ALBERT

Description: Seasonal determinations of algal virus decay rates reveal overwintering in a temperate freshwater pond The ISME Journal 10, 1602 (July 2016). doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.240 Authors: Andrew M Long & Steven M Short

Description: ABSTRACT The relationship between spring soil moisture (SM) and summer precipitation in East China (EC) was examined using monthly temperature and precipitation data and ERA-40 SM data. EC was divided into five different climate regions to investigate how SM-precipitation correlations vary under different climatic conditions. Both local and remote impacts of spring SM in EC were assessed. It was found that spring SM had significant correlations with summer precipitation in the East, Southeast, and Southwest regions, but not in the Northwest and Northeast region. This is possibly because correlations between summer precipitation and temperature (as a surrogate to SM–evaporation relationship) were statistically significant in the first three regions, but not in the Northwest and Northeast regions. Statistically significant positive correlations between SM and summer precipitation were found in the East and Southeast regions and statistically significant negative correlations were in the Southwest region. The negative SM-precipitation relationship is possibly because the Southwest region is primarily an energy-controlled regime. Significant SM-precipitation correlations were usually associated with strong SM persistence and precipitation autocorrelation. Our results suggest that strong correlation between spring SM and summer precipitation might be due to the combination of SM–precipitation interactions and precipitation autocorrelation. Our study also demonstrated that there are strong temporal variations in SM–precipitation relationships in the regions where significant correlations occurred. May SM had significant positive correlations (approximately 0.6) with summer precipitation over most of the study period in East region. Strong negative correlation (approximately −0.6) was found in Southwest during 1980s-1990s due to strong SM persistence and strong precipitation autocorrelation in the same period. This suggested that SM–precipitation relationships vary over time even in regions with strong coupling. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that SM persistence had the largest contribution to summer precipitation variation in East region and April precipitation was the dominant predictor of summer precipitation variations in Southeast and Southwest regions. Statistical analysis of SM and precipitation relationships should consider both SM persistence and precipitation autocorrelation. Results from this study can be used to improve the predictability of droughts.

Description: Coronary artery disease (CAD) causes mortality and morbidity worldwide. We used near-infrared erythrocyte-derived transducers (NETs), a contrast agent, in combination with a photoacoustic imaging system to identify the locations of atherosclerotic lesions and occlusion due to myocardial-infarction (MI). NETs (≈90 nm diameter) were fabricated from hemoglobin-depleted mice erythrocyte-ghosts and doped with Indocyanine Green (ICG). Ten weeks old male C57BL/6 mice (n = 9) underwent left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation to mimic vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and their rupture leading to MI. 150 µL of NETs (20 µM ICG,) was IV injected via tail vein 1-hour prior to photoacoustic (PA) and fluorescence in vivo imaging by exciting NETs at 800 nm and 650 nm, respectively. These results were verified with histochemical analysis. We observed ≈256-fold higher PA signal from the accumulated NETs in the coronary artery above the ligation. Fluorescence signals were detected in LAD coronary, thymus, and liver. Similar signals were observed when the chest was cut open. Atherosclerotic lesions exhibited inflammatory cells. Liver demonstrated normal portal tract, with no parenchymal necrosis, inflammation, fibrosis, or other pathologic changes, suggesting biocompatibility of NETs. Non-invasively detecting atherosclerotic plaques and stenosis using NETs may lay a groundwork for future clinical detection and improving CAD risk assessment.

Description: BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin B cell lymphomas are often infiltrated by immune effector cells including T, NK and dendritic cells. But despite their presence within the tumor they fail to control tumor growth. Some T cells can even play a supportive role to maintain the tumor and prevent the function of anti-tumor immune cells. Regulatory T cells (TRegs) function normally to dampen immune responses and prevent auto-immunity by direct cell contact or by secreting suppressive cytokines i.e. TGF-b and Interleukin-10. Follicular Lymphoma tumor cells can induce the conversion of CD4 T cells into TRegs (1-3), thereby evading anti-tumor immune responses. Follicular helper T cells (Tfh), another class of regulatory T cells, are found within normal follicles of lymphoid organs. Migrating into the germinal center, they promote the survival and differentiation of follicular B cells. In lymphoma, Tfh cells can send a survival signal to tumor B cells through CD40L/CD40 interactions (4). STUDY: In an ongoing multi-center phase I clinical trial (NCT02266147), patients with previously untreated low-grade lymphoma receive low dose (2Gyx2) radiotherapy to a single, tumor site, followed by intratumoral injection into the same site of a CpG-ODN (SD-101, Dynavax Technologies), an immune-modulatory molecule that targets Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR-9). Doses ranged from 1mg to 8mg per injection in successive cohorts. A fine needle aspirate (FNA) of the treated site is performed before, one week after the first injection, and 1 week after the 5th and final weekly injection of CpG-ODN. FNA samples are sent to a central site by overnight delivery in media with 5% fetal calf serum. They are processed within 24 hours and stained for flow cytometry with panels of antibodies to delineate T, B, NK, dendritic, myeloid cells, and their subsets. Antibodies against activation antigens, as well as T cell exhaustion, inhibition and function are also used to characterize these cells. To date, 12 patients have been entered into the dose escalation phase of this study: 10 follicular lymphoma, 1 chronic lymphocytic lymphoma and 1 small lymphocytic lymphoma. Nine of 12 patients had FNAs that yielded enough viable cells for evaluation pre and 1 week post treatment. RESULTS: Therapy has been well tolerated. Local injection site reactions and fever, the most common side effects, resolved by 48 hours. There have been no related SAEs. The treated site regressed in all patients per CT scan at 3 months post treatment. The early evaluation of untreated lesions documented 1 PR. The remaining patients have stable disease with all but one having systemic tumor regressions ranging from 14% to 28%. Seven out of 9 patients evaluable by flow cytometry had an increase in total T cells at the treated site 1 week following the first dose of CpG ranging from 18 to 〉 300% above baseline in both the CD4 and CD8 compartments. More interestingly, there was a reduction of TRegs as a percentage of total T cells in 7 of 9 patients (average reduction: 21.3 ± 10.6%). A single patient with an increase in untreated tumor burden of 15% showed no reduction in TRegs. There was also a reduction of Tfh cells in 8 of the 9 evaluable patients (average reduction: 87.2 ±7.2%). One patient with SLL had no Tfh cells pretreatment. Figure 1A and B shows a representative example of TReg and Tfh cell depletion within the same FL patient. CONCLUSION: Immune modulating therapies can be delivered directly into a tumor to minimize systemic toxicity and induce changes in the tumor microenvironment while potentially inducing a global anti-tumor immune response. In this case, the combination of intratumoral CpG and low-dose radiation reduced the proportion of TRegs and Tfh cells, thereby modulating their immune inhibitory effects and tumor growth promoting effects, respectively. This clinical trial is ongoing and open to accrual. Monitoring the cell populations in the tumor site by repetitive sampling and analysis by flow cytometry reveals the pharmocodynamic effects of anti-cancer therapies, especially those intended to trigger anti-tumor immune responses. This knowledge can be used to tailor therapies and to influence the choice and scheduling of combinations of agents designed to target specific cell populations. 1. Yang Z-Z, et al. Blood. 2007;110:537-44. 2. Ai WZ, et al. Int J Cancer. 2009 Jan 1;124(1):239-44. 3. Mittal S, et al. Blood. 2008;111:5359-70. 4. AmŽ-Thomas P, et al. Blood. 2015 Apr 9;125(15):2381-5 Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Bartlett: Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Colgene: Research Funding; Medimmune: Research Funding; Kite: Research Funding; Insight: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; MERC: Research Funding; Dynavax: Research Funding; Idera: Research Funding; Portola: Research Funding; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Research Funding; Infinity: Research Funding; LAM Theapeutics: Research Funding. Gordon:Northwestern University: Employment; Dr Leo I. Gordon: Patents & Royalties: Patent for gold nanoparticles pending. Coffman:Dynavax Technologies: Employment. Janssen:Dynavax Technologies: Employment. Levy:Bullet Biotechnology, Inc.: Consultancy.

Description: Introduction: Prior studies have shown preliminary clinical efficacy in combining CpG-ODN with radiation therapy (XRT) to patients with indolent B-cell lymphoma. We report interim Phase 1/2 data of combination XRT and SD-101, a synthetic class C CpG-ODN TLR9 agonist, selected for the strong induction of type I interferon. Methods: This dose-escalation Phase 1/2 trial enrolled patients with untreated indolent B-cell lymphoma having at least 2 measurable lesions (one palpable). The primary endpoints were safety and alpha-interferon-gene induction. Secondary endpoints included efficacy assessment using Cheson (1999) criteria and quantification of changes in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. A single lesion was treated with XRT (2 Gy daily X 2 days) followed by a single intratumoral dose of SD-101 (same lesion). 4 additional doses of intratumoral SD-101 were given weekly over next 4 weeks. The treated lesion and distal lesions were monitored during the study. Pharmacodynamic assessment included flow cytometry analysis of immune infiltrates in an FNA sample of the treated tumor and RT-PCR RNA assay of whole blood to assess induction of alpha-interferon genes. Efficacy assessment included imaging (CT at 3, 6, and every 6 months thereafter). Results: As of 01 Aug 2016, 13 patients were treated with escalating doses of SD-101 at 1, 2, 4 or 8 mg/dose. There were no dose limiting toxicities. The majority of related adverse events (AEs) were Grade 1 (mild). The most common were flu-like symptoms (chills, headache, malaise, myalgia), typically resolving within ≤ 48 hours without requiring intervention (e.g., acetaminophen). An induction of alpha-interferon genes occurred at all dose levels with a similar level of induction. For the dose expansion phase, 15 patients were enrolled at 1 mg (6) and 8 mg dose group (9). Similar to dose escalation phase, the most common related events were again flu-like symptoms, typically resolving within ≤ 48 hours mitigated with acetaminophen. There was one dose delay for Grade 3 neutropenia in one patient (1 mg) that resolved following drug interruption. Twenty-nine Grade 3 transient flu-like symptoms were reported for four patients (44%) who received the 8 mg dose (e.g., chills headache, malaise, myalgia, and fatigue). Only one of the four patients experienced all 5 Grade 3 flu-like symptoms after intratumoral injection. There were no grade 4 or serious events reported, and no patient discontinued due to an adverse event. A reduction in tumor sizes was observed in the study over time (see Figure 1). At Day 90 the median changes in the product of diameters from baseline were -46.1% and -10.2% for treated tumor and distal tumors, respectively. At Day 540, the median changes were -68.6% and -24.1%, respectively. In patients with follicular lymphoma (largest subgroup), preliminary data suggest a higher percentage of CD8+ T cells in the treated lesion (FNA at day 8) correlated with an increased abscopal response. Conclusions: Intratumoral SD-101 following radiation therapy has been well tolerated and preliminary efficacy, promising. Abscopal anti-tumor activity was observed with preliminary data suggesting that a higher percentage of CD8+ T cells in the treated lesion correlated with an increased abscopal response seen in follicular lymphoma. Enrollment is ongoing with an option for cycle 2 retreatment. Disclosures Levy: Kite Pharma: Consultancy; Five Prime Therapeutics: Consultancy; Innate Pharma: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy; Corvus: Consultancy; Dynavax: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding. Reagan:Seattle Genetics: Research Funding. Friedberg:Bayer: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Committee. Bartlett:Gilead: Consultancy. Leung:Dynavax: Employment. Peterkin:Dynavax: Consultancy. Xing:Dynavax: Employment. Coffman:Dynavax: Employment. Janssen:Dynavax: Employment. Candia:Dynavax: Employment.

Description: Background: In situ vaccination for the treatment of cancer aims to trigger an immune response locally that propagates systemically. We have shown that local treatment with intratumoral CpG (a TLR9 agonist) and low-dose radiation can elicit antitumor immune responses and global tumor shrinkage in patients with low-grade lymphoma (Brody, J Clin Oncol, 2010; Frank, Cancer Discov, 2018). Ibrutinib is a small molecule that compromises B cell survival by inhibiting Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) but also modulates T cell phenotypes by inhibiting interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK). Specifically, there is evidence for ibrutinib-induced skewing of CD4 T-cells toward a Th1 phenotype, which would be expected to promote anti-tumor immunity (Dubovsky, Blood, 2013). In a mouse model of lymphoma, systemic ibrutinib plus intratumoral CpG was curative of systemic disease in all treated mice, an effect that was fully T-cell dependent (Sagiv-Barfi, Blood, 2015). Study Design: To test the hypothesis that ibrutinib will enhance the efficacy of in situ vaccination via its effects on T-cells, we initiated a phase I/II clinical trial combining oral ibrutinib (560mg), intratumoral CpG (SD-101, 3mg) and local low-dose radiation in patients with recurrent low-grade lymphoma (NCT02927964). Patients with follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, or indolent mantle cell lymphoma relapsed or refractory to at least one line of prior therapy and with at least one superficial disease site accessible for injection and one independent measurable disease site are eligible. Patients with significant autoimmune disease, recent stroke or intracranial hemorrhage, and those requiring anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists or chronic treatment with strong CYP3A inhibitors are excluded. The primary outcome of the study is determination of safety of the combination treatment. Secondary outcomes include overall response rate, progression-free survival, and correlative studies of tumor and blood immune populations. Fourteen patients have been enrolled thus far, with a goal enrollment of 21-30 patients. Treatment consists of two consecutive days of low-dose (2 Gy) radiation to the chosen treatment site, followed by 5 weekly injections of CpG into that same site. Daily oral ibrutinib is begun one day after the second CpG injection. CT scans are performed at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) are used to track treatment-emergent safety events, and Lugano criteria (Cheson, J Clin Oncol, 2014) are used to assess response to therapy. Correlative Studies: Fine needle aspirates (FNAs) are obtained from CpG-injected and non-injected sites pre-treatment and at weeks 2 and 6. Peripheral blood samples are obtained pre-treatment and weeks 2, 4, 6, and at all response assessment timepoints. When available, tumor cells from an excisional biopsy pre-treatment are viably preserved. FNAs and peripheral blood samples from pre-treatment and at weeks 2 and 6 are being analyzed by both flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing. For patients for whom viably preserved tumor cells are available, these are co-cultured with autologous peripheral blood T cells in an in vitro immune response assays to test for tumor-specific T-cell activation. Summary: This innovative study combines in situ vaccination and ibrutinib-induced T-cell modulation and incorporates serial sampling of multiple tumors and peripheral blood using minimally invasive procedures, analyzed by methods that allow for deep profiling of treatment-induced changes. This study is ongoing and currently accruing at the Stanford Cancer Center. Disclosures Khodadoust: Corvus Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Levy:Spotlight: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; 47 Inc: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; XCella: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Immunocore: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Walking Fish: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Five Prime: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Corvus: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Quadriga: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BeiGene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GigaGen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Checkmate: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Teneobio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sutro: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Dragonfly: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Nurix: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Innate Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abpro: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Apexigen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Nohla: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Description: BACKGROUND: Low-grade B cell lymphoma is often characterized by an infiltration of immune effector cells including T, NK and dendritic cells. But, despite the presence of effector cells within the tumor, these cells fail to control tumor growth. In a preclinical mouse model, we showed that Ibrutinib, an inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), but also ITK (IL-2-inducible T cell kinase), synergized with intratumoral CpG to facilitate complete regression of tumors at the treated site as well as a distal, non-treated site, curing all the mice. This was accompanied by a potent anti-tumor memory T cell response by both CD4 and CD8 T cells that rejected the tumor on re-challenge. (Sagiv-Barfi I, et al. Blood. 2015 March:125(13):2079-2086) STUDY: In an ongoing clinical trial (NCT02927964), patients with previously treated low-grade lymphoma receive low dose (2Gyx2) radiotherapy to a single tumor site followed by 5 weekly intratumoral injections of 3 mg CpG-ODN (SD-101, Dynavax Technologies) into the same site. 1 day after the second injection, patients begin taking a daily 560 mg dose of Ibrutinib. A fine needle aspirate (FNA) of the injected site and a non-injected site outside the radiation field is performed prior to radiotherapy, one week after the first injection, and at week 6, 1 week after the final injection of CpG. FNA samples are stained for flow cytometry with panels of antibodies to delineate all major cell populations and their subsets. Cellular activation as well as T cell exhaustion, inhibition and function are also characterized. When feasible, a biopsy is performed prior to treatment providing tumor cells to be used in an immune response assay to evaluate induced anti-tumor responses by circulating peripheral blood T cells obtained throughout the study. RESULTS: To date, 12 patients have been entered onto the study. Of these patients, 4 had excisional biopsies and subsequent immune response assays performed. All 4 patients exhibited CD8 anti-tumor responses as determined by an increase in the activation marker CD137 as well as the functional marker granzyme B above pretreatment CD8 T cells. At week 12, 7 weeks after the last CpG injection, the average increase above pretreatment baseline for CD137 and granzyme B was 6.1% and 9.3%, respectively. In 3 of these patients, we observed an increase in CD8 T cells expressing CD137 and granzyme B from the FNA of the non-injected site. The 4th patient did not have adequate number of cells for staining. Two patients exhibited CD4 immune responses as characterized by an up-regulation of CD137 and CD278. FNA of 7 patients produced enough cells to analyze the tumor microenvironment from both the injected and the non-injected sites over all 3 time points; 1 patient was evaluable through week 2 for both sites. In 7 out of these 8 patients, CD3 T cells increased at the injected and non-injected sites by week 6. The proportion of CD4 and CD8 T cells did not stay constant, however, as reflected by the changes in CD4:CD8 ratios. This suggests that the increase in T cells was not purely the result of a loss of tumor B cells in the samples. Notably, we observed a significant increase in the effector CD4 T cells in all patients at the injected site by week 2 (14.1% ± 6.5%, p = 0.005) and 5 of 8 patients in the non-injected site by week 6 (12.4% ± 10.4%). Moreover, the proportion of T follicular helper cells significantly decreased in all patients at the treated site by week 2 (17.7% ± 9.7% of T cells, p = 0.0012) and in 5 of 8 patients at the non-treated site by week 6 (8.1% ± 5.5% of T cells). Tregs were more variable, decreasing in 5 of 8 patients in the treated and 3 of 8 patients in the non-treated site by week 6. CONCLUSION: CpG is known to activate antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. Ibrutinib is a small molecule that has been shown to have direct anti-tumor effects in B cell lymphoma and may skew an immune response towards that of a TH1 type. Here we show that together, they can effect changes in the tumor microenvironment in both treated and in untreated sites of disease. This clinical trial is ongoing and open to accrual. Disclosures Khodadoust: Innate Pharma: Research Funding.