ALBERT

Description: Article Spin valves with organic semiconductors sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers can have similar performance as their inorganic counterparts. Here, the authors fabricate bathocuproine spin valves with good air stability and show that the transport takes place through the organic layer. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms3794 Authors: Xiangnan Sun, Marco Gobbi, Amilcar Bedoya-Pinto, Oihana Txoperena, Federico Golmar, Roger Llopis, Andrey Chuvilin, Fèlix Casanova, Luis E Hueso

Description: Probing low-energy hyperbolic polaritons in van der Waals crystals with an electron microscope Nature Communications, Published online: 21 July 2017; doi:10.1038/s41467-017-00056-y Here the authors adapt a STEM-EELS system to probe energy loss down to 100 meV, and apply it to map phononic states in hexagonal boron nitride, revealing that the electron loss is dominated by hyperbolic phonon polaritons.

Description: Background: Recent studies have shown that diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cases with gene expression profiles similar to germinal center (GC) B cells had a much better prognosis than DLBCL cases with gene expression profiles resembling activated B cells. DLBCL can be classified into three immunohistochemical expression patterns: GC B-cell pattern (pattern A) expressing CD10 and/or Bcl-6 but not MUM1; activated GC B-cell pattern (pattern B) expressing at least one of GC B-cell markers and MUM1; and activated non-GC B-cell pattern (pattern C) expressing MUM1 but not GC B-cell markers. Purpose: To determine the frequency of these patterns, the immunohistochemical expression intensity of MUM1, BCL6 and BCL2, as well as International Prognostic Index (IPI) and therapeutical response. Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis on paraffin-embedded tissues was performed using the streptavidin-avidin-biotin method in 62 cases of DLBCL. The intensity of immunohistochemical expression was performed as follows: positive (more than 50% expression), positive/negative (expression 20 to 50%), and negative (less than 20%expression). Results: The average age was 60 years. Females were slightly more frequent than males. 84% cases were primary nodal. According to IPI, 60% of cases were low (L) or intermediate-low (IL) risk, and 40% were intermediate-high (IH) or high risk (H). The corresponding A, B and C patterns, by immunohistochemistry, were 10%, 19% and 65% respectively. The majority of patients were treated with CHOP. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 54%, partial response (PR) in 11%, and no response (NR) in 23%. 9 % were not assessed. 4/6, 8/10, 17/36 of the cases had CR in the patterns A, B, C respectively. 5/6, 8/12, 22/40 of the cases were L-IL in the same patterns, without significant difference between these groups. The immunohistochemical expression intensity for either marker was not statistically significant. Conclusions: The most frecuent pattern was C. The activated patterns were most common. The correlation between different pattern expression, IPI and therapeutical response didn’t show statistical differences, probably due to the small size of the sample.

Description: Background: The randomized, phase 3 DASISION trial demonstrated improved efficacy with dasatinib compared with imatinib in treatment-naïve CML-CP patients (pts). Dasatinib was also well tolerated, and demonstrated a faster response at 3 months. Here, we report the results of the final, 5-year analysis of DASISION. Methods: Pts with newly diagnosed CML-CP were randomized to receive dasatinib 100 mg once daily (n=259) or imatinib 400 mg once daily (n=260) as previously reported. The primary endpoint was confirmed complete cytogenetic response (cCCyR) by 12 months. Long-term efficacy and safety data from pts with the predefined minimum 5 years of study treatment are presented. Results: Sixty-one percent of dasatinib-treated pts and 63% of imatinib-treated pts were still on their initial study therapy at study end. Cytogenetic and molecular response rates continued to be higher for dasatinib compared with imatinib (intent-to-treat population). Specifically, the rate of cCCyR by 5 years was higher with dasatinib versus imatinib (83% vs 78%, P=.187), as were the rates of major molecular response (MMR; BCR-ABL ≤0.1%; 76% vs 64%, P=.002) and MR4.5 (BCR-ABL ≤0.0032% IS; 42% vs 33%, P=.025) by 5 years. Time to cCCyR (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]=1.46 [1.20–1.77], P=.0001) and MMR (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]=1.54 [1.25–1.89], P10% at 3 months, improved PFS, OS, and lower rates of transformation to AP/BP have been previously reported and were maintained at 5 years for dasatinib (PFS: 89% vs 72%, P=.0014; OS: 94% vs 81%, P=.0028; transformation n=6/198 [3%] vs n=5/37 [14%]) and imatinib (PFS: 93% vs 72%, P

Description: Introduction: Adult T-cell Leukemia-Lymphoma (ATL) is a rare malignancy of T-cells infected with HTLV-1 and has the worst prognosis of the T-cell lymphomas. CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) is overexpressed on ATL cells (〉90% of ATL patients [pts]). Mogamulizumab (Moga) is a monoclonal antibody directed against CCR4 that has been approved in Japan for the treatment of CCR4+ ATL. There is no standard or effective treatment for relapsed/refractory (R/R) ATL pts outside of Japan. Methods: Pts from the USA, EU, and Latin America with R/R ATL (acute, lymphoma, and chronic subtypes) were randomized 2:1 to treatment with Moga, 1.0 mg/kg, given weekly for the first 4-week cycle and then biweekly, or to 1 of 3 investigator choice (IC) regimens (gemcitabine/oxaliplatin, DHAP, or pralatrexate). Pts randomized to the IC arm were permitted to cross over to Moga upon progression. The primary endpoint was confirmed objective response rate (ORR), defined as a response that is maintained for approximately 8 weeks, in those randomized to the Moga arm (based on modified Tsukasaki criteria). ORR was assessed by the treating investigator (IA) and in blinded fashion by independent review (IR). Key secondary endpoints were ORR for IC and after cross over to Moga, duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: 71 pts were randomized (47 to Moga, 24 to IC). Tissue /blood from 65/71 pts (91.5%) expressed CCR4. Although randomized, there were baseline imbalances in known ATL prognostic factors. Pts with adverse prognostic features were more often randomized to Moga: these features included older age, poor ECOG performance status of 2, bone marrow involvement, and refractory to (vs having relapsed from) their most recent ATL therapy. Based on data through 31 March 2016, ORR (all responses, confirmed and unconfirmed) by IA was 34.0% (16/47) in the Moga group and 0% (0/24) in the IC group; these rates were largely concordant with ORR findings by IR of 27.7% (13/47) for the Moga group and 8.3% (2/24) for the IC group. Confirmed ORR for Moga was 14.9%; there were no confirmed responses in the IC group. 18 IC pts crossed over to Moga and 3 responded, including one confirmed response. The median (m) DoR for Moga was 5.65 months [mo] (95% CI 3.63, not reached). Two pts had responses lasting 〉9 mo. The 16 responders in the Moga arm (as assessed by IA) were evenly distributed over ATL subtypes: chronic 5/16 (31%), acute 5/16 (31%), and lymphoma 6/16 (38%). Of the 65 pts with any exposure to Moga (randomized plus crossover), response according to subtype was: chronic 5/10 (50%), acute 7/31 (23%), and lymphoma 7/24 (29%). While the study was not powered to demonstrate a difference between the treatment arms, the Kaplan-Meier plots of PFS and OS for the ITT population are presented below. The PFS curves deviate modestly in favor of the Moga group. The mPFS for Moga was 0.93 mo (min-max: 0.03-26.20 mo) with 21.5% of subjects progression free at 3 mo, while the mPFS for IC was 0.88 mo (0-4.23 mo) with 12.5 % of subjects progression free at 3 mo. The OS curves overlap. The mOS for the Moga arm was 4.90 mo (0.27-37.33 mo) with 38.9% alive at 12 mo, and the mOS for the IC arm was 6.87 mo ( 0.57-33.87 mo) with 37.5% alive at 12 mo. The OS curves may have been affected by the imbalance in prognostic factors and are confounded by the crossover of 75% of IC pts to Moga. Treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) occurring more often in the Moga group than the IC group were infections (51.1% vs 20.8%); respiratory disorders (48.9% vs 29.2%); infusion related reactions (46.8% vs 0%); and skin disorders (42.6% vs 8.3%). TEAEs ≥Grade 3 were 29/47 (61.7%) for Moga and 13/24 (54.2%) for IC. With the exception of known Moga-related events (infusion related reactions and drug eruptions), TEAE rates are similar when adjusted for exposure time to Moga or IC; for example, the AE rate per pt-mo of exposure for infections is 0.296 for the Moga group vs. 0.234 for the IC group. Conclusions: In the largest randomized clinical trial of pts with R/R ATL thus far conducted, commonly used cytotoxic regimens provided limited to no therapeutic benefit whereas treatment with Moga resulted in objective responses, a trend for favorable PFS, no clear survival advantage or disadvantage, and adverse events that are predictable, thereby supporting Moga's therapeutic potential in this setting. Figure Figure. Disclosures Phillips: Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirin: Research Funding; Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Hermine:AB science: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Alexion: Research Funding. Lill:Kite: Research Funding; California Cord Blood Services: Consultancy; Sanofi: Speakers Bureau. Feldman:Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Abbvie/Pharmacyclics/Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Sawas:Gilead Sciences: Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria. Cook:Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development, Inc.: Consultancy. Kurman:Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development, Inc: Consultancy. George:Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development: Employment. Dwyer:Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development, Inc.: Employment. Leoni:Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Development, Inc.: Employment. Gonsky:Bioclinica: Other: Compensation for independent review of trial data. Horwitz:Infinity Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Spectrum Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Millennium Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Huya Bioscience International: Consultancy, Honoraria; Forty Seven, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria; ADC Therapeutics: Other: Travel.