and vice versa. In contrast, the majority of IC receptor genes were downregulated in BM-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and partially in CD4+ T cells, due to pathological chromatin remodeling via histone deacetylation. Therefore, treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) or silencing of PAC1, as a T cell-specific epigenetic modulator, significantly increased the expression of IC receptors and defined effector molecules in CD8+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that CD8+ T cells in AML are dysfunctional mainly due to pathological epigenetic silencing of activating IC receptors rather than due to signaling by immune inhibitory IC receptors, which may explain the limited efficacy of antibodies that block immune-inhibitory ICs in AML.

Metoclopramide treatment blocks CD93-signaling-mediated self-renewal of chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells.

Self-renewal is a key characteristic of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) responsible for the development and maintenance of leukemia. In this study, we identify CD93 as an important regulator of self-renewal and proliferation of murine and human LSCs, but not hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The intracellular domain of CD93 promotes gene transcription via the transcriptional regulator SCY1-like pseudokinase 1 independently of ligation of the extracellular domain. In a drug library screen, we identify the anti-emetic agent metoclopramide as an efficient blocker of CD93 signaling. Metoclopramide treatment reduces murine and human LSCs in vitro and prolongs survival of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) mice through downregulation of pathways related to stemness and proliferation in LSCs. Overall, these results identify CD93 signaling as an LSC-specific regulator of self-renewal and proliferation and a targetable pathway to eliminate LSCs in CML.

Targeting CD70 with cusatuzumab eliminates acute myeloid leukemia stem cells in patients treated with hypomethylating agents.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is driven by leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that resist conventional chemotherapy and are the major cause of relapse1,2. Hypomethylating agents (HMAs) are the standard of care in the treatment of older or unfit patients with AML, but responses are modest and not durable3-5. Here we demonstrate that LSCs upregulate the tumor necrosis factor family ligand CD70 in response to HMA treatment resulting in increased CD70/CD27 signaling. Blocking CD70/CD27 signaling and targeting CD70-expressing LSCs with cusatuzumab, a human αCD70 monoclonal antibody with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity, eliminated LSCs in vitro and in xenotransplantation experiments. Based on these preclinical results, we performed a phase 1/2 trial in previously untreated older patients with AML with a single dose of cusatuzumab monotherapy followed by a combination therapy with the HMA azacitidine ( NCT03030612 ). We report results from the phase 1 dose escalation part of the clinical trial. Hematological responses in the 12 patients enrolled included 8 complete remission, 2 complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery and 2 partial remission with 4 patients achieving minimal residual disease negativity by flow cytometry at <10-3. Median time to response was 3.3 months. Median progression-free survival was not reached yet at the time of the data cutoff. No dose-limiting toxicities were reported and the maximum tolerated dose of cusatuzumab was not reached. Importantly, cusatuzumab treatment substantially reduced LSCs and triggered gene signatures related to myeloid differentiation and apoptosis.

Genetic Alterations Impact Immune Microenvironment Interactions in Follicular Lymphoma.

Interactions between germinal center B cells and immune cells in the microenvironment can play integral roles in transformation and growth of follicular lymphoma (FL). Three recent studies, two in this issue of Cancer Cell and one in Cell Reports, elucidate how genetic alterations in CTSS and EZH2 impact these interactions, with implications for FL immunotherapy.

TNIK signaling imprints CD8+ T cell memory formation early after priming.

Co-stimulatory signals, cytokines and transcription factors regulate the balance between effector and memory cell differentiation during T cell activation. Here, we analyse the role of the TRAF2-/NCK-interacting kinase (TNIK), a signaling molecule downstream of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily receptors such as CD27, in the regulation of CD8+ T cell fate during acute infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Priming of CD8+ T cells induces a TNIK-dependent nuclear translocation of ß-catenin with consecutive Wnt pathway activation. TNIK-deficiency during T cell activation results in enhanced differentiation towards effector cells, glycolysis and apoptosis. TNIK signaling enriches for memory precursors by favouring symmetric over asymmetric cell division. This enlarges the pool of memory CD8+ T cells and increases their capacity to expand after re-infection in serial re-transplantation experiments. These findings reveal that TNIK is an important regulator of effector and memory T cell differentiation and induces a population of stem cell-like memory T cells.

CD8+ T cells expand stem and progenitor cells in favorable but not adverse risk acute myeloid leukemia.

CD8+ T cell immunosurveillance is crucial in solid tumors and T cell dysfunction leads to tumor progression. In contrast, the role of CD8+ T cells in the control of leukemia is less clear. We characterized the molecular signature of leukemia stem/progenitor cells (LSPCs) and paired CD8+ T cells in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Epigenetic alterations via histone deacetylation reduced the expression of immune-related genes in bone marrow (BM)-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Surprisingly, a silenced gene expression pattern in CD8+ T cells significantly correlated with an improved prognosis. To define interactions between CD8+ T cells and LSPCs, we performed comprehensive correlative network modeling. This analysis indicated that CD8+ T cells contribute to the maintenance/expansion of LSPCs, particularly in favorable risk AML. Functionally, CD8+ T cells in favorable AML induced the expansion of LSPCs by stimulating the autocrine production of important hematopoietic cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-3. In contrast, LSPCs in aggressive AML were characterized by a higher activation of stemness/proliferation-related pathways and develop independent of BM CD8+ T cells. Overall, our study indicates that CD8+ T cells support and expand LSPCs in favorable risk AML whereas intermediate and adverse risk AML possess the intrinsic molecular abnormalities to develop independently.

Multimodal Treatment in Operable Stage III NSCLC: A Pooled Analysis on Long-Term Results of Three SAKK trials (SAKK 16/96, 16/00, and 16/01).

INTRODUCTION: Long-term data on outcomes of operable stage III NSCLC are scarce. METHODS: Individual patient data from 368 patients enrolled in one phase III and two phase II trials were pooled and outcomes after applying the eighth (denoted with an asterisk [*]) versus the sixth TNM staging edition were compared. Patients were treated with either preoperative radiotherapy following 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy (trimodal) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (bimodal). RESULTS: With the sixth version, the 5- and 10-year survival rates were 38% and 28% for stage IIIA, respectively, and 36% and 24% for stage IIIB, respectively. Factors associated with improved 5-year overall survival were younger age, R0 resection, and pathologic complete remission (pCR) (p = 0.043, p < 0.001 and p = 0.009). With the eighth TNM staging version, 162 patients were moved from stage IIIA to IIIB*. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 41% and 29% for stage IIIA*, respectively, and 35% and 27% for stage IIIB* patients, respectively. There was no difference in the bi- versus trimodal group with regard to median overall survival (28 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 21-39 months] and 37 months [95% CI: 24-51 months], p = 0.9) and event-free survival (12 months [95% CI: 9-15 months] versus 13 months [95% CI: 10-22 months], p = 0.71). CONCLUSIONS: We showed favorable 10-year survival rates of 29% and 27% in stage IIIA* and IIIB*, respectively. Younger age, R0 resection, and pathologic complete response were associated with improved long-term survival. Outcomes using the sixth versus eighth edition of the TNM classification were similar in operable stage III NSCLC.

mTOR mediates a mechanism of resistance to chemotherapy and defines a rational combination strategy to treat KRAS-mutant lung cancer.

Oncogenic KRAS mutations comprise the largest subset of lung cancer defined by genetic alterations, but in the clinic no targeted therapies are available that effectively control mutational KRAS activation. Consequently, patients with KRAS-driven tumors are routinely treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy, which is often transiently effective owing to development of drug resistance. In this study, we show that hyperactivated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a characteristic hallmark of KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinoma after chemotherapy treatment, and that KRAS-mutant lung cancer cells rely on persistent mTOR signaling to resist chemotherapeutic drugs. Coherently, mTOR inhibition circumvents the refractory phenotype and restores sensitivity of resistant KRAS-mutant lung cancer cells to chemotherapy. Importantly, drug combinations of clinically approved mTOR inhibitors and chemotherapy drugs synergize in inhibiting cell proliferation of KRAS-mutant cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, and the efficacy of this combination treatment correlates with the magnitude of mTOR activity induced by chemotherapy alone. These results pinpoint mTOR as a mechanism of resistance to chemotherapy in KRAS-mutant lung cancer and validate a rational and readily translatable strategy that combines mTOR inhibitors with standard chemotherapy to treat KRAS-mutant adenocarcinoma, the most common and deadliest lung cancer subset.