2024
Propensity score weighted multi‐source exchangeability models for incorporating external control data in randomized clinical trials
Wei W, Zhang Y, Roychoudhury S, Initiative T. Propensity score weighted multi‐source exchangeability models for incorporating external control data in randomized clinical trials. Statistics In Medicine 2024, 43: 3815-3829. PMID: 38924575, DOI: 10.1002/sim.10158.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA Bayesian platform trial design with hybrid control based on multisource exchangeability modelling
Wei W, Blaha O, Esserman D, Zelterman D, Kane M, Liu R, Lin J. A Bayesian platform trial design with hybrid control based on multisource exchangeability modelling. Statistics In Medicine 2024, 43: 2439-2451. PMID: 38594809, PMCID: PMC11325877, DOI: 10.1002/sim.10077.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchrBMA: A robust Bayesian Model Averaging Method for phase II basket trials based on informative mixture priors
Wang X, Wei W. rBMA: A robust Bayesian Model Averaging Method for phase II basket trials based on informative mixture priors. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2024, 140: 107505. PMID: 38521384, DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107505.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPhase II basket trialRobust Bayesian modelBasket trial designBiomarker-defined subgroupsMixture priorsBinary endpointsModel averaging methodPosterior distributionBayesian modelBasket trialsSimulation studyEra of targeted therapyDevelopment of targeted agentsPriorsAverage methodGenomic alterationsPatient populationNovel treatmentAntitumor activityPosterior weightsEarly phase oncology trialsStatistical powerOncology trialsTrial designTrials
2023
A multicenter phase Ib trial of the histone deacetylase inhibitor entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms or acute myeloid leukemia refractory to hypomethylating agents
Bewersdorf J, Shallis R, Sharon E, Park S, Ramaswamy R, Roe C, Irish J, Caldwell A, Wei W, Yacoub A, Madanat Y, Zeidner J, Altman J, Odenike O, Yerrabothala S, Kovacsovics T, Podoltsev N, Halene S, Little R, Piekarz R, Gore S, Kim T, Zeidan A. A multicenter phase Ib trial of the histone deacetylase inhibitor entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms or acute myeloid leukemia refractory to hypomethylating agents. Annals Of Hematology 2023, 103: 105-116. PMID: 38036712, DOI: 10.1007/s00277-023-05552-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDose-limiting toxicityAcute myeloid leukemiaMarrow complete remissionPhase Ib trialAdverse eventsIb trialDose escalationNCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation ProgramAcute myeloid leukemia refractoryHematologic adverse eventsProtocol-defined responseDose level 1Anti-PD1 therapyAnti-PD1 antibodyDose-escalation designLimited clinical efficacySystems immunology approachHistone deacetylase inhibitor entinostatLeukemia refractoryMCR patientsComplete remissionRespiratory failureSuppressor cellsEscalation designClinical efficacyA bedside to bench study of anti-PD-1, anti-CD40, and anti-CSF1R indicates that more is not necessarily better
Djureinovic D, Weiss S, Krykbaeva I, Qu R, Vathiotis I, Moutafi M, Zhang L, Perdigoto A, Wei W, Anderson G, Damsky W, Hurwitz M, Johnson B, Schoenfeld D, Mahajan A, Hsu F, Miller-Jensen K, Kluger Y, Sznol M, Kaech S, Bosenberg M, Jilaveanu L, Kluger H. A bedside to bench study of anti-PD-1, anti-CD40, and anti-CSF1R indicates that more is not necessarily better. Molecular Cancer 2023, 22: 182. PMID: 37964379, PMCID: PMC10644655, DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01884-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsStable diseasePartial responseMacrophage populationsThree-drug regimenUnconfirmed partial responsePhase I trialLimited treatment optionsMonocyte/macrophage populationNon-classical monocytesMurine melanoma modelTreatment-related changesResultsThirteen patientsWorse survivalI trialInflammatory tumorPatient populationTreatment optionsImmune cellsDisease progressionMurine studiesPreclinical modelsResistant melanomaAntigen presentationMurine modelCyTOF analysisImmune dysfunction revealed by digital spatial profiling of immuno-oncology markers in progressive stages of renal cell carcinoma and in brain metastases
Schoenfeld D, Moutafi M, Martinez S, Djureinovic D, Merkin R, Adeniran A, Braun D, Signoretti S, Choueiri T, Parisi F, Hurwitz M, Rimm D, Wei W, Jilaveanu L, Kluger H. Immune dysfunction revealed by digital spatial profiling of immuno-oncology markers in progressive stages of renal cell carcinoma and in brain metastases. Journal For ImmunoTherapy Of Cancer 2023, 11: e007240. PMID: 37586773, PMCID: PMC10432651, DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007240.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRenal cell carcinomaBrain metastasesPrimary tumorTumor microenvironmentDigital spatial profilingCell carcinomaActivation protein expressionInflammatory macrophage markersRCC brain metastasesInnate immune activatorsNormal kidney samplesProgressive stagesExtracranial metastasesTim-3Immune checkpointsImmune dysfunctionImmune activationRCC metastasisLonger survivalImmune activatorsMacrophage markersTreatment responseSeparate cohortTissue microarrayMetastatic samplesA Phase II Trial of the CD40 Agonist Sotigalimab (APX005M) in Combination with Nivolumab in Subjects with Metastatic Melanoma with Disease Progression on Anti-PD-1
Weiss S, Sznol M, Shaheen M, Berciano-Guerrero M, Couselo E, Rodríguez-Abreu D, Boni V, Schuchter L, Gonzalez-Cao M, Arance A, Wei W, Ganti A, Hauke R, Berrocal A, Iannotti N, Hsu F, Kluger H. A Phase II Trial of the CD40 Agonist Sotigalimab (APX005M) in Combination with Nivolumab in Subjects with Metastatic Melanoma with Disease Progression on Anti-PD-1. Clinical Cancer Research 2023, 30: 74-81. PMID: 37535056, PMCID: PMC10767304, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-0475.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsObjective response ratePhase II trialAdverse eventsPartial responseDisease progressionII trialGrade 3 adverse eventsAnti PD-1CD40 agonist antibodyElevated liver functionTreatment-related SAEsCommon adverse eventsActivation of CD40Subset of patientsFavorable safety profileAntigen presenting cellsStable diseaseMedian durationAdvanced melanomaAdditional patientsLiver functionSafety profileMetastatic melanomaPreclinical dataPresenting cellsQuantitative DNA Repair Biomarkers and Immune Profiling for Temozolomide and Olaparib in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Cecchini M, Zhang J, Wei W, Sklar J, Lacy J, Zhong M, Kong Y, Zhao H, DiPalermo J, Devine L, Stein S, Kortmansky J, Johung K, Bindra R, LoRusso P, Schalper K. Quantitative DNA Repair Biomarkers and Immune Profiling for Temozolomide and Olaparib in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Research Communications 2023, 3: 1132-1139. PMID: 37387791, PMCID: PMC10305782, DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0045.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWhole-exome sequencingMGMT protein expressionColorectal cancerStable diseaseQuantitative immunofluorescenceT cellsProtein expressionPromoter hypermethylationLow MGMT protein expressionPARP inhibitorsRadiographic tumor regressionMetastatic colorectal cancerAdvanced colorectal cancerPretreatment tumor biopsiesEffector T cellsTumor-infiltrating lymphocytesMGMT proteinDNA repair biomarkersBaseline CD8Eligible patientsIncreased CD8Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferaseObjective responseProgressive diseaseImmune markersNCI 7977: A Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Intermittent Oral ABT-888 (Veliparib) Plus Intravenous Irinotecan Administered in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors
Cecchini M, Walther Z, Wei W, Hafez N, Pilat M, Boerner S, Durecki D, Eder J, Schalper K, Chen A, LoRusso P. NCI 7977: A Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Intermittent Oral ABT-888 (Veliparib) Plus Intravenous Irinotecan Administered in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors. Cancer Research Communications 2023, 3: 1113-1117. PMID: 37377610, PMCID: PMC10292219, DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-22-0485.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDose-limiting toxicityHomologous recombination deficiencyPARP inhibitorsStable diseaseWeekly irinotecanObjective responseDay 1Day 3Solid tumorsPhase I dose-escalation studyTwice daily days 1I dose-escalation studyPhase I clinical trialDaily days 1Dose level 1Doses of veliparibGrade 3 neutropeniaMultiple-dose schedulesProgression-free survivalAdvanced solid tumorsDose-escalation studyEvaluable patientsNonoverlapping toxicitiesDose scheduleSystemic treatmentPeripheral blood immune cell and cytokine profiling of patients receiving corticosteroids for immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse events: Steroid dose and duration.
Merkin R, Schoenfeld D, Djureinovic D, Austin M, Wang M, Qu R, Zhang L, Mann J, Wei W, Sun L, Aizenbud L, Destina J, Kluger H. Peripheral blood immune cell and cytokine profiling of patients receiving corticosteroids for immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse events: Steroid dose and duration. Journal Of Clinical Oncology 2023, 41: e14694-e14694. DOI: 10.1200/jco.2023.41.16_suppl.e14694.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImmune-related adverse eventsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsSevere immune-related adverse eventsPeripheral blood immune cellsBlood immune cellsSteroid therapyDose levelsSteroid taperAdverse eventsIL-6Immune cellsImmune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse eventsSeverity of irAEsMultiple immune-related adverse eventsAnti-PD-1 therapyT effector memory cellsPeripheral blood mononuclear cellsYale Cancer CenterSerum cytokine concentrationsEffector memory cellsPathogenic T cellsBlood mononuclear cellsConcentrations of TNFαBiomarkers of responseT cell subtypesSubsets of IFN Signaling Predict Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Patients with Melanoma.
Horowitch B, Lee D, Ding M, Martinez-Morilla S, Aung T, Ouerghi F, Wang X, Wei W, Damsky W, Sznol M, Kluger H, Rimm D, Ishizuka J. Subsets of IFN Signaling Predict Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Patients with Melanoma. Clinical Cancer Research 2023, 29: 2908-2918. PMID: 37233452, PMCID: PMC10524955, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-0215.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsHuman melanoma cell linesMelanoma cell linesPD-L1Validation cohortYale-New Haven HospitalCombination of ipilimumabPD-L1 markersImmune checkpoint blockadePD-L1 biomarkerNew Haven HospitalSTAT1 levelsCell linesWestern blot analysisCheckpoint inhibitorsCheckpoint blockadeClinical responseOverall survivalImproved survivalResistance of cancersMetastatic melanomaMelanoma responsePredict responseTreatment responseDistinct patternsImage analysis-based tumor infiltrating lymphocytes measurement predicts breast cancer pathologic complete response in SWOG S0800 neoadjuvant chemotherapy trial
Fanucci K, Bai Y, Pelekanou V, Nahleh Z, Shafi S, Burela S, Barlow W, Sharma P, Thompson A, Godwin A, Rimm D, Hortobagyi G, Liu Y, Wang L, Wei W, Pusztai L, Blenman K. Image analysis-based tumor infiltrating lymphocytes measurement predicts breast cancer pathologic complete response in SWOG S0800 neoadjuvant chemotherapy trial. Npj Breast Cancer 2023, 9: 38. PMID: 37179362, PMCID: PMC10182981, DOI: 10.1038/s41523-023-00535-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPathologic complete responseBreast cancerComplete responseTIL scoreBreast Cancer Pathologic Complete ResponseTumor-infiltrating lymphocyte scoresEvent-free survivalNeoadjuvant chemotherapy trialsLymphocyte measurementsLymphocyte scoreNeoadjuvant chemotherapyChemotherapy trialsMean pretreatmentResidual diseaseTIL quantificationPredictive valuePretreatment samplesResponse discriminationScoresStrong positive correlationPositive correlationPredictive accuracy of elevated mitotic rate on lymph node positivity and recurrence in thin melanomas
Ly C, Blaha O, Wei W, Galan A, Kluger H, Ariyan S, Olino K, Clune J. Predictive accuracy of elevated mitotic rate on lymph node positivity and recurrence in thin melanomas. Frontiers In Oncology 2023, 12: 1077226. PMID: 36686728, PMCID: PMC9853390, DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1077226.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMelanoma-specific mortalityElevated mitotic rateLymph node positivityMitoses/Mitotic rateT2 tumorsNode positivityThin melanomasSentinel lymph node positivityImportant prognostic factorSingle academic centerPrimary cutaneous melanomaLow mitotic ratePositive SLNNon-ulcerated lesionsSLN biopsyT4 tumorsPatient demographicsPrognostic factorsSLN positivityRetrospective reviewTumor characteristicsBreslow thicknessCutaneous melanomaT category
2022
A Multi-Center Phase Ib Trial of the Histone Deactylase Inhibitor (HDACi) Entinostat in Combination with Anti-PD1 Antibody Pembrolizumab in Patients with Refractory/Relapsed Myelodysplastic Syndromes (RR-MDS) or Oligoblastic Acute Myeloid Leukemia (RR-AML) after Hypomethylating Agent (HMA) Failure
Bewersdorf J, Shallis R, Sharon E, Caldwell A, Wei W, Yacoub A, Madanat Y, Zeidner J, Altman J, Odenike O, Yerrabothala S, Kovacsovics T, Podoltsev N, Halene S, Little R, Piekarz R, Gore S, Kim T, Zeidan A. A Multi-Center Phase Ib Trial of the Histone Deactylase Inhibitor (HDACi) Entinostat in Combination with Anti-PD1 Antibody Pembrolizumab in Patients with Refractory/Relapsed Myelodysplastic Syndromes (RR-MDS) or Oligoblastic Acute Myeloid Leukemia (RR-AML) after Hypomethylating Agent (HMA) Failure. Blood 2022, 140: 9084-9086. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2022-158626.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRegression methods for the appearances of extremes in climate data
Yu C, Blaha O, Kane M, Wei W, Esserman D, Zelterman D. Regression methods for the appearances of extremes in climate data. Environmetrics 2022, 33 DOI: 10.1002/env.2764.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTumor immune microenvironment of self-identified African American and non-African American triple negative breast cancer
Marczyk M, Qing T, O’Meara T, Yagahoobi V, Pelekanou V, Bai Y, Reisenbichler E, Cole KS, Li X, Gunasekharan V, Ibrahim E, Fanucci K, Wei W, Rimm DL, Pusztai L, Blenman KRM. Tumor immune microenvironment of self-identified African American and non-African American triple negative breast cancer. Npj Breast Cancer 2022, 8: 88. PMID: 35869114, PMCID: PMC9307813, DOI: 10.1038/s41523-022-00449-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTumor immune microenvironmentImmune microenvironmentTriple-negative breast cancer tissuesTriple-negative breast cancerAfrican AmericansImmune checkpoint inhibitorsTumor mutation burdenNegative breast cancerBreast cancer tissuesImmune-related pathwaysStromal TILsCheckpoint inhibitorsImmune exclusionClinical outcomesPD-L1Self-identified African AmericansCancer patientsImmune infiltrationBreast cancerMutation burdenCancer tissuesPredictive signatureMRNA expressionTherapeutic agentsPatientsBayesian local exchangeability design for phase II basket trials
Liu Y, Kane M, Esserman D, Blaha O, Zelterman D, Wei W. Bayesian local exchangeability design for phase II basket trials. Statistics In Medicine 2022, 41: 4367-4384. PMID: 35777367, PMCID: PMC10279458, DOI: 10.1002/sim.9514.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Tumor Proportion Score and Overall Survival From First-Line Pembrolizumab in Patients With Nonsquamous Versus Squamous NSCLC
Doroshow DB, Wei W, Gupta S, Zugazagoitia J, Robbins C, Adamson B, Rimm DL. Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Tumor Proportion Score and Overall Survival From First-Line Pembrolizumab in Patients With Nonsquamous Versus Squamous NSCLC. Journal Of Thoracic Oncology 2021, 16: 2139-2143. PMID: 34455068, PMCID: PMC8612948, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2021.07.032.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPD-L1 tumor proportion scoreTumor proportion scoreHigh PD-L1 tumor proportion scoreOverall survivalNonsquamous histologySquamous NSCLCNonsquamous NSCLCPredictive biomarkersProportion scoreDeath ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion scoreElectronic health record-derived databaseFirst-line pembrolizumab therapyPD-1 expression levelsPD-L1 expression levelsCommunity oncology clinicsMedian OS differenceSingle-agent pembrolizumabImmune checkpoint inhibitorsImproved overall survivalMedian overall survivalPrimary end pointFirst-line pembrolizumabFirst-line therapyPD-L1 expressionPD-L1 testingUnified exact design with early stopping rules for single arm clinical trials with multiple endpoints
Wei W, Esserman D, Kane M, Zelterman D. Unified exact design with early stopping rules for single arm clinical trials with multiple endpoints. Statistical Methods In Medical Research 2021, 30: 1575-1588. PMID: 34159859, PMCID: PMC8959087, DOI: 10.1177/09622802211013062.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA Phase I Study of APX005M and Cabiralizumab with or without Nivolumab in Patients with Melanoma, Kidney Cancer, or Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Resistant to Anti-PD-1/PD-L1
Weiss SA, Djureinovic D, Jessel S, Krykbaeva I, Zhang L, Jilaveanu L, Ralabate A, Johnson B, Levit NS, Anderson G, Zelterman D, Wei W, Mahajan A, Trifan O, Bosenberg M, Kaech SM, Perry CJ, Damsky W, Gettinger S, Sznol M, Hurwitz M, Kluger HM. A Phase I Study of APX005M and Cabiralizumab with or without Nivolumab in Patients with Melanoma, Kidney Cancer, or Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Resistant to Anti-PD-1/PD-L1. Clinical Cancer Research 2021, 27: 4757-4767. PMID: 34140403, PMCID: PMC9236708, DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-0903.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAnti-PD-1/PD-L1Non-small cell lung cancerCell lung cancerRenal cell carcinomaPD-L1Lung cancerDisease progressionCommon treatment-related adverse eventsPD-1/PD-L1 inhibitorsTreatment-related adverse eventsPhase 2 doseSubstantial clinical challengeUnconfirmed partial responseDose-limiting toxicityPD-L1 inhibitorsPhase I trialDose-escalation designPro-inflammatory cytokinesMultiple tumor typesAsymptomatic elevationStable diseaseIntolerable toxicityAdverse eventsMedian durationPartial response