ALBERT

Description: Background: Acquired aplastic anemia (AA), the prototypical bone marrow failure syndrome, is inferred to result from immune-mediated destruction of hematopoietic progenitors, as most patients respond to immunosuppressive therapies. Clonal hematopoiesis in AA is evident in the presence of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) cells in as many as half of patients and by identification of uniparental disomies involving 6p (6pUPD) chromosome in 13% of cases. In addition, "clonal transformation", as defined by the development of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a serious long-term complication in 10-15% AA patients. Methods: We performed targeted deep sequencing and SNP array-based copy number (CN) analysis of peripheral blood- or granulocyte-derived DNA from 439 patients with AA (280 from US and 159 from Japanese cohorts) for a panel of 103 candidate genes, chosen because they are known to be frequently mutated in myeloid neoplasms. Germline DNA was available for 288 out of 439 patients and was used to confirm the somatic origin of mutations. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed in 52 cases. Where serial samples were available, the chronology of detected mutations was also investigated. Results: Targeted deep sequencing provided highly concordant results between the US and Japanese cohorts; approximately one third of AA patients had mutations in genes commonly affected in myeloid neoplasms, and about one third of patients in whom mutations were identified had multiple mutations. Multi-lineage involvement of mutations was confirmed in 6 cases using flow-sorted bone marrow samples. However, compared to myeloid neoplasms, mutations in AA were at much lower variant allele frequencies (VAFs) (

Description: Key Points Eltrombopag promotes hematopoiesis in patients with severe aplastic anemia by stimulating stem and progenitor cells. Eltrombopag can be discontinued safely in robust responders with maintenance of hematopoiesis.

Description: Background T-large granular lymphocytosis (T-LGL) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease characterized by clonal expansion of cytotoxic CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes, presenting with immune mediated cytopenias and associated with autoimmune syndromes. Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with methotrexate, cyclosporine, or cyclophosphamide can improve the cytopenias in about half the patients but can lead to significant toxicity in older patients. The anti CD52 antibody alemtuzumab is a potent immunosuppressive agent with a good safety profile. We therefore initiated a pilot phase II study to evaluate alemtuzumab as a treatment for T-LGL. Methods 20 consecutive patients with T-LGL were enrolled from October 2006 to August 2012 at National Institutes of Health (www.clinicaltrials.gov - NCT00345345). After a 1 mg test dose, alemtuzumab was administered at 10 mg/dose/day intravenously for 10 days. Peripheral blood, bone marrow, and plasma samples were collected from patients before and at 3 or 6 months after treatment. Blood was analyzed for 1) lymphocytes subsets, T-cell receptor V-beta repertoire and CD57 and CD52 expression by flow cytometry (LSR II, BD, San Jose, California), 2) plasma cytokines using a a magnetic bead based Luminex assay (Affymetrix, CA, USA), 3) STAT3 mutation by direct Sanger sequencing and 4) expression level of 84 genes of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway quantified by PCR array 384 well from SABiosciences (Frederick, MD, USA). Results We report here the results of treatment with alemtuzumab in 20 T-LGL patients enrolled in the first stage of the protocol. Three had associated myelodysplasia (MDS) and two had T-LGL following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The median age was 61 years (range, 26-82). The median number of prior therapeutic interventions for T-LGL leukemia was 3 (range, 0-7) and the median time from diagnosis to alemtuzumab therapy was 1096 days (range, 18-6054). The median follow-up for all patients is 508 days (range, 99-1481) and for surviving patients 650 days (range, 120-1481). One patient was lost to follow-up 4 months after alemtuzumab therapy. Alemtuzumab was generally well tolerated. Labeled infusion related reactions were common and managed symptomatically. Prolonged and subclinical EBV and CMV reactivations were common but there were no cases of EBV or CMV disease without instituting prophylactic or pre-emptive therapy. Hematological response as defined by protocol was observed in 11 of 20 patients by 3 months after treatment. No patient with MDS or post HSCT responded to alemtuzumab. Four patients relapsed and received a second round of immunosuppression. One patient achieved stable blood counts on cyclosporine, three received alemtuzumab with one patient responding but relapsing 1 year later. STAT3 mutations in the SH2 domain identified in 10 of 20 patients did not correlate with response to alemtuzumab (5 responders and 5 non-responders). Treatment with alemtuzumab reduced significantly the absolute clonal population of T-cytotoxic lymphocytes, as identified by their V-beta receptor phenotype, but they tended to persist in frequency in the peripheral blood of responders. The expanded V-beta clone expressed both CD52 positive and negative cells and both compartments reduced in size after the treatment. When compared with healthy volunteers T-LGL patients had a distinct plasma cytokine signature (IL-12p40, TRAIL, IL22, IP10, MCP1, M-CSF, PDGF-AA, LIF, SCF) as well as JAK-STAT pathway activation prior to treatment but neither was correlated to clinical responses to alemtuzumab, likely due to the various prior IST regimens. Conclusion This is the largest cohort of T-LGL patients treated with alemtuzumab yet reported. Treatment was well tolerated and at this dose minimal side effects were observed. Alemtuzumab treatment in previously heavily treated T-LGL patients results in over 50% response rate and represents a good treatment option for this condition. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Alemtuzumab for T-LGL.

Description: Clinical and laboratory data have established that aplastic anemia is an immune-mediated disease in which T lymphocytes destroy hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Immunosuppressive therapies are effective in the majority of patients. Addition of the thrombopoietin mimetic eltrombopag increases the overall and complete response rates to anti-thymocyte globulin and as a single agent can rescue patients refractory to immunosuppressive therapy (IST). Multi-lineage robust blood count improvements with increased marrow cellularity suggest activity of eltrombopag on the hematopoietic stem cell. Recently, genetic factors have been identified that increase the risk of bone marrow failure: adults may present in the clinic with late manifestations of a pediatric syndrome (dyskeratosis congenita), but more typically there are no physical anomalies, often no family history, and earlier blood counts may be normal. In the telomeropathies, which in later life are almost always due to mutations in TERT (which encodes the telomerase) or TERC (which encodes the RNA template), there may be personal or familial multi-organ involvement, especially of liver and lung; early hair greying is a useful clinical clue. Detection of extremely short telomeres of leukocytes, accompanied by gene sequencing, is used to establish the diagnosis. In the syndrome defined by GATA2 mutations, there may be a history of unusual or persistent mycobacterial and viral infections, and monocytopenia preceding pancytopenia. Diagnosis requires sophisticated interpretation of gene sequencing. Large genomic data sets are now available acquired (somatic) mutations in aplastic anemia. For almost 300 NIH aplastic anemia patients treated with IST, candidate gene sequencing of myeloid cells obtained six months after treatment revealed somatic mutations in about one-third of cases. PIGA was most frequently abnormal, followed by BCOR1, DNMT3A, and ASXL1. Initial variant allele frequency was usually low. Mutations in a subset of genes predicted poor survival and progression to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia, while mutations in BCOR and PIGA correlated favorably with outcomes. When we also examined a subset of patients at the time of progression to monosomy 7 with pancytopenia and/or incipient leukemia by whole exome sequencing.DNMT3A and ASXL1 were implicated in only two cases, RUNX1 in another, and there were no novel recurring mutations. Telomere attrition was markedly accelerated in these monosomy 7 cases. A good model of evolution from bone marrow failure to myeloid malignancy centers on haploinsufficiency of specific genes, by mutations or chromosome loss, both of which would be favored in a stressed, regenerative environment. The failed marrow environment may select for defective cells, as, for example, in differentiation capability. Malignant evolution should be predictable in the clinic and amenable to therapeutic intervention. Disclosures Off Label Use: Eltrombopag in bone marrow failure syndromes, research protocols.

Description: Donor-cell derived leukemia (DCL) is a rare but serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), reported in 5% of all relapses following allogeneic HSCT. Only 12 cases of DCL after umbilical cord blood (UCB) HSCT are reported in the literature. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed for DCL, including occult donor leukemia, impaired immunity, drug toxicity, or a bone marrow “leukemogenic milieu”. We propose a novel mechanism of leukemogenesis, mediated by very short telomeres of donor cells with subsequent severe telomere attrition in vivo, genomic instability, and progression to complex cytogenetics acute myeloid leukemia (AML), based on study of a patient who underwent UCB HSCT for myelodysplasia (MDS). The patient was a 44-year-old woman, subsequently shown to have a T354M mutation in GATA2, who presented at age 19 years with multiple infections and MDS. At age 41, due to progression of MDS to AML, she received induction chemotherapy and underwent a single 4/6 HLA-matched UCB HSCT. She had delayed engraftment. achieving an absolute neutrophil count of 500/ul more than 100 days post-transplant. Chimerism studies demonstrated 100% donor cell at all time-points post-transplant. Two years and eight months after HSCT she presented with pancytopenia, circulating myeloblasts, and 50% myeloblasts in bone marrow, indicating recurrence of with AML. However, cytogenetics revealed complex abnormalities, t(2p;3q) and an interstitial deletion of 5q, male cells, indicating donor origin of AML. Telomere length of the transplanted cord blood cells measured by Q-PCR showed a severe decrease in length to 7.7 kb compared with an average length of 13 kb in control UCB (n=12). Moreover the telomere length decreased precipitously to 6.6 kb 2 years after transplantation and 5.6 kb at the time of diagnosis of AML. Single telomere length assay (STELA) was used to assess chromosome-specific telomere length. Very short telomeres (

Description: Translocation of 8;21 (q22;q22), generating a fusion of RUNX1 and AML1 genes is considered leukemia-defining and typically presents as an unequivocal acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with peripheral blood blasts and a hypercellular marrow, although it has been reported in patients with Fanconi anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (Quentin S et al. Blood 2011 Apr 14;117(15)). Aplastic anemia is a rare disease characterized by severe pancytopenia and a hypocellular marrow. A few cytogenetic abnormalities, namely trisomy 8 and monosomy 7, are associated with particularly refractory aplastic anemia, and monosomy 7 is associated with clonal evolution to MDS and rapid progression to AML. We describe a case of newly-acquired severe aplastic anemia in a 23 year old woman. Laboratory studies at presentation showed white blood cells 1.38 k/uL, absolute neutrophil count 0 k/uL, hemoglobin 7.4 g/dL, absolute reticulocyte count 5 k/uL, and platelets 38 k/uL. Bone marrow biopsy was 5% cellular with trilineage hematopoiesis and absolutely no dysplasia, even on repeated review. Initial cytogenetic analysis performed outside the NIH at presentation was normal. The patient was transferred to our institution and promptly received standard immunosuppressive therapy given the severity of neutropenia. However, a repeat bone marrow analysis performed immediately prior to immunosuppression showed t(8:21) (q22;q22) by standard cytogenetics in 3 out of 20 metaphases, with confirmation by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Blasts were not identified despite multiple repeat bone marrow aspirations utilizing immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Testing for Fanconi anemia was negative and leukocyte telomere length was normal for age. She remained severely pancytopenic and transfusion dependent for many months. Chemotherapy for AML was withheld given the severe pancytopenia and absence of blasts, and a search for a bone marrow transplant donor was initiated. Progression to frank leukemia with circulating blasts occurred 8 months following initial presentation, just prior to unrelated donor allogeneic stem cell transplantation. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of acquired severe aplastic anemia, profound marrow hypocellularity, hypocellular MDS or hypocellular AML occurring in association with the t(8;21)(q22;q22). This unusual case prompted us to perform comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) using the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based CytoScan high density microarrays on DNA from the patient’s bone marrow mononuclear cells. We detected multiple, large regions of copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (also referred to as uniparental disomy) in the patient’s marrow, ranging in size from 3 to 29 Mbp on multiple chromosomes. We hypothesized that the copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity observed in this case would not be present in other patients with acquired aplastic anemia at diagnosis or in normal controls. CGH did not demonstrate any large regions of copy neutral loss of heterozygosity in 10 patients with acquired severe aplastic anemia and normal cytogenetics at diagnosis, nor in 35 healthy controls. Emerging data show that SNP arrays can detect abundant copy neutral loss of heterozygosity amongst select hematologic malignancies and are associated with the duplication of oncogenic mutations. In our patient, copy neutral loss of heterozygosity possibly provided a second lesion, in addition to the RUNX1/AML1 abnormality, that facilitated initiation or progression to leukemia. These results suggest SNP based CGH arrays may be useful in distinguishing hypocellular AML from aplastic anemia and further studies utilizing this technology are warranted. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Background. Aplastic anemia (AA), the prototypical bone marrow (BM) failure syndrome, is caused by immune-mediated destruction of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). CD8+ cytotoxic T cells with restricted TCR diversity (oligoclonal T cells) are expanded in AA, leading to production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-γ, which induce apoptosis of HSPCs. Recent studies have identified a new subset of memory T cells with stem cell-like properties, TSCM, which are the least differentiated cells of all distinct memory populations. Functionally, TSCM possess an enhanced capacity for self-renewal and can generate multiple memory T cell populations, and they likely have an important role in controlling immunity. In autoimmune diseases, there is abnormal CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activation. We evaluated TSCM frequency in AA and its association with severity, treatment response, relapse, and changes after immunosuppressive therapy (IST). Further, to evaluate the TSCM in other autoimmune diseases, we examined CD4+ and CD8+ TSCM frequencies in uveitis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and sickle cell disease (SCD), as compared with healthy controls. Method. We retrospectively analyzed CD4+ and CD8+ TSCM populations by flow cytometry. PB specimens were collected from 55 AA samples and 41 age-matched healthy donor samples. Among 55 AA samples, 21 samples were analyzed at diagnosis and 34 after IST. For comparison, blood samples were obtained from 34 uveitis patients (27 inactive or 7 active cases), 43 SLE patients who met the American College of rheumatology (ACR) criteria for the disease [19 inactive SLE (SLE disease activity index-2K (SLEDAI-2K) score 〈 3; and 24 active SLE (SLEDAI-2K score 〉 3)], and 5 SCD patients who were receiving frequent transfusions. TSCM was defined as CD3+ CD4 (CD8)+ CD45RO- CD45RA+ CCR7+ CD27+ CD95+ population. Results and Discussion. In healthy controls, TSCM represented a relatively small percentage of circulating CD4+ or CD8+ T cells (median 2.4% CD4+ TSCM and 2.1% CD8+ TSCM, Fig. 1A). A significantly higher CD8+ TSCM frequency was detected in AA patients (4.2% vs. 2.1%, p 〈 0.05) while there was no difference in the CD4+ TSCM frequency (p 〉 0.05), compared to controls (Fig. 1B-C). In AA, high CD8+ TSCM frequency at diagnosis correlated with complete (CR) or partial response (PR) to IST [5.0 % in CR and PR vs 2.8 % in non-responders (NR), p 〈 0.05). In AA patients prior to IST (n=21), CD8+ TSCM frequency was not correlated with age, sex, absolute neutrophil count, platelet count, time from diagnosis to therapy, and serum ferritin levels. CD8+ TSCM were significantly increased in the two AA cohorts (with or without IST), relative to controls (p 〈 0.05, respectively). Higher CD8+ TSCM frequency after IST associated with treatment-failure (3.5 % in responders vs 5.5 % in NR or relapse, p 〈 0.05). Stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 beads successfully induced cytokine production in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from AA and healthy controls. Elevated IFN- γ and IL-2 levels were seen in CD4+ and CD8+ TSCM in AA compared to healthy controls. We next compared CD4+ or CD8+ TSCM frequency between each patient group (AA, uveitis, SLE, or SCD) and a healthy control group. Among the four patient groups, the uveitis group alone displayed a reduction in CD4+ TSCM frequency (1.8%) relative to the healthy controls (2.4 %; p 〈 0.05). An elevated CD8+ TSCM frequency was observed in AA (4.2 %), uveitis (3.6 %), and SCD (4.3 %), but not in SLE, compared to controls (2.1%; p 〈 0.05) (Fig. 2A). Positive correlation between CD4+ and CD8+ TSCM frequencies was found in AA, autoimmune uveitis, and SLE (Fig. 2B). Evaluation of PD-1 expression revealed that TSCM were the least exhausted T cell compartment, as compared to other types of memory T cells. Immune therapies appeared to have negative effects on the TSCM population both in uveitis and SLE patient cohorts, as well as in AA. Conclusion. We provide evidence for increased circulating CD8+ TSCM in AA, underscoring the importance of this novel subset in regulation of immune responses and pathogenesis of autoimmunity. Our work described previously unknown potential roles of TSCM in AA, such as cytokine secretion correlated with effector functions. Understanding the CD8+ TSCM population may offer new therapeutic strategies and novel mechanistic insight into the various autoimmune diseases. Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 2. Disclosures Townsley: Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding. Dumitriu:Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding. Young:Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding.

Description: In bone marrow failure, levels of circulating hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) are extremely elevated, in compensation for low blood counts. In general, administration of recombinant HGFs is not effective in aplastic anemia (AA) and related syndromes. We have established the utility of eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin (Tpo) mimetic, in severe AA (SAA) refractory to immunosuppression (IST) (Olnes, N Engl J Med, 2012; Desmond, Blood, 2014). Eltrombopag in combination with standard IST also appears to increase the rate and speed of recovery in treatment-naive SAA (Townsley, EHA. 2015). These clinical results are surprising, as plasma Tpo is markedly increased in SAA (Feng, Haematologica, 2011). In investigating possible mechanisms of action of eltrombopag, we studied HGF dynamics over time in SAA patients undergoing various treatment regimens and manifesting a range of hematologic responses. In a cohort of 37 treatment-naive SAA patients who were treated with either standard IST (horse antithymocyte globulin/cyclosporine A:ATG/CsA, n = 10) alone or with the addition of eltrombopag (n = 27), among whom 8 were non-responders and 29 responders at 6 months, we measured plasma Tpo, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and erythropoietin (Epo) using magnetic multiplex assays. Concentrations of these HGFs were greatly elevated before treatment. In a majority of patients, G-CSF declined rapidly to the normal range by 6 months, with no difference between responders and non-responders, and no correlation between G-CSF and absolute neutrophil counts. Epo concentrations decreased to the normal range at 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment in responders, to a significantly greater degree than in non-responders (p = 0.001, 0.0012, 0.038, respectively). There was a negative correlation between Epo and hemoglobin (r2 = 0.3126, p

Description: Background. Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired clonal disorder that arises from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). PNH is caused by a somatic mutation in the X-linked phosphatidylinositol glycan class A gene (PIG-A), responsible for a deficiency in glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs). PNH is a clonal disease that originates from HSCs, as the originating PIGA mutation is present in cells of multiple lineages, including myeloid, erythroid, and lymphoid cells. However, a critical question regarding PNH that has yet to be fully explained despite several decades of research is the mechanism responsible for clonal expansion of PIGA -mutant cells in bone marrow failure. Using RNA-seq, we identify pathways, coding and non-coding RNA transcripts, splice variants, or single nucleotide variants and other alterations that may relate to the selective advantage of PNH clone. Method. Blood samples were obtained after informed consent from patients with 14 PNH and 18 age-matched healthy donors. From PNH patients and healthy donors, 4 samples were used for RNA sequencing 6 samples were used for validation by flow cytometry. The liquid FLAER method was used for the detection of PNH-type granulocytes. For RNA extraction, granulocytes were sorted for CD11b+ FLAER+ granulocytes, CD11b+ FLAER- granulocytes. For bone marrow staining, cells not expressing lineage markers were separated into five subpopulations: Long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSC; Lin- CD34+ CD38- CD90+), short-term hematopoietic stem cells (ST-HSC; Lin- CD34+ CD38- CD90-), common myeloid progenitors (CMP; Lin- CD34+ CD38+ CD123+ CD45RA-), granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (GMP; Lin- CD34+ CD38+ CD123+ CD45RA+) and megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors (MEP; Lin- CD34+ CD38+ CD123- CD45RA-). Results and Discussion. First, RNA expression levels in CD11b+ FLAER+ and CD11b+ FLAER- populations of PNH patients were analyzed using RNA sequencing. Expression levels of 7 mRNAs (CSF2RB, ACSL1, FCGR3B, IL1RN, CXCR2, TREM1, and TNFRSR10C) were significantly upregulated (〉 3 FC, P 〈 0.01) in CD11b+ FLAER- cells of PNH patients compared with CD11b+ FLAER+ cells. To validate the differential expression observed in GPI-AP- granulocytes from PNH patients, protein expression levels of CSF2RB, FCGR3B, CXCR2, TREM1, and TNFRSF10C were assessed by flow cytometry. In CD11b+ FLAER- granulocytes of 6 PNH patients, increased expression of CXCR2 was validated, whereas decreased expression of FCGRB and TNFRSF10C were validated compared with CD11b+ FLAER+ granulocytes and that of healthy controls. Low expression FCGRB and TNFRSR10C in CD11b+ FLAER- granulocytes were considered to be reasonable, as these were GPI-APs. Next, we examined whether increased CXCR2 expression in PNH-type cells was validated in different peripheral blood cell populations. Increased CXCR2 expression in PNH-type cells was confirmed in granulocyte and monocyte populations, not in T cell or B cell population. We checked the expression levels of CXCR1 and CXCR2, which are closely related receptors that recognize CXC chemokines. CXCR2 expression was significantly different between normal and PNH-type cells in granulocytes and monocytes, and CXCR1 expression was significant only for granulocytes. To address the difference of CXCR2 expression levels between normal and PNH-type cells in more undifferentiated cells, we next examined the CXCR2 expression levels in bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells. Expression of CXCR2 was weakly expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors, both in normal and PNH-type cells, suggesting that difference of CXCR2 expression between normal and PNH-type cells is evident only in differentiated myeloid cells, not in hematopoietic stem cells or lymphoid cells. Conclusion. We provide evidence for increased expression of CXCR2 in PNH-type granulcoytes and monocytes by RNA-seq and flow cytometry. The differential expression of CXCR2 might partly explain the dominance of PNH clones in myeloid cells in patients. CXCR2 is an adverse prognostic factor in MDS/AML and is a potential therapeutic target against immature leukemic stem cell-enriched cell fractions in MDS and AML (Schinke C, et al, Blood, 2015). Understanding the mechanism of increased CXCR2 expression in PNH-type cells may offer new therapeutic strategies and novel mechanistic insight into the pathophysiology of PNH. Disclosures Townsley: Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding. Dumitriu:Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding. Young:Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding.

Description: It is unknown if telomere length (TL) is associated with clinical outcome or molecular profile in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We collected tumor samples from 67 AML patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. DNA extraction was performed using viably frozen peripheral blood and bone marrow mononuclear cells. RainDance was used to amplify all exons of a set of 30 genes commonly mutated in AML. Capture was followed by next-generation sequencing; mutations were called if the variant was supported by 〉5% of the total number of reads (minimum 〉10 reads). TL was measured as mean telomere content by qPCR. Patients were assessed for FLT3 and NPM1 mutations, cytogenetics, and outcomes by chart review. Results In our 67 patient AML cohort, median TL was 5.22 kb (range 3.73-8.76). Median age was 64.1 years (range 26.2-84.4). While in healthy individuals TL shortens with age, in our cohort there was no association (R2=0.043). There was no difference in TL between newly diagnosed (ND) and relapsed/refractory (RR) patients or between de novo and secondary AML patients. In the 45 ND patients, there was a trend of early improved survival following sample collection in the longest TL tertile compared to the middle and shortest TL tertiles (86.7% vs. 60.0% and 33.3% at 6 months); however, this association was not statistically significant (p=0.662) (Fig 1). In the 22 RR patients, there was also a trend toward improved OS in the longest TL tertile (60.0% vs. 11.1% and 25.0%, p=0.284). In ND patients, there was no association between TL and primary induction failure or relapse-free survival. Targeted sequencing data for 30 myeloid genes were available in 62 of the 67 patients. Analysis of single mutation correlation with TL showed that patients with IDH1 mutations had significantly longer TL than those without (p=0.02) (Table 1). Moreover, mutations in a set of genes associated with epigenetic functions (IDH1/2, ASXL1, DNMT3A, and TET2) also correlated with longer TL when examined together as a group (p=0.073).FLT3-ITD mutations were associated with shorter TL (p=0.084). The median ages of patients with IDH1 or FLT3 mutations were not different from the rest of the cohort. Of note, FLT3-mutated patients did have a higher WBC than FLT3 wild-type patients (p