Therapy of Paediatric B-ALL with a Fast Off Rate CD19 CAR Leads to Enhanced Expansion and Prolonged CAR T Cell Persistence in Patients with Low Bone Marrow Tumour Burden, and Is Associated with a Favourable Toxicity Profile

• Published in: Blood Vol. 134; no. Supplement_1; p. 225
• Main Authors: Ghorashian, Sara, Kramer, Anne Marijn, Onuoha, Shimobi, Wright, Gary, Bartram, Jack Luke, Richardson, Rachel, Albon, Sarah J, Casanovas Company, Joan, Castro, Fernanda, Popova, Bilyana, Villanueva, Krystal, Yeung, Jenny, Guvenel, Aleks, Wawrzyniecka, Patrycja, Pinner, Danielle, Chu, Jan, Lucchini, Giovanna, Silva, Juliana, Ciocarlie, Oana, Lazareva, Arina, Inglott, Sarah, Gilmour, Kimberly, Ahsan, Gulrukh, Champion, Kim, Lopes, Andre, Hackshaw, Allan, Farzaneh, Farzin, Chiesa, Robert, Rao, Kanchan, Bonney, Denise, Samarasinghe, Sujith, Goulden, Nicholas John, Vora, Ajay, Veys, Paul, Hough, Rachael E, Wynn, Robert, Pule, Martin, Amrolia, Persis J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 13.11.2019
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood-2019-125009

Introduction: The CARPALL study (NCT02443831) employed a novel CD19CAR (CAT-41BBz CAR) with a faster off rate than the Kymriah FMC63-41BBz CAR (CAT 3.1x10-3s-1, FMC 6.8 x 10-5s-1), with equivalent on-rate (CAT 2.2 x 105, FMC 2.1 x 105). We herein report updated outcomes and CAR T cell persistence with an additional 6 months follow up from a submitted manuscript (Ghorashian et al., Nat Med, submitted) Methods: Patients aged <25 years with high risk, relapsed CD19+ B-ALL were eligible on this multi-centre, open label, non-randomised phase I study of autologous CAT-41BBz CAR T cells. Patients were followed to a data cut-off of 07/18/2019. CAT-41BBz CAR T cells were generated by magnetic bead activation of leucapheresed PBMCs, lentiviral transduction, followed by bioreactor expansion and magnetic bead removal prior to cryopreservation. All patients received lymphodepletion (fludarabine + cyclophosphamide) followed by 1x106/kg CAR T cells. Presence of CAR T cells in the blood and bone marrow (BM) was assessed (flow cytometry and qPCR) monthly for 6 months, then 6 weekly to 1 year and then 3 monthly. BM MRD was assessed (IgH qPCR, flow cytometry) at the same time-points up to 2 years to establish durability of responses as a stand-alone therapy. Primary end-points were incidence of grade 3-5 toxicity and the proportion of patients achieving molecular remission. Results: Of 17 patients recruited, 14 were treated due to manufacturing failure in 3 patients.The median age was 9 years (range 1-19 years). All patients had advanced ALL with a median of 4 prior therapy lines. 10 of 14 patients (71%) had relapsed post allogeneic SCT. Prior to lymphodepletion, 4 patients had >5% BM disease, 6 had disease between 5x10-2and 1x10-5, 4 were BM MRD negative having had recurrent isolated CNS disease. Median transduction efficiency was 31% (range 16.5 to 96.4%). 12/14 treated patients received the anticipated dose of 1x106CAR T cells/kg (2 received 0.9x106/kg). Considering all evaluable patients, (n=14 for CAR T cell persistence by qPCR, n=13 by flow) the geometric mean of Cmax was 128 912/µg DNA and of the area under the curve between D0 and D28 was 1,721,355 copies/ µg DNA (Table 1). At the point of maximal expansion, a median of 35% of circulating T cells were CAR+. Median half-life was 34 days (range 3-102). CAR T cells continued to be detectable by qPCR in 11 of 14 (79%) patients at last assessment and by flow cytometry up to 30 months post infusion in 8 of 13(61%). Median duration of CAR T persistence by flow was 261 days (range 7-917). 3 patients failed to have persistence of CAR T cells beyond 1 month. T cell mediated anti-CAR specific cytotoxic activity was detected in 2/2 evaluable patients. Updated persistence data will be presented at the meeting Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in 13 (93%, grade 1 n=9, grade 2 n=4). None developed ≥grade 3 CRS, had CRS-related ICU admission, or received Tocilizumab. CRS was associated with modest elevations of IL-6, IFN-γand IL-10. Grade 2 neurotoxicity was observed in 3 patients and resolved spontaneously. One patient had grade 4 leucoencephalopathy presumed due to chemotherapy as well as grade 5 sepsis. Ten patients (71%) had grade 3-4 cytopenia persisting beyond day 28 or recurring afterthis. 12/14 (86%) patients achieved molecular complete or continuing complete remission at a median of 30 days post infusion (range 30-90 days, Table 2). At a median follow-up of 20.3 months, 4/14 (29%) evaluable patients remain MRD negative. 5 relapsed with CD19-disease, 1 with CD19+ disease. The median duration of EFS (based on death or morphological relapse) has not been reached, 12 month EFS = 52%, OS = 70% (Figures 1, 2 and Table 3). Conclusion: We noted excellent CAR T cell expansion and persistence in a ALL cohort treated with the fast off-rate CAT-41BBz CAR despite their lower BM disease at treatment compared to other studies. The kinetics documented for all evaluable patients showed a 5-fold greater CAR T cell expansion and 2-fold longer half-life than responders in published series utilising tisagenlecleucel in a similar ALL cohort (Mueller et al., Blood 2017). Patients had a favourable toxicity profile with no severe (grade 3-4) CRS and equivalent disease outcomes to the ELIANA study despite having similarly advanced disease (Maude et al., NEJM 2018292). These data suggest long lived CAR T cell persistence supports stand-alone therapy for ALL with durable responses. [Display omitted] Ghorashian:Celgene: Honoraria; novartis: Honoraria; UCLB: Patents & Royalties: UCLB. Kramer:UCLB: Patents & Royalties. Ciocarlie:Servier: Other: Financial Support. Farzaneh:Autolus Ltd: Equity Ownership, Research Funding. Pule:Autolus: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Amrolia:UCLB: Patents & Royalties.