CLINICAL NEWS
in a Different Vein
Research from ASH’s online peer-reviewed
journal, Blood Advances
Investigating a WT1 Peptide Vaccine in
Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia
In an open-label, phase II study, treat-
ment with galinpepimut-S (GPS) – a
vaccine targeting the Wilms tumor 1
(WT1) protein – was well tolerated in
adults with acute myeloid leukemia
(AML) whose disease was in first
complete remission (CR1). The results
were published in Blood Advances.
“A National Cancer Institute
consensus study on prioritization of
cancer antigens ranked the [WT1]
protein as the top immunotherapy
target in cancer,” wrote lead author
Peter G. Maslak, MD, chief of the
Hematology Laboratory Service at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center in New York, and colleagues.
“[Our results] support the continued
investigation of WT1 vaccination as
a strategy for AML post-remission
therapy.”
The trial included 22 patients
(median age = 64 years; range = 25-
76 years) with a histologic confirma-
tion of WT1-positive AML who were
treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center. All participants were
required to be in CR1, be within two
years of achieving CR1, and have
completed all planned chemotherapy
with adequate hematologic count
recovery.
ASHClinicalNews.org
Fifty percent (n=11) had a normal
karyotype, and 10 of these patients
(91%) had further molecular testing;
two had NPM1 mutation without a
FLT3 internal tandem duplication
mutation. Participants were stratified
by risk (according to the European
LeukemiaNet prognostic scoring
system): eight (36%) were favorable,
10 (45%) were intermediate, three
(14%) were adverse, and one (5%)
was undetermined.
Participants were given six vacci-
nations subcutaneously biweekly over
a 10-week period. The vaccine was
designed to overcome