Abstract 1087: CPX-351 works synergistically in combination with FLT3 inhibitors against AML with FLT3-ITD
Authors: Edwards David K. , Javidi-Sharifi Nathalie , Rofelty Angela , Gordon Max , Roth-Carter Riley , Tardi Paul , Mayer Lawrence , Tyner Jeffrey W. 
Published: July 2017

Introduction: CPX-351 (Vyxeos) is a liposomal combination of cytarabine and daunorubicin at a synergistic 5:1 molar ratio. Recently, CPX-351 has been shown to be significantly more effective than the 7+3 standard of care chemotherapy in treating high-risk AML patients, including patients with the FLT3-ITD mutation. We previously treated primary patient samples with CPX-351 ex vivo and found that FLT3-ITD+ samples were significantly more sensitive to CPX-351 and showed enhanced drug uptake. We hypothesized that dysregulated FLT3 signaling results in an activation of liposome uptake pathways, leading to increased sensitivity to CPX-351 and ultimately cell death. Furthermore, we examined the effect of combining CPX-351 with existing FLT3 inhibitors (e.g. quizartinib and midostaurin).

Methods: To examine drug uptake dynamics, we exposed AML cell lines (including MOLM-13 and MOLM14 that contain FLT3-ITD, and ME1 that contains an activating FLT3 mutation) to varying concentrations of CPX-351, with or without pre-treatment of quizartinib and midostaurin. We evaluated cell viability using a colorimetric assay and measured intracellular daunorubicin fluorescence, an indicator of drug uptake, by flow cytometry. Additionally, we analyzed the synergy of exposing these cell lines to CPX-351 and FLT3 inhibitors in combination and at different dose schedules, followed by measuring cell viability and daunorubicin fluorescence.

Results: We observed that cell lines containing FLT3-ITD or FLT3-activating mutation were more sensitive to CPX-351 and exhibited increased drug uptake compared to cell lines with other genetic abnormalities. Interestingly, we observed that pre-treatment with quizartinib for 16 hrs produced a population of cells (approximately 50% of the total population) that exhibited decreased daunorubicin fluorescence, suggesting that prolonged FLT3 inhibition may decrease CPX-351 uptake. Consistent with this, we observed robust synergy when combining CPX-351 with FLT3 inhibitors simultaneously or with CPX-351 exposure scheduled 24 hours prior to FLT3 inhibitor exposure. However, exposure to FLT3 inhibitors 24 hours prior to CPX-351 administration was less synergistic and even antagonistic at certain doses.

Conclusions: These data provide additional supportive evidence that FLT3 activation results in increased uptake of CPX-351. This is consistent with results from the CPX-351 Phase III trial in which FLT3-ITD+ patients survived significantly longer when treated with CPX-351 compared to 7+3 chemotherapy. We also show that combining CPX-351 with existing FLT3 inhibitors can elicit a synergistic response when administered in dosing regimens where FLT3 inhibition does not precede CPX-351 treatment. Cumulatively, our data support further testing of CPX-351 in combination with FLT3 inhibitors for treating AML patients with genetic dysregulation of FLT3 signaling.

Citation Format: David K. Edwards, Nathalie Javidi-Sharifi, Angela Rofelty, Max Gordon, Riley Roth-Carter, Paul Tardi, Lawrence Mayer, Jeffrey W. Tyner. CPX-351 works synergistically in combination with FLT3 inhibitors against AML with FLT3-ITD [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1087. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1087