Phenotyping and target expression profiling of CD34+/CD38- and CD34+/CD38+ stem- and progenitor cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are an emerging target of curative anti-leukemia therapy. In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), LSCs frequently express CD34 and often lack CD38. However, little is known about markers and targets expressed in ALL LSCs. We have examined marker- and target expression profiles in CD34+/CD38- LSCs in patients with Ph+ ALL (n = 22) and Ph- ALL (n = 27) by multi-color flow cytometry and qPCR. ALL LSCs expressed CD19 (B4), CD44 (Pgp-1), CD123 (IL-3RA), and CD184 (CXCR4) in all patients tested. Moreover, in various subgroups of patients, LSCs also displayed CD20 (MS4A1) (10/41 = 24%), CD22 (12/20 = 60%), CD33 (Siglec-3) (20/48 = 42%), CD52 (CAMPATH-1) (17/40 = 43%), IL-1RAP (13/29 = 45%), and/or CD135 (FLT3) (4/20 = 20%). CD25 (IL-2RA) and CD26 (DPPIV) were expressed on LSCs in Ph+ ALL exhibiting BCR/ABL1p210, whereas in Ph+ ALL with BCR/ABL1p190, LSCs variably expressed CD25 but did not express CD26. In Ph- ALL, CD34+/CD38- LSCs expressed IL-1RAP in 6/18 patients (33%), but did not express CD25 or CD26. Normal stem cells stained negative for CD25, CD26 and IL-1RAP, and expressed only low amounts of CD52. In xenotransplantation experiments, CD34+/CD38- and CD34+/CD38+ cells engrafted NSG mice after 12-20 weeks, and targeting with antibodies against CD33 and CD52 resulted in reduced engraftment. Together, LSCs in Ph+ and Ph- ALL display unique marker- and target expression profiles. In Ph+ ALL with BCR/ABL1p210, the LSC-phenotype closely resembles the marker-profile of CD34+/CD38- LSCs in chronic myeloid leukemia, confirming the close biologic relationship of these neoplasms. Targeting of LSCs with specific antibodies or related immunotherapies may facilitate LSC eradication in ALL

Protecting asset value and driving performance with a dynamic, risk-based contingency fund

We present a risk-based contingency fund management methodology to mitigate the impact of external risks on asset value and performance. Many asset intensive industries, such as water and energy utilities, are significantly affected by external risks such as extreme weather events. We put the case for a centrally held risk-based contingency fund that would mitigate against ‘medium’ impact ‘medium’ probability events that fall outside of large losses covered by insurance and smaller ‘normal’ operating losses. Our risk-based contingency approach is appropriate for short-term business planning (1–5 years) and would complement longer term planning, for example climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Our approach offers a risk-based methodology to manage contingency that is explicit and defensible. Critically, our methodology allows contingency to be managed dynamically as risk probabilities and impacts change, creating a mechanism for contingency funds to be periodically released if risk exposure reduces. The long-term benefit of dynamic, risk-based contingency is to reduce the impact of external risks and support long-term sustainability

Next-generation sequencing identifies major {DNA} methylation changes during progression of {Ph}+ chronic myeloid leukemia

Little is known about the impact of DNA methylation on the evolution/progression of Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We investigated the methylome of CML patients in chronic phase (CP-CML), accelerated phase (AP-CML) and blast crisis (BC-CML) as well as in controls by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. Although only ~600 differentially methylated CpG sites were identified in samples obtained from CP-CML patients compared with controls, ~6500 differentially methylated CpG sites were found in samples from BC-CML patients. In the majority of affected CpG sites, methylation was increased. In CP-CML patients who progressed to AP-CML/BC-CML, we identified up to 897 genes that were methylated at the time of progression but not at the time of diagnosis. Using RNA-sequencing, we observed downregulated expression of many of these genes in BC-CML compared with CP-CML samples. Several of them are well-known tumor-suppressor genes or regulators of cell proliferation, and gene re-expression was observed by the use of epigenetic active drugs. Together, our results demonstrate that CpG site methylation clearly increases during CML progression and that it may provide a useful basis for revealing new targets of therapy in advanced CML

Dose study of the multikinase inhibitor, LY2457546, in patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia to assess safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics

Volker Wacheck1, Michael Lahn2, Gemma Dickinson3, Wolfgang Füreder4, Renata Meyer4, Susanne Herndlhofer4, Thorsten Füreder1, Georg Dorfner5, Sada Pillay2, Valérie André6, Timothy P Burkholder7, Jacqueline K Akunda8, Leann Flye-Blakemore9, Dirk Van Bockstaele9, Richard F Schlenk10, Wolfgang R Sperr4, Peter Valent4,111Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel, Vienna, Austria; 2Early Oncology Clinical Investigation, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA; 3Department of Pharmacokinetics, Eli Lilly and Company, Erl Wood Research Centre, Windlesham, Surrey, UK; 4Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel, Vienna, Austria; 5Eli Lilly GesmbH, Medical Department, Vienna, Austria; 6Department of Statistics, Eli Lilly and Company, Erl Wood Research Centre, Surrey, UK; 7Discovery Chemistry Research and Technology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA; 8Nonclinical Toxicology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA; 9Flow Cytometry and Cell Analysis, Esoterix Clinical Trials Services, Mechelen, Belgium; 10Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Ulm, Germany; 11Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster Oncology, Vienna, AustriaBackground: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a life-threatening malignancy with limited treatment options in chemotherapy-refractory patients. A first-in-human dose study was designed to investigate a safe and biologically effective dose range for LY2457546, a novel multikinase inhibitor, in patients with relapsed AML.Methods: In this nonrandomized, open-label, dose escalation Phase I study, LY2457546 was administered orally once a day. Safety, pharmacokinetics, changes in phosphorylation of target kinases in AML blasts, and risk of drug–drug interactions (DDI) were assessed.Results: Five patients were treated at the starting and predicted minimal biologically effective dose of 50 mg/day. The most commonly observed adverse events were febrile neutropenia, epistaxis, petechiae, and headache. The majority of adverse events (81%) were Grade 1 or 2. One patient had generalized muscle weakness (Grade 3), which was deemed to be a dose-limiting toxicity. Notably, the pharmacokinetic profile of LY2457546 showed virtually no elimination of LY2457546 within 24 hours, and thus prevented further dose escalation. No significant DDI were observed. Ex vivo flow cytometry studies showed downregulation of the phosphoproteins, pcKIT, pFLT3, and pS6, in AML blasts after LY2457546 administration. No medically relevant responses were observed in the five treated patients.Conclusion: No biologically effective dose could be established for LY2457546 in chemotherapy-resistant AML patients. Lack of drug clearance prevented safe dose escalation, and the study was terminated early. Future efforts should be made to develop derivatives with a more favorable pharmacokinetic profile.Keywords: multikinase inhibitor, pharmacokinetics, safety, acute myeloid leukemia, pharmacodynamics&nbsp

Nilotinib-induced vasculopathy: Identification of vascular endothelial cells as a primary target site

The BCR/ABL1 inhibitor Nilotinib is increasingly used to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Although otherwise well-tolerated, Nilotinib has been associated with the occurrence of progressive arterial occlusive disease (AOD). Our objective was to determine the exact frequency of AOD and examine in vitro and in vivo effects of Nilotinib and Imatinib on endothelial cells to explain AOD-development. In contrast to Imatinib, Nilotinib was found to upregulate pro-atherogenic adhesion-proteins (ICAM-1, E-selectin, VCAM-1) on human endothelial cells. Nilotinib also suppressed endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube-formation, and bound to a distinct set of target-kinases, relevant to angiogenesis and atherosclerosis, including angiopoietin receptor-1 TEK, ABL-2, JAK1, and MAP-kinases. Nilotinib and siRNA against ABL-2 also suppressed KDR expression. In addition, Nilotinib augmented atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice and blocked reperfusion and angiogenesis in a hind-limb-ischemia model of arterial occlusion, whereas Imatinib showed no comparable effects. Clinically overt AOD-events were found to accumulate over time in Nilotinib-treated patients. After a median observation-time of 2.0 years, the AOD-frequency was higher in these patients (29.4%) compared to risk factor- and age-matched controls (<5%). Together, Nilotinib exerts direct pro-atherogenic and anti-angiogenic effects on vascular endothelial cells, which may contribute to development of AOD in patients with CML.Leukemia accepted article preview online, 31 July 2017. doi:10.1038/leu.2017.245

Nilotinib-induced vasculopathy: Identification of vascular endothelial cells as a primary target site

The BCR/ABL1 inhibitor Nilotinib is increasingly used to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Although otherwise well-tolerated, Nilotinib has been associated with the occurrence of progressive arterial occlusive disease (AOD). Our objective was to determine the exact frequency of AOD and examine in vitro and in vivo effects of Nilotinib and Imatinib on endothelial cells to explain AOD-development. In contrast to Imatinib, Nilotinib was found to upregulate pro-atherogenic adhesion-proteins (ICAM-1, E-selectin, VCAM-1) on human endothelial cells. Nilotinib also suppressed endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube-formation, and bound to a distinct set of target-kinases, relevant to angiogenesis and atherosclerosis, including angiopoietin receptor-1 TEK, ABL-2, JAK1, and MAP-kinases. Nilotinib and siRNA against ABL-2 also suppressed KDR expression. In addition, Nilotinib augmented atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice and blocked reperfusion and angiogenesis in a hind-limb-ischemia model of arterial occlusion, whereas Imatinib showed no comparable effects. Clinically overt AOD-events were found to accumulate over time in Nilotinib-treated patients. After a median observation-time of 2.0 years, the AOD-frequency was higher in these patients (29.4%) compared to risk factor- and age-matched controls (&lt;5%). Together, Nilotinib exerts direct pro-atherogenic and anti-angiogenic effects on vascular endothelial cells, which may contribute to development of AOD in patients with CML.Leukemia accepted article preview online, 31 July 2017. doi:10.1038/leu.2017.245

SEAFP, Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion Power, Final Report

The Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion Power (SEAFP) was undertaken for the Commission of the European Union in the framework of the Fusion Programme 1990-94. Its terms of reference were in accordance with the programme decision of the Council of Ministers which followed a request by the European Parliament and a recommendation of the Fusion Programme Evaluation Board. The SEAFP is part of an ongoing effort to consider the safety and environmental aspects of fusion power. SEAFP was carried out by the NET Team, the Euratom/UKAEA Association, and by Industry, with contributions from other Associated Laboratories, the Joint Research Centre and the Canadian fusion programme