Abstract 154: The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor (i) copanlisib is active in preclinical models of B-cell lymphomas as single agent and in combination with conventional and targeted agents including venetoclax and palbociclib
Authors: Gaudio Eugenio , Kwee Ivo , Spriano Filippo , Tarantelli Chiara , Rinaldi Andrea , Jourdan Thibaud , Berthold Melanie , Arriibas Alberto , Stathis Anastasion , Rossi Davide , Liu Ningshu , Lange Martin , Politz Oliver , Zucca Emanuele , Bertoni Francesco 
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Copanlisib (BAY 80 6946) is a highly selective pan class I PI3K-i with predominant inhibitory activity against PI3Kδ and PI3Kα, in clinical development as single agent and in combination for lymphoma patients. To address single agent antitumor activity in different lymphomas and to understand the molecular basis of resistance mechanisms for rational combination, we performed a screening of copanlisib as single agent and in combination with 15 other anticancer agents in 17 cell lines derived from mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Methods

MCL (Jeko1, Rec1, JVM2, Granta519, Maver1, Mino1, SP-49, SP-53, UPN1, Z138), MZL (Karpas1718, VL51, SSK41, ESKOL, HAIR-M, HC-1) and CLL (MEC1) cell lines were exposed to increasing doses of copanlisib alone and in combination with other compounds using the fixed ratio set-up. Tested compounds included approved and experimental inhibitors of key regulatory pathways. Synergy was assessed via Chou-Talalay combination index (CI). Gene expression profiling (GEP) was done using Illumina Human HT12Expression BeadChips and GSEA (FDR&lt;0.25).

Results

Copanlisib showed antitumor activity in most cell lines (median IC50=22nM; 95%C.I.: 15-98). The other most active drugs were bortezomib (5nM; 5-7), romidepsin (34nM; 2-94), roniciclib (23nM; 18-29), panobinostat (161nM; 11-1263), MI2 (490nM; 224-1000). The remaining had median IC50s &gt;500nM.

Copanlisib-containing combinations often gave synergy/additive effects: copanlisib with venetoclax was beneficial in 16/17; with MI2 in 15; with palbociclib or ibrutinib in 14; with BAY 1125976 or panobinostat in 13; with lenalidomide or BAY 1238097 in 12; with rituximab in 11; with romidepsin in 10; with roniciclib in 9; with bortezomib in 8; with BAY 1143572 in 7; with bendamustine in 6; with ruxolitinib in 2. Combinations with venetoclax and with palbociclib were the most promising, achieving CI values &lt;0.5 in 7 and 6 cell lines, respectively. GEP before treatment identified genesets associated with different sensitivity to these 2 combinations. High expression of genes involved in IFN signaling, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, apoptosis, PI3K/AKT/mTOR and IL6/JAK/STAT signaling and low expression of cell cycle genes were associated with synergism to copanlisib/venetoclax. Largely the opposite was observed for the palbociclib combination, more active with high expression of E2F/MYC targets and cell cycle genes and low expression of genes involved in IFN PI3K/AKT/mTOR and IL6/JAK/STAT signaling.

Conclusion

Copanlisib was active in MCL, MZL and CLL models. Combinations with BCL2-i venetoclax and CDK4/CDK6-i palbociclib were the most synergistic. Specific GEP features might predict lymphomas that could benefit from these regimens.

Citation Format: Eugenio Gaudio, Ivo Kwee, Filippo Spriano, Chiara Tarantelli, Andrea Rinaldi, Thibaud Jourdan, Melanie Berthold, Alberto Arriibas, Anastasion Stathis, Davide Rossi, Ningshu Liu, Martin Lange, Oliver Politz, Emanuele Zucca, Francesco Bertoni. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor (i) copanlisib is active in preclinical models of B-cell lymphomas as single agent and in combination with conventional and targeted agents including venetoclax and palbociclib [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 154. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-154