UCSF Health Experts Spotlight Advances, Receive Recognition at National Hematology/Oncology Conference

Hematologists and oncologists from UCSF will share research results and clinical guidance at the world’s premier meeting for malignant and non-malignant hematology – the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 67th Annual Meeting and Exposition. This year’s meeting will be held in Orlando, Dec. 6-9.

The prestigious medical meeting features the latest innovations in patient care and research, including trial results by experts in multiple myeloma, leukemia and other hematologic malignancies from the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Experts in non-malignant disorders such as sickle cell disease will also present research findings.

Here are some highlights (all times EST):

ASH David M. Goldenberg Clinical Research Training Institute Award

Alfred Chung, MD, a hematologist-oncologist and UCSF assistant professor, will receive the ASH David M. Goldenberg Clinical Research Training Institute Award in the malignant category for his abstract “Minimal Residual Disease Dynamics in Post-Transplant Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Who Received Daratumumab Plus Lenalidomide Versus Lenalidomide Alone as Maintenance Therapy in the Auriga Study.” (ID 97)

Chung will present this study during oral abstract session 654: “Multiple Myeloma: Pharmacologic Therapies: Advancing the Standard: Improving Myeloma Treatment through Diagnosis, Maintenance and Relapse” on Saturday, December 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

The standard of care following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma is lenalidomide (R) maintenance. In the phase 3 AURIGA study, adding subcutaneous daratumumab to R maintenance (D-R) improved minimal residual disease-negative conversion and progression free survival in anti-CD38–naïve patients who were minimal residual disease-positive, post-ASCT. D-R maintenance provided benefit via increased MRD-neg rates, notably at 10–6, as evidenced by a >2.5-fold MRD-negative conversion rate and an almost 10-fold sustained MRD-negative rate vs R maintenance alone. This data and additional findings highlight the value of D-R maintenance in attaining and deepening MRD negative.

This award is part of the Abstract Achievement Award program and recognizes the highest-scoring abstract submitted in four different program areas. The award will be presented to Chung during the Distinguished Abstract Achievement Award Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2:00 p.m.

Chung cares for patients with plasma cell disorders, including multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis. His research centers on the development of new therapies for plasma cell disorders and is the primary investigator on several clinical trials, studying novel cellular therapies, immunotherapies, and targeted therapeutics. He has a special interest in AL amyloidosis and serves as the lead amyloid hematologist at UCSF.

Special Sessions and Symposia

Friday, Dec. 5, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Thomas G. Martin, MD, clinical research director of hematologic malignancies at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate director of UCSF's Myeloma Program, serves as chair for the satellite symposium “Steady Progress in Multiple Myeloma: Applying New Data and Updated Guidelines Throughout Treatment” (ID fss25-132). The symposium is focused on the real-world application of NCCN guideline–recommended therapies for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). It will include practical insights into selecting and sequencing therapies such as triplet and quadruplet regimens, bispecific antibodies, and CAR T-cell products, while managing associated toxicities and coordinating care across practice settings. This session will be live streamed on hematology.org.

Friday, Dec. 5, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Ajai Chari, MD, UCSF professor of Medicine and director of the UCSF Multiple Myeloma Program, serves as chair for the satellite symposium “PER® Tumor Board: Charting a New Course in the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma” (ID fss25-111). This program will bring together four clinical experts to review real-world cases that synthesize recent data from landmark trials of new approaches for the management of NDMM into practical insights for clinicians to implement in routine practice. This session will be live streamed on hematology.org.

Monday, Dec. 8, 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Catherine C. Smith, MD, a hematologist-oncologist and co-leader of the Molecular Oncology Program at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, serves as co-chair of the scientific spotlight session “Transcending Boundaries: Study of Ambiguous Lineage Acute Leukemia Unlocks Mysteries for All Leukemias” and presents “Multi-omic Analysis Reveals the Heterogeneity and Stem Cell Origin of Acute Leukemia of Ambiguous Lineage/Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia” from 4:50 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.

The existence of acute leukemias of mixed or ambiguous lineage has long been recognized but the diagnostic criteria for mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) has been historically fluid. Smith will discuss MPAL as a stem cell-like leukemia, focusing on multi-omic single cell sequencing studies of MPAL which reveal a shared stem cell-like transcriptional profile indicative of high differentiation potential and independent of underlying genetic abnormalities. She will describe MPAL95, a gene set score established from genes highly enriched in the most stem-like MPAL cells, which is applicable to bulk RNA sequencing data and is predictive of survival in adult and pediatric MPAL patient cohorts.

Oral Abstract Sessions

Saturday, Dec. 6, 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Charalambos Andreadis, MD, MSCE, UCSF professor of Clinical Medicine and director of the Baszucki Lymphoma Therapeutic Initiative at UCSF, presents “Mosunetuzumab (Mosun) or glofitamab (Glofit) in combination with golcadomide (Golca) demonstrates a manageable safety profile and encouraging efficacy in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL)” (ID66) during oral abstract session 629: “Aggressive Lymphomas, Immunotherapy including Bispecific Antibodies: Overcoming Barriers in Frontline Therapy: Bispecific Antibodies for Older Adults with DLBCL.”

Mosun and Glofit, both CD20xCD3 T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies, have demonstrated high response rates and manageable safety in patients with R/R follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Golca, a CELMoDTM agent, has shown promising efficacy and a manageable safety profile. Andreadis reports preliminary safety and efficacy data from a Phase Ib study of Golca combined with Mosun (Arm 1) or Glofit (Arm 2) in patients with R/R B-NHL. Early data suggest Mosun/Glofit+Golca is an active regimen with a manageable safety profile consistent with the risks of individual agents. Andreadis reports this novel combination therapy showed activity in heavily pretreated patients with B-NHL and warrants further investigation.

Andreadis also presents the poster “Golseek-4: A Phase 3, randomized study of golcadomide, a potential, first-in-class, oral CELMoD™ agent, plus rituximab versus Investigator’s choice in patients with Relapsed/Refractory follicular lymphoma who have received ≥1 line of systemic therapy,” (ID 3615) during the poster abstract session 623: “Mantle Cell, Follicular, Waldenstrom's, and Other Indolent B Cell Lymphomas: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster II” on Sunday, Dec. 7, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Mark Walters, MD, pediatric hematologist-oncologist and division chief of Hematology at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, presents “Reduced intensity haploidentical bone marrow transplantation in children with severe sickle cell disease (SCD): BMT CTN 1507” (ID164) during oral abstract session 721: “Allogeneic Transplantation: Conditioning Regimens, Engraftment, and Acute Toxicities: Optimizing Outcomes in Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Patients.”

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation has curative potential for sickle cell disease (SCD). Event-free survival (EFS) in children with SCD is >90% after a bone marrow transplant (BMT) from a matched sibling donor (MSD) using myeloablative conditioning, however < 15% of patients with SCD have a MSD. Walters and his collaborators tested a novel reduced-intensity conditioning regimen, post-BMT cyclophosphamide (PTCy)-based graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, and haplo-identical BMT in adults and children with severe SCD in a multi-center single-arm, phase-II, prospective clinical trial. The results of this trial of a reduced intensity haploidentical-BMT for severe SCD show durable donor engraftment in most patients and mortality was low.

Walters also presents the poster “Synthetic Oligonucleotides Contain Synthesis Errors that are Propagated into the Genome by Editing Through Homology-Directed Repair” (ID 4321) during poster abstract session 801: “Gene Therapies: Poster II” on Sunday, Dec. 7, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Cheryl Peretz, MD, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and UCSF assistant professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, presents “Multi-omic single cell sequencing reveals discordant MRD and mechanisms of relapse in pediatric AML” (ID 348) during oral abstract session 619: “Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Disease Burden and Measurable Residual Disease in Prognosis and Treatment: From Detection to Decision: MRD as the Compass in AML.”

Prognosis in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is determined by risk of relapse, and the most powerful prognostic marker is measurable residual disease (MRD) at the end of induction therapy. Current clinical standard is to aggressively treat MRD with the assumption that the major clone (leukemic cells) at time of MRD assessment will drive relapse. However, there is no clear evidence confirming that the major MRD clone predicts the driver of relapse. Peretz and her collaborators utilized multi-omic single cell (SC) sequencing of DNA, RNA, and cell-surface proteins to assess MRD, changes in gene expression, and clonal composition driving relapsed disease in a cohort of newly diagnosed pediatric AML patients treated on the COG AML1031 trial. The team observed distinct changes in gene expression programs of AML blasts between diagnosis and relapse. Their study data suggests that factors leading to clonal dominance at relapse are more complex than simple stoichiometry and that treatment of strategies purely targeted at MRD clones will be insufficient to prevent relapse.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Abhilash Barpanda, PhD, MSc, a postdoctoral scholar in the UCSF Department of Laboratory Medicine, presents “Unbiased In-Depth Surfaceome Profiling of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Reveals Novel Immunotherapy Targets Beyond Canonical Membrane Proteins” (ID 385) during the oral abstract session 802: “Chemical Biology and Experimental Therapeutics: Novel therapeutics in hematologic malignancies?”

Despite recent therapeutic advances, 5-year survival for AML in adults remains about 35%. Immunotherapies have shown limited efficacy in AML largely due to the lack of surface antigens that clearly distinguish malignant cells from normal hematopoietic counterparts. In this study, Barpanda and his collaborators employed high-resolution surface proteomics of primary leukemia bone marrow aspirates to identify both tumor-enriched canonical surface proteins as well as a new class of “non-canonical” surface protein targets. Their study provides a comprehensive surfaceome landscape of AML, identifying both canonical and non-canonical membrane proteins as promising immunotherapy targets.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Kevin Reyes, MD, UCSF internal medicine resident physician, presents “The Role of Immunogenomics on the Sequencing of T-cell Redirection Therapies in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma” during the special interest session “Hematology Inclusion Pathway (HIP) Oral Presentations – Malignant Hematology II.” Reyes’ presentation will investigate the effect of prior exposure to BCMA-targeted therapy on CAR-T expansion, self-renewing host T cell phenotypes, and their association with therapeutic efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma receiving BCMA CAR-T therapy.

Reyes also presents the posters “Impact of Low Disease Burden on the Safety and Efficacy of BCMA CAR-T in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma” (ID 2202) on Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and “Impact of Prior BCMA-Targeted Therapy on CAR-T Expansion and Host T-Cell Phenotypes in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Receiving BCMA CAR-T Therapy” (ID 3916) on Sunday, Dec. 7, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7, 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Aaron C. Logan, MD, PhD, UCSF associate professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Hematologic Malignancies Tissue Bank at UCSF, presents “Pre- Or Post-CAR T Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Provides Relapse-Free Survival Benefit for R/R Philadelphia Negative B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) Successfully Treated with Brexucabtagene Autoleucel in the Real World” (ID 516) during oral abstract session 732: “Allogeneic Transplantation: Disease Response and Comparative Treatment Studies: Biologic Predictors and Novel Platforms Integrating CAR T with Transplant.”

Brexucabtagene autoleucel (Brexu-cel) is a CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor CAR T cell therapy approved for treatment of relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-ALL. Real-world data regarding outcomes following Brexu-cel therapy allow evaluation of the role for consolidative allogeneic HCT, which remains one of the most important unresolved questions in the use of CAR T therapy for r/r B-ALL. Their analysis demonstrates that a first consolidative HCT after achieving MRD negative complete remission with Brexu-cel is associated with a significant decrease in relapse. Additionally, use of Brexu-cel for post-HCT relapse is also associated with a significantly lower risk of relapse compared with those who never received an allogeneic HCT.

Monday, Dec 8, 11:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Kristin A. Shimano, MD, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and bone marrow transplant specialist at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, presents “End-Of-Study Results from the ICON3 Pines Trial, a Phase 3, Randomized Trial of Eltrombopag vs. Standard First-Line Treatment for Newly Diagnosed Immune Thrombocytopenia In Children” (ID 738) during oral abstract session 311: “Disorders of Platelet Number or Function: Clinical and Epidemiological: The Evolving ITP Toolkit: Maximizing Efficacy, Minimizing Side Effects.”

The Pediatric ITP newly diagnosed patients Eltrombopag vs standard therapy (PINES) trial, was a prospective, randomized, multi-center trial sponsored by the ITP Consortium of North America. The trial closed early for efficacy per the data and safety monitoring board recommendation and Shimano now reports on the secondary objectives from study. In a population of pediatric patients with newly diagnosed ITP, 47% overall had disease resolution by 1 year, with no difference between treatment arms in 1-year response rates. Given the improved sustained platelet response to epag compared to the standard of care during weeks 6-12, the study suggests epag should be considered for upfront and early use in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed ITP who require pharmacologic treatment in order to obtain a more stable platelet count.

Shimano also participates in the special interest session “ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on Aplastic Anemia” on Sunday, Dec. 7, 4:50 p.m. to 5:10 p.m., presenting “Recommendations for transplant in patients with Aplastic Anemia.”

Sunday, Dec. 7, 5:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Bonell Patino-Escobar, MD, a postdoctoral scholar in the UCSF Department of Laboratory Medicine, presents “Integrative Genomic, Single-Cell, and Functional Profiling Uncovers Immune Consequences of the CD48–CD244 Axis in NK Cells in Multiple Myeloma” (ID 687) during oral abstract session 651: “Multiple Myeloma and Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: Basic and

Translational: Genomic, Gene Regulatory, Immune Evolution in MM.”

Natural killer (NK) cells play a key role in immune surveillance of multiple myeloma (MM), but their function becomes progressively impaired as the disease advances. CD48, one of the most abundant NK-cell ligands on MM cells, engages the receptor CD244, yet the net effect of CD48–CD244 remains unclear. The researchers’ multi-platform analysis uncovered transcriptional and post-translational CD48 regulators, validated immunocompetent Vk*MYC as a preclinical model of NK dysfunction, and identified CD48–CD244 signaling as a key immunosuppressive axis. These insights suggest that modulating CD48 or its downstream effectors could restore NK surveillance and inform new immunotherapies for MM.

Monday, Dec. 8, 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Michael P. Randall, MD, a medical oncologist and UCSF assistant professor of Medicine, presents “Low-Dose Lenalidomide for Maintenance of Remission in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Single-Center Experience” (ID 900) during oral abstract session 626: “Aggressive Lymphomas: Epidemiological Excluding Prospective Clinical Trials: Real-World data on Clinical Predictors of Outcome.”

Curative therapy for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) consists of methotrexate-based induction therapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy consolidation. There is no standard of care for patients unfit for dose-intensive consolidation, leaving these patients at high risk of relapse. Randall and his collaborators have previously published their experience with 13 patients receiving low-dose lenalidomide (an immunomodulatory drug) for maintenance of remission in PCNSL. Randall reports on long-term follow up data from an expanded cohort. Low-dose lenalidomide maintenance therapy after methotrexate-based induction therapy is an effective strategy for less fit PCNSL patients. Lenalidomide maintenance following salvage therapy likewise demonstrates impressive efficacy, with survival outcomes surpassing published historical values.

Randall also presents the poster “Pembrolizumab + GVD With Ctdna-Guided Consolidation for Relapsed/Refractory Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Multicenter Phase 2 Study of The University of California Hematologic Malignancies Consortium” during poster session 624: “Hodgkin Lymphomas: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster II” on Sunday, Dec. 7, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first trial using real-time ctDNA sequencing to guide therapy for patients with R/R cHL. This study will assess whether high-dose chemotherapy and ASCT can be omitted for select patients with R/R cHL and may advance the use of ctDNA as a tool for lymphoma response assessment.

Poster Abstracts

Darren Pan, MD, a hematologist-oncologist and UCSF assistant professor of Medicine, presents the posters “Real-World Patient Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Outcomes Among Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Patients Receiving Talquetamab-Tgvs” (ID 2818) during the poster session 907: Outcomes Research: Plasma Cell Disorders: Poster I on Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and “Sequential BCMA- and GPRC5D-targeted bispecific antibody therapy in multiple myeloma: Real-world outcomes and first report of dual bispecific antibody-refractory patients” (ID 5760) during the poster session 653: Multiple Myeloma: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster III on Monday, Dec. 8, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Arvind Suresh, MD, UCSF internal medicine resident physician, presents the poster “Impact of maintenance strategies post-autologous stem cell transplant in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities” (ID 2805) during the poster session 907: “Outcomes Research: Plasma Cell Disorders: Poster I” on Saturday, Dec. 6, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Kwan-Keat Ang, MD, UCSF Physician Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, presents the poster

“Outcomes of elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM): A retrospective comparison of daratumumab-based induction versus autologous stem cell transplant (autoSCT)” (ID 6346) during poster session 907: “Outcomes Research: Plasma Cell Disorders: Poster III” on Monday, Dec. 8, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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