DKN-01 in Combination With Tislelizumab and Chemotherapy as First-Line Therapy in Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma: DisTinGuish.

PURPOSE: The outcomes of anti-PD-1 agents plus fluoropyrimidine/platinum in frontline advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (aGEAs) remain poor. We investigated the safety, tolerability, and activity of fluoropyrimidine/oxaliplatin and tislelizumab with the DKK1-neutralizing antibody DKN-01 in aGEAs in a phase IIa open-label study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients had untreated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative aGEAs, RECIST v1.1 measurable disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1, and adequate organ function. Patients received intravenous DKN-01 300 mg once every 2 weeks, tislelizumab 200 mg once every 3 weeks, oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks, and capecitabine 1,000 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-15 of each 21-day cycle. The primary end point was safety and tolerability. Key secondary end points included objective response rate (ORR) by RECISTv1.1, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Between September 18, 2020, and April 8, 2021, 25 patients were enrolled. All patients who received at least one dose of DKN-01 were included in the safety analysis. Most patients had gastroesophageal junction tumors, median age was 61 years, 76% were male, and 55% were ECOG of 0. All patients reported at least one treatment-emergent adverse event. The ORR was 73% (95% CI, 49.8 to 89.3), with a disease control rate of 95%. The ORR was 90% (95% CI, 55.5 to 99.7) in the DKK1-high tumor patients and 67% (95% CI, 29.9 to 92.5) in the DKK1-low tumor patients. The median PFS was 11.3 months (95% CI, 5.8 to 12.0) and the 12-month PFS rate was 33%. The median OS was 19.5 months (95% CI, 15.2 to 24.4) with a 12-month OS rate of 76% and an 18-month OS rate of 55%. CONCLUSION: DKN-01 can be safely combined with frontline fluoropyrimidine/oxaliplatin and tislelizumab and demonstrates encouraging activity independent of PD-L1 expression levels. A randomized phase II trial is ongoing (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04363801).

A Phase 1/2 multicenter trial of DKN-01 as monotherapy or in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

BACKGROUND: Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) is a Wingless-related integrate site (Wnt) signaling modulator that is upregulated in prostate cancers (PCa) with low androgen receptor expression. DKN-01, an IgG4 that neutralizes DKK1, delays PCa growth in pre-clinical DKK1-expressing models. These data provided the rationale for a clinical trial testing DKN-01 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC). METHODS: This was an investigator-initiated parallel-arm phase 1/2 clinical trial testing DKN-01 alone (monotherapy) or in combination with docetaxel 75 mg/m2 (combination) for men with mCRPC who progressed on ≥1 AR signaling inhibitors. DKK1 status was determined by RNA in-situ expression. The primary endpoint of the phase 1 dose escalation cohorts was the determination of the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). The primary endpoint of the phase 2 expansion cohorts was objective response rate by iRECIST criteria in patients treated with the combination. RESULTS: 18 pts were enrolled into the study-10 patients in the monotherapy cohorts and 8 patients in the combination cohorts. No DLTs were observed and DKN-01 600 mg was determined as the RP2D. A best overall response of stable disease occurred in two out of seven (29%) evaluable patients in the monotherapy cohort. In the combination cohort, five out of seven (71%) evaluable patients had a partial response (PR). A median rPFS of 5.7 months was observed in the combination cohort. In the combination cohort, the median tumoral DKK1 expression H-score was 0.75 and the rPFS observed was similar between patients with DKK1 H-score ≥1 versus H-score = 0. CONCLUSION: DKN-01 600 mg was well tolerated. DKK1 blockade has modest anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy for mCRPC. Anti-tumor activity was observed in the combination cohorts, but the response duration was limited. DKK1 expression in the majority of mCRPC is low and did not clearly correlate with anti-tumor activity of DKN-01 plus docetaxel.

DKK1 is a predictive biomarker for response to DKN-01: Results of a phase 2 basket study in women with recurrent endometrial carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is a Wnt signaling modulator promoting tumor growth, metastasis, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression by regulating innate immunity. DKK1 is over-expressed in gynecologic cancers and is associated with shortened survival. DKN-01 is a humanized monoclonal antibody with DKK1 neutralizing activity that may provide clinical benefit to patients whose tumors have overexpression of DKK1 or Wnt genetic alterations. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, Phase 2 basket study with 2-stage design in patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC) and platinum-resistant/refractory epithelial ovarian cancer. DKN-01 was administered either as monotherapy or in combination with weekly paclitaxel at investigator's discretion. All patients underwent NGS testing prior to enrollment; tumor tissue was also tested for DKK1 expression by RNAscope pre-treatment and after cycle 1 if available. At least 50% of patients were required to have a Wnt signaling alteration either directly or tangentially. This publication reports results from the EC population overall and by DKK1-expression. RESULTS: DKN-01 monotherapy and in combination with paclitaxel was more effective in patients with high DKK1-expressing tumors compared to low-expressing tumors. DKN-01 monotherapy demonstrated an objective response rate [ORR] of 25.0% vs. 0%; disease control rate [DCR] of 62.5% vs. 6.7%; median progression-free survival [PFS] was 4.3 vs. 1.8 months, and overall survival [OS] was 11.0 vs. 8.2 months in DKK1-high vs DKK1-low patients. Similarly, DKN-01 in combination with paclitaxel demonstrated greater clinical activity in patients with DKK1-high tumors compared to DKK1-low tumors: DCR was 55% vs. 44%; median PFS was 5.4 vs. 1.8 months; and OS was 19.1 vs. 10.1 months. Wnt activating mutations correlated with higher DKK1 expression. DKN-01 was well tolerated as a monotherapy and in combination with paclitaxel. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, data demonstrates promising clinical activity of a well-tolerated drug, DKN-01, in EC patients with high tumoral DKK1 expression which frequently corresponded to the presence of a Wnt activating mutation. Future development will focus on using DKN-01 in DKK1-high EC patients in combination with immunotherapy.

Phase IB Study of GITR Agonist Antibody TRX518 Singly and in Combination with Gemcitabine, Pembrolizumab, or Nivolumab in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors.

PURPOSE: TRX518 is a mAb engaging the glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor-related protein (GITR). This open-label, phase I study (TRX518-003) evaluated the safety and efficacy of repeated dose TRX518 monotherapy and in combination with gemcitabine, pembrolizumab, or nivolumab in advanced solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: TRX518 monotherapy was dose escalated (Part A) and expanded (Part B) up to 4 mg/kg loading, 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks. Parts C-E included dose-escalation (2 and 4 mg/kg loading followed by 1 mg/kg) and dose-expansion (4 mg/kg loading) phases with gemcitabine (Part C), pembrolizumab (Part D), or nivolumab (Part E). Primary endpoints included incidence of dose-limiting toxicities (DLT), serious adverse events (SAE), and pharmacokinetics. Secondary endpoints were efficacy and pharmacodynamics. RESULTS: A total of 109 patients received TRX518: 43 (Parts A+B), 30 (Part C), 26 (Part D), and 10 (Part E), respectively. A total of 67% of patients in Parts D+E had received prior anti-PD(L)1 or anti-CTLA-4. No DLTs, treatment-related SAEs, and/or grade 4 or 5 AEs were observed with TRX518 monotherapy. In Parts C-E, no DLTs were observed, although TRX518-related SAEs were reported in 3.3% (Part C) and 10.0% (Part E), respectively. Objective response rate was 3.2%, 3.8%, 4%, and 12.5% in Parts A+B, C, D, and E, respectively. TRX518 affected peripheral and intratumoral regulatory T cells (Treg) with different kinetics depending on the combination regimen. Responses with TRX518 monotherapy+anti-PD1 combination were associated with intratumoral Treg reductions and CD8 increases and activation after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: TRX518 showed an acceptable safety profile with pharmacodynamic activity. Repeated dose TRX518 monotherapy and in combination resulted in limited clinical responses associated with immune activation. See related commentary by Hernandez-Guerrero and Moreno, p. 3905.

Safety, Efficacy, and Biomarker Results from a Phase Ib Study of the Anti-DKK1 Antibody DKN-01 in Combination with Pembrolizumab in Advanced Esophagogastric Cancers.

Therapeutic combinations targeting innate and adaptive immunity and predictive biomarkers of response in esophagogastric cancer (EGC) are needed. We assessed safety and clinical utility of DKN-01 (a novel DKK1-neutralizing IgG4 antibody) combined with pembrolizumab and retrospectively determined DKK1 tumoral expression as a biomarker. Patients with advanced EGC received intravenous DKN-01 (150 or 300 mg) on days 1 and 15 with pembrolizumab 200 mg on day 1 in 21-day cycles. Clinical response was assessed by RECIST v1.1. Association of tumoral DKK1 mRNA expression (H-score: high ≥ upper-tertile, low < upper-tertile) with response was assessed with PD-L1 levels as a covariate. Sixty-three patients received DKN-01 150 mg (n = 2) or 300 mg (n = 61) plus pembrolizumab. Common adverse events were fatigue, anemia, blood alkaline phosphatase elevation, aspartate aminotransferase elevation, and hyponatremia. Among evaluable anti-PD-1/PD-L1-naïve patients receiving DKN-01 300 mg and pembrolizumab, objective response rate (ORR) was 11.4% (5/44) and 18.5% (5/27) in patients with gastroesophageal junction or gastric cancer (GEJ/GC). Among response-evaluable anti-PD-1/PD-L1-naïve patients with GEJ/GC and known tumoral DKK1 expression, ORR was 50% in DKK1-high and 0% in DKK1-low patients, median PFS was 22.1 vs. 5.9 weeks (HR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.08-0.67), respectively, and median OS was 31.6 weeks vs. 17.4 weeks (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.16-1.07), respectively. Association of DKK1 expression with PFS was independent of PD-L1 expression (adjusted HR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.06-0.69). DKN-01 combined with pembrolizumab was well tolerated with no new safety signals. Antitumor activity was enriched in anti-PD-1/PD-L1-naïve patients with GEJ/GC whose tumors expressed high DKK1.

Dickkopf-1 Can Lead to Immune Evasion in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with low androgen receptor (AR) and without neuroendocrine signaling, termed double-negative prostate cancer (DNPC), is increasingly prevalent in patients treated with AR signaling inhibitors and is in need of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. METHODS: Candidate genes enriched in DNPC were determined using differential gene expression analysis of discovery and validation cohorts of mCRPC biopsies. Laboratory studies were carried out in human mCRPC organoid cultures, prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines, and mouse xenograft models. Epigenetic studies were carried out in a rapid autopsy cohort. RESULTS: Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) expression is increased in DNPC relative to prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-expressing mCRPC in the Stand Up to Cancer/Prostate Cancer Foundation discovery cohort (11.2 v 0.28 reads per kilobase per million mapped reads; q < 0.05; n = 117) and in the University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center cohort (9.2 v 0.99 fragments per kilobase of transcript per million mapped reads; P < .0001). DKK1 expression can be regulated by activated Wnt signaling in vitro and correlates with activating canonical Wnt signaling mutations and low PSA mRNA in mCRPC biopsies (P < .05). DKK1 hypomethylation was associated with increased DKK1 mRNA expression (Pearson r = -0.66; P < .0001) in a rapid autopsy cohort (n = 7). DKK1-high mCRPC biopsies are infiltrated with significantly higher numbers of quiescent natural killer (NK) cells (P < .005) and lower numbers of activated NK cells (P < .0005). Growth inhibition of the human PCa model PC3 by the anti-DKK1 monoclonal antibody DKN-01 depends on the presence of NK cells in a severe combined immunodeficient xenograft mouse model. CONCLUSION: These results support DKK1 as a contributor to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of DNPC. These data have provided the rationale for a clinical trial targeting DKK1 in mCRPC (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03837353).