Haematologica

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Multicentre study on the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF MS for nontuberculous mycobacteria identification

The ability of MALDI-TOF for the identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has improved recently thanks to updated databases and optimized protein extraction procedures. Few multicentre studies on the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF have been performed so far, none on mycobacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of MALDI-TOF for the identification of NTM in 15 laboratories in 9 European countries. A total of 98 NTM clinical isolates were grown on Lowenstein-Jensen. Biomass was collected in tubes with water and ethanol, anonymized and sent out to the 15 participating laboratories. Isolates were identified using MALDI Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics). Up to 1330 MALDI-TOF identifications were collected in the study. A score >= 1.6 was obtained for 100% of isolates in 5 laboratories (68.2-98.6% in the other). Species-level identification provided by MALDI-TOF was 100% correct in 8 centres and 100% correct to complex-level in 12 laboratories. In most cases, the misidentifications obtained were associated with closely related species. The variability observed for a few isolates could be due to variations in the protein extraction procedure or to MALDI-TOF system status in each centre. In conclusion, MALDI-TOF showed to be a highly reproducible method and suitable for its implementation for NTM identification

Impact of cyclosporine A concentration on acute graft‐vs‐host disease incidence after haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation

International audienceOBJECTIVES: This retrospective study analyzed the impact of early cyclosporine A (CsA) initiation (day -3) on the risk of acute graft-vs-host disease (aGvHD) after haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (Haplo-HCT) using post-transplant cyclophosphamide.METHODS: Sixty-one consecutives patients who underwent Haplo-HCT were analyzed.RESULTS: At day +180, the cumulative incidences of grade II-IV and grade III-IV aGvHD were 39% and 18%, respectively. Patients having a lowest CsA concentration (<301 ng/mL; the cutoff value used to segregate the patients between low and high CsA concentrations) in the first week after Haplo-HCT had a significantly higher risk of grade II-IV aGvHD (P = 0.02), severe grade III-IV aGvHD (P = 0.03), cGvHD (P = 0.02), and extensive cGvHD (P = 0.04). In multivariate analysis, a higher CsA concentration (≥301 ng/mL) during the first week following Haplo-HCT was the only parameter significantly associated with a reduced risk of grade II-IV and grade III-IV aGvHD (RR = 0.21; P = 0.049 and RR < 0.001; P < 0.0001, respectively). We find no correlation between CsA concentration and relapse, non-relapse mortality, progression-free survival, GvHD-free and progression-free survival, or overall survival.CONCLUSIONS: CsA could be initiated early before Haplo-HCT with achievement of high CsA concentration to reduce the risk of aGvHD without any detrimental effect on relapse

Pooled Fecal Allogenic Microbiotherapy for Refractory Gastrointestinal Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Results from the Early Access Program in France

International audienceIntroduction Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) is a major source of mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Standard 1st line therapy for the treatment of aGvHD involves corticosteroids (CS). However, more than 50% of patients are refractory to CS (SR-aGvHD) and the associated mortality rate is of up to 80%. Recently, Ruxolitinib has been approved as 2nd line treatment for SR-aGvHD. However, patients with severe gastrointestinal (GI) aGvHD seem less likely to respond to Ruxolitinib and have poor outcomes with limited therapeutic options.In this context, fecal microbiotherapy has shown promising results in several pilot studies in patients with refractory GI-aGvHD. Here we report clinical outcomes from 81 patients diagnosed with SR or dependent (SD) GI-aGvHD treated with the pooled allogeneic microbiotherapy MaaT013 as part of the Early Access Program (EAP) in France.Methods 81 patients with SR/SD GI-aGvHD (Classical n=62, late onset n=12, overlap syndrome n=7) were treated with MaaT013 as part of an EAP in France. These patients had failed 1 to 6 prior systemic GvHD treatment lines (median 2; 66/81 received Ruxolitinib). Most patients had grade III-IV aGvHD (11% grade II, 51% grade III, 38% grade IV).For each patient, a total of 3 MaaT013 administrations were planned every 7 +/- 2 days. Each dose comprised 30g of feces in 150 mL of diluent, from 4 to 8 healthy donors, administered by enema (except for 1 patient by nasogastric tube).Treatment response was calculated among all treated patients based on aGvHD staging and grading at day 28 (D28) at the time of the EAP request.Results At D28, the GI-overall response rate (ORR) was 56%: 30 complete response (CR, 37%), 11 very good response rate (VGPR, 14%), 4 partial response (PR, 5%). The GI-ORR was higher in patients with lower grade aGvHD (89% in grade II, 66% in grade III, 32% in grade IV) and higher in SD versus SR patients (92% versus 49%). Including skin and liver symptoms (n=78), response rate was 49%, including 24 CR, 11 VGPR and 3 PR and inversely correlated with aGvHD initial grade (88% in grade II, 55% in grade III, 30% in grade IV).Overall survival (OS) was 51% at 6 months (M6) and 39% at M12. The median follow-up among surviving patients was 355 days (range, 53-731). OS was significantly higher in patients achieving at least GI-PR at D28 (Responder, R; n=45) compared to patients in treatment failure (Non-responder, NR; n=35): 69% versus 28% at M6, 59% versus 14% at M12, respectively. Median survival duration in R was 451 days versus 32 days in NR.Interestingly, aGvHD response was improved in the subgroup of 31 patients previously treated with Ruxolitinib as 2nd line and MaaT013 as 3rd line (65% D28 GI-ORR, OS M6 55% and 49% M12 and 74% versus 15% at M6 and 74% versus 0% at M12 for R and NR respectively).MaaT013 displayed a good overall safety profile in the EAP population: 20 pharmacovigilance cases were reported in 18 patients: sepsis in 11 patients, C. difficile colitis in 2, E. coli osteoarthritis in 1, G. silvicola in stools from 1, P. aeruginosa sinusitis in 1, appearance of air bubbles in the mesorectum in 1, respiratory distress in 1. No pathogen transmission was reported. In 2 patients, non-pathogenic commensal bacteria isolated following infectious events were detected in the administered MaaT013 batch. Causality could not be formally excluded in these cases.The overall incidence of bacteremia (14%) remains low, compared to an incidence of 31% to 74% in bloodstream infections reported in patients with GI-aGvHD. This suggests that fecal microbiotherapy may have a protective effect on bacterial translocation, but this needs to be confirmed in further clinical trials.47 deaths have been reported; the cause of which was GvHD in 21 patients, severe infection in 13, relapse of underlying malignancy in 6, COVID-19 in 3, hemorrhage during surgery in 1, neurological complications post allo-HCT in 1, and cardiac arrest in 2 patients. No causality link with MaaT013 administration has been identified.Conclusion Overall, EAP clinical data showed that MaaT013 was safe and effective for the treatment of SR/SD-GI-aGvHD especially in patients having previously received ruxolitinib. Interestingly, GI-response to aGvHD correlates with increased OS, suggesting a strong favorable benefit-risk profile for MaaT013. A Phase 3 trial is currently ongoing to confirm these results in ruxolitinib-refractory patients (NCT04769895)

Pooled allogeneic faecal microbiota MaaT013 for steroid-resistant gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease: a single-arm, multicentre phase 2 trialResearch in context

Summary: Background: Failure of gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease (GI-aGvHD) to respond to steroid therapy is associated with limited further therapeutic options. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of the first-in-human use of the pooled allogeneic faecal microbiota, MaaT013, for the treatment of steroid-refractory GI-aGvHD. Methods: This prospective, international, single-arm, phase 2a study reports clinical outcomes from a 24-patient cohort with grade III-IV, steroid refractory GI-aGvHD treated with the pooled allogeneic faecal microbiota MaaT013. MaaT013 involved pooling faecal matter from 3 to 8 screened donors then transplanting the pooled batches into patients to treat GI-aGVHD. The 24 patients were treated in the HERACLES study (Aug 2018 to Nov 2020) at 26 sites in Europe and an additional 52 patients were treated in a compassionate use/expanded access program (EAP) in France (July 2018 to April 2021). The primary endpoint was GI response at day 28, defined as the proportion of patients with GI-aGvHD who had a complete response (CR) or very good partial response (VGPR). GvHD grading and staging were assessed according to the revised Glucksberg criteria. Adverse events and severe adverse events were monitored for 6 months and 12 months, respectively. The HERACLES study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03359980). Findings: Compared with single donors, MaaT013 is characterised by higher microbial richness and reduced variability across batches. At day 28 (D28), the GI-overall response rate (ORR) was 38% in the prospective population, including 5 complete responses (CR), 2 very good partial responses (VGPR) and 2 partial responses (PR). In the EAP, the GI-ORR was 58% (17 CR, 9 VGPR and 4 PR). The 12-month overall survival (OS) was 25% in the prospective study and 38% in the EAP. Regarding safety, five infectious complications, including 3 sepsis, could not be excluded from being related to the study procedure in HERACLES. Shotgun sequencing analyses of the identified strains suggest that none were found in MaaT013. In the EAP, 18 pharmacovigilance cases were reported among 52 treated patients, including 11 bacteraemia/sepsis. In HERACLES, we observed in stools from responding patients at D28 a higher microbiota richness and increased levels of beneficial bacteria, in particular butyrate producers, along with increased levels of short-chain fatty acid and bile acids. In contrast, stools from non-responding (NR) patients displayed increased levels of pathogenic pro-inflammatory bacteria along with increased systemic inflammatory parameters. Interpretation: Overall, MaaT013 was safe in this population of highly immunocompromised patients and was associated with responses in some patients with GI-aGvHD and deserves further investigation. Funding: MaaT Pharma