Synergistic activity of IDH1 inhibitor BAY1436032 with azacitidine in IDH1 mutant acute myeloid leukemia

Mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (mIDH1) inhibitors have shown single-agent activity in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), even though most patients eventually relapse. We evaluated the efficacy and molecular mechanism of the combination treatment with azacitidine, which is currently the standard of care in older AML patients, and mIDH1 inhibitor BAY1436032. Both compounds were evaluated in vivo as single agents and in combination with sequential (azacitidine, followed by BAY1436032) or simultaneous application in two human IDH1 mutated AML xenograft models. Combination treatment significantly prolonged survival compared to single agent or control treatment (P<0.005). The sequential combination treatment depleted leukemia stem cells by 470-fold. Interestingly, the simultaneous combination treatment depleted leukemia stem cells by 33,150-fold compared to control mice. This strong synergy is mediated through inhibition of MAPK/ERK and Rb/E2F signaling. Our data strongly argues for the concurrent application of mIDH1 inhibitors and azacitidine and predicts improved outcome of this regimen in IDH1 mutated AML patients.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that the combination treatment of mIDH1 inhibitors and azacitidine has significant efficacy in AML patients, reducing leukemia stem cell numbers through different mechanisms and signaling pathways. The strong synergy between the two treatments is mediated through inhibition of MAPK/ERK and Rb/E2F signaling, suggesting an improved outcome for IDH1 mutated AML patients.