Malignant glioma subset from Actuate 1801: A phase 1/2 study of 9-ING-41, a glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) inhibitor, as a single agent and combined with chemotherapy, in patients with refractory hematologic malignancies or solid tumors.
Authors: Odia Yazmin , Cavalcante Ludimila , Safran Howard , Powell Steven Francis , Munster Pamela N. , Ma Wen Wee , Carneiro Benedito A. , Bastos Bruno R. , Giles Francis J. , Sahebjam Solmaz 
Published: June 2021

2051

Background: GSK-3β, a serine/threonine kinase, is a key regulator of metabolism and glycogen biosynthesis. GSK-3β aberrant overexpression promotes tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance through NF-κB and p53-mediated apoptotic pathways. GSK-3β inhibition impacts immunomodulation through downregulation of checkpoints, such as PD-L1 and LAG-3, and increasing NK and T-cell mediated killing of tumor cells. 9-ING-41 is a small-molecule potent selective GSK-3β inhibitor with preclinical antitumor activity against several tumor types. In chemoresistant PDX models of glioblastoma (GBM), 9-ING-41 enhanced the antitumor effect of CCNU and CPT-11. Methods: In the first-in-human study (NCT03678883), patients (pts) with refractory malignancies received 9-ING-41 monotherapy (n = 65) or in combination with one of 8 cytotoxic regimens after prior treatment with the same chemotherapy (n = 162). We report the subset of pts with recurrent gliomas treated with 9-ING-41 monotherapy IV twice a week in 21-day cycles at different dose levels (3.3, 5, 9.3, 15mg/kg), or in combination with lomustine 30 mg/m² orally once weekly in 84-day cycles. Primary objective was safety and tolerability. Results: An RP2D of 15mg/kg IV was confirmed across all 9 regimens, no accentuation of chemotherapy-related toxicity noted. Of 18 glioma patients enrolled, 13 were GBM, 2 anaplastic astrocytomas, 1 diffuse astrocytoma, and 1 anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Four patients received single agent 9-ING-41, 14 treated concurrently with lomustine. Demographics: 6 female, 12 male; median age 52 (30-69) years; median ECOG was 1 (0-2). All received first-line radiation and temozolomide (18/18), prior therapies for recurrences included nitrosoureas (15/18), bevacizumab (8/18), TTFields (6/18), immune checkpoint inhibitor (4/18). Median recurrences 3 (1-6). Genomic alterations from available NGS reports included: IDH WT (11), IDH mutation (3), MGMT promoter unmethylated (11), MGMT promoter methylated (1), 1p19q co-deletion (10), EGFR amplification (6), EGFR v3 mutation (3), TERT promoter mutation (6), PTEN loss (3), NF1 rearrangement (2), ATRX loss (2), TP53 mutated (4), CDKN2A deletion (2), RB1 loss (1), PALB-2 mutation (10). No SAEs or grade 3/4 AEs attributed to 9-ING-41 were noted; AEs included G1/2 transient vision changes (9/18, 50%), infusion reactions (4/18, 22%). Side effects from lomustine included: G3/4 thrombocytopenia (3/14, 21%), and G1/2 fatigue (4/14, 28%). Best overall response: 1 minimal response (-43%) after 2 cycles of 9-ING-41 and lomustine. Median days on therapy was 55 (4-305), 4/18 (22%) were stable for 20 weeks or longer. Conclusions: These results show 9-ING-41 alone or in combination is safe and warrants further study in glioma patients. Clinical trial information: NCT03678883.