Phase 1b/2 Combination Study of APR-246 and Azacitidine (AZA) in Patients with TP53 mutant Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Introduction: TP53 mutant (mTP53) MDS and AML, accounting for 5-10% of de novo MDS and 25-30% of therapy related MDS (t-MDS), represent a distinct molecular cohort with inferior outcomes. Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are preferred treatments for patients (pts) with these mutations, although with CR rates of only 20-30% and median OS of 6-12 months. APR-246 is a novel, first-in-class small molecule that selectively induces apoptosis in mTP53 cancer cells through mutant p53 protein re-activation by restoring the wild-type conformation, with single agent activity in mTP53 AML. We report the planned, completed Phase 1b results of APR-246+ azacitidine (AZA) in mTP53 MDS/AML. Methods: This is a multicenter Phase 1b/2 trial of APR-246+AZA in HMA naïve mTP53 MDS and oligoblastic AML (≤ 30% blasts) pts ≥ 18 years of age. Pts received APR-246 in a 3+3 dose escalation design (50, 75, 100 mg/kg lean body weight (equivalent to 4500mg fixed dose based on PK studies)) IV daily over 4 days in a lead-in phase (days -14 to -10) followed by the same dose of APR-246 (days 1-4) + AZA 75 mg/m2 SC/IV over 7 days (days 4-10 or 4-5 and 8-12) in 28 day cycles. The primary objective was to define safety and the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D), with AEs graded by CTCAE v4.03 and DLT assessment over 6 weeks. Secondary objectives included response by IWG 2006 criteria as well as serial next generation sequencing (NGS) and p53 IHC for evaluation of clonal suppression and remission depth as predictors of outcomes. For minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis, a custom target-capture NGS assay was developed using unique molecular Identifiers for error correction with a limit of detection of 0.1% with results validated by pt specific digital droplet PCR (ddPCR). Nanostring nCounter RNA expression analysis was conducted on a panel of 770 genes after the lead-in phase to assess transcriptional effects induced by APR-246. Results: As of July 30, 2018, 12 pts (42% male; median age 66 years (39-73)) were enrolled. Three pts had AML-MRC and 9 had MDS; all pts had poor risk cytogenetics (17% poor, 83% very poor) and higher risk disease by IPSS-R (25% high, 75% very high). T-MDS occurred in 5 pts (42%) and 7 pts (58%) were transfusion-dependent at baseline. Median BM blasts were 9% (4-30). Eleven of 12 pts (92%) had a TP53 missense mutation in the DNA binding domain with multiple mutations in 4/12 pts (33%). For 9/12 pts (75%), TP53 was the sole mutation. Median time on study is 176 days (41-298) w