CAR-T from cord blood in a patient with Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapsing after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

While there is intense interest in the production of allogeneic CAR-T cells from umbilical cord units, little is known about the reactivity and persistence of CAR-T cells of umbilical origin. We report the case of a patient at our hematological center with multiple relapsing Ph+ B-ALL, notably a Blinatunomab non-responder, who underwent therapy with Brexucabtagene Autoleucel following relapse on Ponatinib post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The patient achieved a rapid CAR-T expansion and durable remission presenting in good clinical conditions 6 months post-CAR-T infusion, without manifestations of graft-versus-host disease. The case report provides insight into the reactivity and persistence of CAR-T cells of umbilical origin, confirming the potential promise of allogeneic umbilical cord-derived CAR-T cells.

Unlocking Predictive Power: Quantitative Assessment of CAR-T Expansion with Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR).

Flow cytometry (FCM) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) are conventional methods for assessing CAR-T expansion, while digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) is emerging as a promising alternative. We monitored CAR-T transcript expansion in 40 B-NHL patients post-infusion of CAR-T products (axi-cel; tisa-cel; and brexu-cel) with both His-Tag FCM and ddPCR techniques. Sensitivity and predictive capacity for efficacy and safety outcomes of ddPCR were analyzed and compared with FCM. A significant correlation between CAR-T counts determined by FCM and CAR transcripts assessed by ddPCR (p < 0.001) was observed. FCM revealed median CD3+CAR+ cell counts at 7, 14, and 30 days post-infusion with no significant differences. In contrast, ddPCR-measured median copies of CAR-T transcripts demonstrated significant lower copy numbers in tisa-cel recipients compared to the other products at day 7 and day 14. Patients with a peak of CAR transcripts at day 7 exceeding 5000 copies/microg gDNA, termed "good CAR-T expanders", were more likely to achieve a favorable response at 3 months (HR 10.79, 95% CI 1.16-100.42, p = 0.036). Good CAR-T expanders showed superior progression-free survival at 3, 6, and 12 months compared to poor CAR-T expanders (p = 0.088). Those reaching a peak higher than 5000 copies/microg gDNA were more likely to experience severe CRS and ICANS. DdPCR proves to be a practical method for monitoring CAR-T expansion, providing quantitative information that better predicts both treatment outcomes and toxicity.

PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay: A highly sensitive method for detection of MYD88 L265P mutation.

INTRODUCTION: Agarose gel-based conventional and real-time allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) assays are currently used for sensitive detection and quantification of MYD88 L265P mutation. Visual inspection of an agarose gel can often be ambiguous. We propose a new allele-specific quantification PCR (AS-qPCR) assay, PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay, that uses Intercalating Nucleic Acid (INA®) technology for increased affinity and specificity. METHODS: This study compares PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay with conventional AS-PCR. We included a total of 102 peripheral and bone marrow blood samples from 94 patients with a lymphoproliferative disorder. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used as a third method in case of discrepancy. RESULTS: A positive percent agreement of 100% (95% CI 0.92-1.0) and a negative percent agreement of 98% (95% CI 0.90-1.0) were found between the conventional AS-PCR and the AS-qPCR methods. Including the ddPCR results to validate the discrepant cases, the sensitivity and specificity of PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR Assay were 1.0 (95% CI 0.97-1.0) and 1.0 (95% CI 0.96-1.0), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that PlentiPlex™ MYD88 Waldenström lymphoma qPCR assay is a fast, highly sensitive, and specific method for the detection of MYD88 L265P compared with conventional AS-PCR.

Serological and Molecular Characterization of Hepatitis C Virus-Related Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis in Patients without Cryoprecipitate.

Prolonged B cells stimulation due to the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can result in autoimmunity, stigmatized by rising levels of cryoglobulins (CGs), the rheumatoid factor (RF), and free light chains (FLC) of immunoglobulins (Ig) associated with a range of symptoms, from their absence to severe cryoglobulinemic vasculitis and lymphoma. Here, we aimed to identify an immunological signature for the earliest stages of vasculitis when cryoprecipitate is still not detectable. We firstly analyzed the IgG subclasses, FLC, and RF in 120 HCV-RNA-positive patients divided into four groups according to the type of cryoprecipitate and symptoms: 30 asymptomatic without cryoprecipitate (No Cryo), 30 with vasculitis symptoms but without CGs that we supposed were circulating but still not detectable (Circulating), 30 type II and 30 type III mixed cryoglobulinemia (Cryo II and Cryo III, respectively). Our results revealed that patients with supposed circulating CGs displayed a pattern of serological parameters that closely resembled Cryo II and Cryo III, with a stronger similarity to Cryo II. Accordingly, we analyzed the groups of Circulating and Cryo II for their immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements, finding a similar mixed distribution of monoclonal, oligoclonal, and polyclonal responses compared to a control group of ten HCV-RNA-negative patients recovered from infection, who displayed a 100% polyclonal response. Our results strengthened the hypothesis that circulating CGs are the origin of symptoms in HCV-RNA-positive patients without cryoprecipitate and demonstrated that an analysis of clonal IGH and TCR rearrangements is the best option for the early diagnosis of extrahepatic complications.

Single-dose versus short-course prophylactic antibiotics for peroral endoscopic myotomy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been recommended for achalasia treatment. To prevent the potential of infective risk, antibiotic prophylaxis is usually administered, whereas the additional need of antibiotic therapy after POEM is uncertain. The primary endpoint was to determine whether prophylaxis versus prophylaxis plus short therapy was needed after POEM. METHODS: Consecutive patients scheduled for POEM were randomly assigned (1:1) to group A (prophylactic cefazolin 2 g IV) or group B (prophylaxis + cefazolin 2 g IV × 3 followed by oral amoxicillin/clavulanate 3 g/day). Infective risk was assessed by means of host response, namely body temperature and serum levels of white blood cells and C-reactive protein; immune response (the cytokines interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α and microbial translocation mediators lipopolysaccharide binding protein and soluble CD14); and blood cultures at time points before (t0) and after (t1, t2) POEM. RESULTS: After POEM, none of the 124 enrolled patients (54.6 ± 12.6 years old; 64 men) developed any fever (body temperature: t0, 36.56± .49°C; t1, 36.53± .52°C; t2, 36.48± .41°C), without any differences between groups at any time point. Regarding systemic inflammation, no difference was reported between groups in serum levels of C-reactive protein and white blood cells. Considering microbial translocation mediated response, lipopolysaccharide binding protein (group A: t0, 1539 ± 168.6 pg/mL; t1, 1321 ± 149.1 pg/mL; t2, 2492 ± 283.2 pg/mL; group B: t0, 1318 ± 115.9 pg/mL; t1, 1492 ± 163.8 pg/mL; t2, 2600 ± 328.2 pg/mL) and soluble CD14 (group A: t0, 2.16 ± .15 µg/mL; t1, 1.89 ± .15 µg/mL; t2, 2.2 ± .15 µg/mL; group B: t0, 2.1 ± .13 µg/mL; t1, 2 ± .13 µg/mL; t2, 2.5 ± .2 µg/mL) were similar between the 2 groups; the immune response cytokines IL-6, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α also were similar in the 2 groups. In relation to blood cultures, at t1 the group B bacteremia rate was 3.2% (2/62) and group A was 1.6% (1/62) with no difference (P = .6). All subsequent blood cultures were negative at t2. CONCLUSIONS: According to our study, postprophylactic short-term antimicrobial therapy after POEM is not required because of a very low residual infective risk. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT03587337.).