Phase I study of MLN8237—investigational Aurora A kinase inhibitor—in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Purpose Amplification or over-expression of the mitotic Aurora A kinase (AAK) has been reported in several heme-lymphatic malignancies. MLN8237 (alisertib) is a novel inhibitor of AAK that is being developed for the treatment of advanced malignancies. The objectives of this phase I study were to establish the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of escalating doses of MLN8237 in patients with relapsed or refractory heme-lymphatic malignancies. Methods Sequential cohorts of patients received MLN8237 orally as either a powder-in-capsule (PIC) or enteric-coated tablet (ECT) formulation. Patients received MLN8237 PIC 25–90 mg for 14 or 21 consecutive days plus 14 or 7 days’ rest, respectively, or MLN8237 ECT, at a starting dose of 40 mg/day once-daily (QD) for 14 days plus 14 days’ rest, all in 28-day cycles. Subsequent cohorts received MLN8237 ECT 30–50 mg twice-daily (BID) for 7 days plus 14 days’ rest in 21-day cycles. Results Fifty-eight patients were enrolled (PIC n = 28, ECT n = 30). The most frequent grade ≥3 drug-related toxicities were neutropenia (45 %), thrombocytopenia (28 %), anemia (19 %), and leukopenia (19 %). The maximum tolerated dose on the ECT 7-day schedule was 50 mg BID. The terminal half-life of MLN8237 was approximately 19 h. Six (13 %) patients achieved partial responses and 13 (28 %) stable disease. Conclusion The recommended phase II dose of MLN8237 ECT is 50 mg BID for 7 days in 21-day cycles, which is currently being evaluated as a single agent in phase II/III trials in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10637-013-0050-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Phase III study of investigational MLN8237 (alisertib) versus investigator’s choice in patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory (rel/ref) peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).

TPS8110 Background: PTCL is a rare form of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for 5–20% of NHL diagnoses. Standard NHL therapies developed primarily for B-cell lymphomas are not optimal for PTCL and early relapse is common. Current treatments for rel/ref PTCL include pralatrexate, romidepsin, and gemcitabine; however, outcomes remain poor. The oral, investigational drug, MLN8237, is a selective inhibitor of Aurora A kinase (AAK) – a key mitotic regulator that is overexpressed or amplified in various human tumors. Emerging clinical data from a phase II study of single agent MLN8237 in rel/ref aggressive T-cell lymphoma (Friedberg et al, ASH 2011) support further clinical evaluation in this indication. Methods: In this open-label, randomized, phase III study, a maximum of 354 adults with rel/ref PTCL after ≥1 prior systemic cytotoxic therapies will be enrolled at approximately 140 centers worldwide. Pts will be randomized 1:1 to MLN8237 50 mg twice daily as an enteric coated tablet on days 1–7 of 21-day cycles, or to investigator’s choice of: pralatrexate 30 mg/m2 IV once weekly for 6 weeks in 7-week cycles; romidepsin 14 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8, and 15 of 28-day cycles; or gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8, and 15 of 28-day cycles. Pts with disease response/stabilization will be able to continue treatment provided that clinical benefit is demonstrated and treatment is tolerable. The expected study duration is 44 months. Primary endpoints are overall response rate (complete response [CR] + partial response) and progression free survival by International Working Group criteria (Cheson et al, 2007). Secondary endpoints include CR rate, overall survival, time to progression, time to response, duration of response, safety, and quality of life. Exploratory endpoints include an evaluation of candidate biomarkers (such as AAK protein expression levels and gene amplification, and the tumor proliferative marker Ki-67) in tumor biopsies. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: #NCT01482962. </jats:p

RX-5902: A phosphorylated p68 targeting agent to treat subjects with advanced solid tumors.

TPS778 Background: Phosphorylated p68 may play a vital role in cell proliferation and tumor/cancer progression. RX-5902 is a novel compound that targets phosphorylated p68 RNA helicase (also known as DDX5), a member of the DEAD box family of RNA helicases. As a single agent, RX-5902 inhibits tumor growth and enhances survival in a variety of xenograft tumor models (e.g., pancreatic, renal, ovarian, melanoma). Methods: This Phase 1, open-label, multicenter study evaluates the efficacy and safety of RX-5902 in subjects with solid tumors. RX-5902 is administered orally 1, 3 or 5 times per week for 3 weeks with 1 week of rest in each 4 week cycle. Dose escalation starts with an accelerated design treating 1 subject per dose followed by a standard 3 + 3 design using a modified Fibonacci sequence after the occurrence of a single Grade 2 or greater adverse event that is considered at related to RX-5902. The primary endpoint is the overall safety profile characterized by the type, frequency, severity, timing of onset, duration and relationship to study therapy of any adverse events, or abnormalities of laboratory tests or electrocardiograms as well as the description of any dose limiting toxicities that occur during Cycle 1, serious adverse events, or adverse events leading to discontinuation of study treatment. Secondary endpoints include pharmacokinetic parameters (e.g., time to maximum observed concentration [Tmax], maximum observed plasma concentration [Cmax], trough concentration [Ctrough], area under the concentration-time curve [AUC]) and Indices of anti-tumor activity (e.g., overall response rate, time to response, duration of response, and progression-free survival during treatment. Exploratory endpoints are biochemical levels of drug targets in blood and tumor samples. Eligible subjects must have confirmed histologic or cytologic evidence of metastatic or locally advanced solid neoplasm that has failed to respond to standard therapy, progressed despite standard therapy or for which standard therapy does not exist. There is no limit on the number of prior treatment regimens. Clinical trial information: NCT02003092. </jats:p

Archexin, a novel AKT-1–specific inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic renal cancer: Preliminary phase I data.

550 Background: Archexin (RX-0201) is a 20-mer oligonucleotide that is complementary to AKT-1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The specificity of Archexin's effect on AKT-1 mRNA levels was examined in human renal cell carcinoma (von Hippel-Lindau protein-deficient renal cell carcinoma cell line) UMRC2 cells and resulted in decreased AKT-1 mRNA levels. Methods: The current study is a proof of concept phase Ib/2, multicenter, open label 2-stage study for subjects who progressed on at least 1 VEGF-targeted therapy. Stage 1 is an open-label, dose-escalation phase Ib study of Archexin administered in combination with everolimus. Archexin is administered by a 24 hour continuous intravenous infusion for 14 days followed by 7 days of rest. It is hypothesized that 250 mg/m2/day or a lower dose of Archexin will be identified as safe and well-tolerated when administered in combination with 10 mg of everolimus. The dose of Archexin identified in Stage 1 will be studied further in Stage 2 which is the randomized, open-label, 2-arm study of Archexin in combination with 10 mg of everolimus versus 10 mg of everolimus alone. Plasma concentrations were measured using a validated LC-MS/MS assay, and noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using WinNonlin, Version 6.4. Results: Five subjects with metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma received 125 mg/m2/day (n = 3) or 200 mg/m2/day (n = 2) of Archexin with 10 mg of everolimus administered daily. Two subjects have had stable disease for 160 and 257 days. The most frequently reported treatment related adverse events for the combination were thrombocytopenia, vomiting and fatigue; no dose limiting toxicities have been reported currently. At all dose levels post-infusion, Archexin plasma concentrations increased rapidly and quickly reached a virtual plateau. Upon cessation of infusion on Day 14, plasma concentrations declined rapidly. Conclusions: At the dose levels tested, Archexin, in combination with everolimus, appears to be well tolerated in patients with metastatic renal cancer. Dose escalation/modification is ongoing to determine the recommended phase II dose of Archexin to be studied further in Stage 2 (randomized) when combined with everolimus. Clinical trial information: NCT02089334. </jats:p

Activity of RX-3117, an oral antimetabolite nucleoside, in patients with pancreatic cancer: Preliminary results of stage 1 of the phase 1a/2b

445 Background: RX-3117 is an oral smallmolecule antimetabolite, cyclopentyl pyrimidyl nucleoside that is activated by uridine cytidine kinase 2. RX-3117 has shown efficacy in xenograft models of gemcitabine resistant pancreatic, bladder and colorectal cancer. Data from stage 1 of the Phase 1b/2a clinical study of RX3117 as a single agent in subjects with metastatic pancreatic cancer is described below. Methods: Stage 1 of the Phase 1b/2a study (NCT02030067) is designed to evaluate safety, tolerability and efficacy following treatment with 700 mg administered orally once-daily for 5 consecutive days with 2 days off per week for 3 weeks with 1 week off in each 4 week cycle in a 2-stage Simon design. Eligible subjects (aged ≥ 18 years) were those with relapsed/refractory metastatic pancreatic cancer. The primary endpoint is a ≥ 20% (2 out of 10 subjects) rate of progression free survival (PFS) benefit (i.e., proportion of subjects with stable disease for at least 4 months) and/or a 10% (1 of 10 subjects) with a partial response rate or better. Results: As of Sep 2016, 8 out of 10 subjects have been enrolled (4 females, 4 males), the mean age was 70 years, ECOG performance status was 1 and 5 subjects had received more than 4 prior therapies. Two subjects met the primary endpoint of stable disease with a duration of 140-168 days at the time of this submission. The most frequent adverse events were moderate to severe anemia, mild to moderate fatigue, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Conclusions: This ongoing trial shows an early efficacy signal where RX-3117 is active against advanced pancreatic cancer. As the primary endpoint has been achieved, the study will now move to stage 2 where an additional 40 subjects with advanced pancreatic cancer will be enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT02030067

Transduction of Murine Bone Marrow Cells With an MDR1 Vector Enables Ex Vivo Stem Cell Expansion, but These Expanded Grafts Cause a Myeloproliferative Syndrome in Transplanted Mice

AbstractAttempts to expand repopulating hematopoietic cells ex vivo have yielded only modest amplification in stem cell numbers. We now report that expression of an exogenous human multi-drug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene enables dramatic ex vivo stem cell expansion in the presence of early acting hematopoietic cytokines. Bone marrow cells were transduced with retroviral vectors expressing either the MDR1 gene or a variant of human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), and then expanded for 12 days in the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, and stem cell factor. When these cells were injected into nonirradiated mice, high levels of long-term engraftment were only seen with MDR1-transduced grafts. To verify that expansion of MDR1-transduced repopulating cells had occurred, competitive repopulation assays were performed using MDR1 expanded grafts. These experiments showed progressive expansion of MDR1-transduced repopulating cells over the expansion period, with a 13-fold overall increase in stem cells after 12 days. In all of the experiments, mice transplanted with expanded MDR1-transduced stem cells developed a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by high peripheral white blood cell counts and splenomegaly. These results show that MDR1-transduced stem cells can be expanded in vitro using hematopoietic cytokines without any drug selection, but enforced stem cell self-renewal divisions can have adverse consequences.</jats:p

Transduction of Murine Bone Marrow Cells With an MDR1 Vector Enables Ex Vivo Stem Cell Expansion, but These Expanded Grafts Cause a Myeloproliferative Syndrome in Transplanted Mice

Attempts to expand repopulating hematopoietic cells ex vivo have yielded only modest amplification in stem cell numbers. We now report that expression of an exogenous human multi-drug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene enables dramatic ex vivo stem cell expansion in the presence of early acting hematopoietic cytokines. Bone marrow cells were transduced with retroviral vectors expressing either the MDR1 gene or a variant of human dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), and then expanded for 12 days in the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, and stem cell factor. When these cells were injected into nonirradiated mice, high levels of long-term engraftment were only seen with MDR1-transduced grafts. To verify that expansion of MDR1-transduced repopulating cells had occurred, competitive repopulation assays were performed using MDR1 expanded grafts. These experiments showed progressive expansion of MDR1-transduced repopulating cells over the expansion period, with a 13-fold overall increase in stem cells after 12 days. In all of the experiments, mice transplanted with expanded MDR1-transduced stem cells developed a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by high peripheral white blood cell counts and splenomegaly. These results show that MDR1-transduced stem cells can be expanded in vitro using hematopoietic cytokines without any drug selection, but enforced stem cell self-renewal divisions can have adverse consequences.</jats:p