Parker Institute Centers Share Updates, Abstracts at ASCO 2016

The Future of Patient-Centered Care and Research is the focus of this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. From June 3-7, researchers will present, share and discuss the latest developments in cancer research, including immunotherapy – one of the most talked about topics in cancer research today.

Our centers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of California San Francisco and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have rich histories with immunotherapy. From Jedd Wolchok’s discussion about the safety and efficacy of checkpoint blockades in patients with advanced melanoma to Carl June’s update on the status of cellular therapy for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, our leaders are at the forefront of this evolving and essential area of cancer research.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center:  Center Director, Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, participates in the Meet the Professor session devoted to Melanoma Immunotherapy: Where do we go from Here? on Monday, June 6.  He also will also discuss Perils and Promise of Combination Therapy during the Clinical Science Symposium entitled The View Beyond Single-Agent Checkpoint Blockade on June 4.

Additionally, Memorial Sloan Kettering showcases three abstracts related to checkpoint inhibitors:

• Efficacy and safety of checkpoint blockade for treatment of advanced melanoma in patients age 80 and older.
• Safety and efficacy of first-line nivolumab and ipilimumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
• Updated results from a phase III trial of nivolumab combined with ipilimumab in treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma.

 University of California Los Angeles: Center Director Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, the University of California Los Angeles takes part in an education session, Great Debate: The Positive Patient Immunotherapy is the First Option. He also leads two poster sessions:

• Pembrolizumab in combo with dabrafenib and trametinib for mutant advanced melanoma, phase 1 study.
• Avelumbad (anti-PD-L1) in combo with other cancer immunotherapies in patients with advanced malignancies, phase 1b /2 JAVELIN Medley study.

University of California San Francisco: Center Co-Director Lawrence Fong, MD, the University of California, San Francisco, will discuss the development of a road map to guide immunotherapy on June 4, 2:51-3:03 p.m.

• Additionally, Chloe E. Atreya, MD, PhD, who specializes in gastrointestinal cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, will discuss “Genes vs. T cells.”
• Center Member Adil Daud, MD, will present on immunotherapy for melanoma in four poster sessions.
• Center Member Hideho Okada, MD, will be part of a team including University of Pennsylvania Center Director Carl June presenting on the use of CAR-T cells in glioblastoma.

University of Pennsylvania: Center Director Carl June, MD, director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapy in the Abramson Cancer Center, discusses Immunotherapeutic Approaches to Treating Hematologic Malignancies during an extended education session on Friday, June 3. His talk focuses on the current status of cellular therapy for the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

Additionally, Center Co-Director Robert Vonderheide joins a clinical science symposium, The View Beyond Single-Agent Checkpoint Blockade, sharing results from CLL CAR trial patients. He is joined by the Abramson Cancer Center’s chief of Hematology/Oncology, Lynn Schucter, who is chairing the session and David L. Porter, MD who leads the clinical efforts for CAR trials at Penn. The session is on June 4.

In addition, Penn researchers will present abstracts on several CAR T cell trials:

• Randomized, phase II dose optimization study of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T cells directed against CD19 in patients (pts) with relapsed, refractory (R/R) CLL (Abstract #3009)
• Optimizing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (Abstract #7002)
• Recovery of humoral immunity in patients with durable complete responses following chimeric antigen receptor modified t cells directed against CD19 (CTL019) (Abstract #6564)
• Sustained Remissions with CD19-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-modified T cells in Children with Relapsed/Refractory ALL (Abstract #3011)
• Efficacy of Humanized CD19-targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-modified T cells in Children with Relapsed ALL (Abstract #3007)
• Anti-mesothelin chimeric antigen receptor T cells in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (Abstract #5511)

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Co-Director Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology, MD Anderson, presents results of the CheckMate 032 phase l/ll clinical trial of the PD1 inhibitor nivolumab for metastatic bladder cancer on Sunday, June 5. The Phase I portion of the trial the drug was well tolerated – Phase II of the trial is now open and includes nivolumab and nivolumab plus ipilimumab arms.

Also on Sunday, June 5, MD Anderson will present checkpoint inhibitor trial results:

• A phase II clinical trial of nivolumab for metastatic anal cancer, the first trial of its type.
• The CheckMate-142 trial of nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab for metastatic colorectal cancer.