Asunercept (APG101) is a well-tolerated CD95-ligand inhibitor that showed promising efficacy in a prospective, single-arm phase I study in anemic, transfusion-dependent patients with low and intermediate risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In this retrospective post hoc analysis, serum levels of biomarkers were measured in study patients focusing on cytokines associated with erythropoiesis, inflammation, apoptosis, bone marrow fibrosis, and inflammasome activity. Baseline serum biomarkers were correlated with treatment response, in order to propose a hypothetical responder serum profile. After an updated median follow-up of 54 months (range 7-65), response to asunercept was associated with improved overall survival (at 3-years: 67% [95%CI 36-97] versus 13% [95%CI 0-36] in responders versus non-responders, respectively). Higher baseline values of interleukin-18 (IL-18), S100 calcium-binding protein A9 (S100A9) and soluble p53 were predictive of non-response to asunercept (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.79-0.82). Furthermore, non-responding patients showed a distinct, pro-inflammatory serum cytokine profile which was persistent throughout the first half of the treatment phase and appeared unaffected by asunercept. Although prospective validation is required, our post hoc analysis suggests that serum cytokine profiling based on IL-18, S100A9 and soluble p53 may represent an approach to identify and select low-risk MDS patients most likely to benefit from asunercept treatment.
Keywords: APG101; MDS; anemia; asunercept; myelodysplastic syndrome.