Academic literature on the topic 'Non-permissive mismatche'

Background : The role of aminoacid substitution at position 116 of class I HLA antigens, has been the subject of several contributions, suggesting the possibility of permissive or non permissive mismatches. Hypothesis. Permissive mismatched at position AA116, yield outcomes comparable to 10/10 matched grafts and superior to AA116 non permissive mismatches. Patients: We have analyzed 358 unrelated donor transplants (UD) to test this hypothesis. All donors were matched at class II for DRB1 and DQ alleles; 226 were also matched at high resolution for A,B and C alleles; 84 had 1 permissive AA116 mismatch (Pmm), and 48 had 1 non permissive mismatch (NPmm). The 3 groups were comparable for patients age (p=0.5), donors age (p=0.9), diagnosis (p=0.2) and intensity of the conditioning regimen (p=0.4); both NPmm and Pmm had more patients with advanced disease, as compared to matched patients. The stem cell source was peripjheral blood for the large majority of patients. Results. The cumulative incidence (CI) of acute GvHD grade II-IV (p=0.01) and III-IV (p=0.001) was greater in patients with 1 allele mismatch, compared to matched patients, irrespective of AA116 permissive substitution. The CI of non relapse mortality (NRM) at 5 years 29%, 35%, 50% respectively in patients grafted from 10/10 matched donors, 1 allele Pmm donors and 1 allele NPmm donors (p=0.005). GvHD with or without infections, as a cause of death was recorded in 19%, 23% and 33% of the three groups respectively (p=0.1). The CI of relapse was respectively 18%, 30%, 20% (p=0.1). The actuarial survival at 5 years was 68% for 10/10 matched patients, 63% for 1 allele Pmm patients and 47% for 1 allele NPmm patients. Conclusions. We confirm that aminoacid substitution at position 116 of class I HLA antigens, is a risk factor for non relapse mortality and survival. Patients with permissive mismatched AA116 donors have outcome comparable to patients grafted from matched donors. Figure Disclosures Angelucci: Novatis: Honoraria, Other: Chair Steering Committee TELESTO protocol; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: Participation in DMC; BlueBirdBio: Other: Local advisory board; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Local advisory board; Roche: Other: Local advisory board; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorp., and CRISPR Therapeutics: Other: Participation in DMC.

Abstract Abstract 227 It is well established that the use of a donor matched for 9–10/10 alleles at HLA-A,-B,-C,-DRB1,-DQB1 significantly improves overall survival (OS) after unrelated donor (UD) haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Whilst the matching status for HLA-DPB1 alleles has been shown to influence transplant complications (relapse and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), its impact on survival has not been well defined. The current unmet need in clinical practice is an approach to stratify selection criteria when a clinician is confronted with the choice between several 10/10 or 9/10 matched unrelated donors. There is now considerable interest in exploring different types of matching criteria to define permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches which may be associated with an improved outcome. We have previously shown that HLA-DPB1 permissiveness can be functionally defined by the characterization of shared T cell epitopes (TCE) recognized by alloreactive T cells. In this model, allelic HLA mismatches are classified as permissive if they do not involve TCE disparities, and as non-permissive if they do. Using this concept, we developed two overlapping algorithms of permissivity for allelic HLA-DPB1 mismatches, on the basis of 3 (TCE3) or 4 (TCE4) groups of DPB1 alleles encoding immunogenic TCE. Data from relatively small prospective studies has shown a worse outcome to be associated with non-permissive DPB1 TCE disparities. Here, we present outcomes in 9123 UD-HSCT pairs, collected through the International Histocompatibility Working Group (IHWG). The cohort was comprised of 5809 10/10 matched transplant pairs and 3314 9/10 matched pairs. Within the 10/10 and 9/10 matched pairs three groups of patients were identified: 1. Zero DPB1 mismatches (i.e. allele matched), 2. Permissive DPB1 mismatch, 3. Non-permissive DPB1 mismatch. The model was adjusted for disease severity, source of stem cells, conditioning regimen, use of T-cell depletion, patient/donor gender and patient age. In line with DPB1 allele frequencies in worldwide populations, the number of transplants scored as permissive was higher for TCE3 (4398/7270 [60.4%]) than for TCE4 (2577/7270 [35.4%]). Using the DPB1 permissive mismatch transplants as the reference group (either 10/10 or 9/10 matched), we showed that DPB1 allelic matches resulted in similar survivals to DPB1 permissive mismatches, both in the 10/10 (HR 0.96, p=0.498 for TCE3 and HR 0.99, p=0.85 for TCE4) and the 9/10 setting (HR 0.97, p=0.70 for TCE3 and HR 0.99, p=0.96 for TCE4). In contrast, survival was significantly worse in the presence of a non-permissive TCE3 or TCE4 mismatch, both in the 10/10 (HR 1.15, p=0.0005 for TCE3 and HR 1.13, p=0.0035 for TCE4) and in the 9/10 matched setting (HR 1.13, p=0.0140 for TCE3 and HR 1.11, p=0.0448 for TCE4). The survival detriment appeared to be due to a significantly increased non-relapse mortality (TCE3: 10/10 HR 1.27, p<0.001 and 9/10 HR 1.21, p=0.0001; TCE4: 10/10 HR 1.24, p<0.001 and 9/10 HR 1.13, p=0.0514), as well as an increase in grades II-IV acute GVHD (TCE3: 10/10 HR 1.17, p<0.001 and 9/10 HR 1.29, p<0.001; TCE4: 10/10 HR 1.12, p=0.0035 and 9/10 HR 1.19, p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in disease relapse between permissive and non-permissive mismatched pairs. Finally, using the 10/10 DPB1 permissive mismatched group as a reference, we found survival to be similar for 10/10 DPB1 non-permissive (HR 1.15) and 9/10 DPB1 permissive (HR 1.20) or DPB1 allele matched (HR 1.17) transplants. In conclusion, our results suggest that extending donor selection to include HLA-DPB1 both allelic and functional TCE matching may result in better prediction of survival for patients. These findings provide an attractive new algorithm to stratify donor choice when several well-matched UD are identified. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from unrelated donors has been increasingly used worldwide in the last decade in patients with hematological malignancies when HLA-identical sibling donors are unavailable. Identification of the HLA locus matching at the allele level is important in optimizing transplantation outcomes by minimizing non-relapse mortality (NRM) as well as in enhancing the graft-versus-leukemia effect. It has been demonstrated that patients with HSC donors matched on HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 alleles can have different outcomes if considering matching on HLA-DPB1 allele. HLA-DPB1 mismatches based on T-cell-epitope groups could identify mismatches that might be tolerated (permissive) and those that would negatively impact transplantation outcomes (non-permissive). We conducted this study to evaluate the impact of HLA matching degree between patient and HSC donor including HLA-DPB1, taking into account the other impacting variables in the allo-HSCT settings. Material and methods A total of 235 patients who received allo-HSCT at our center between January 2005 and December 2014 with a full donor/recipient HLA class I and II locus available data were included, 131 (56%) were males, the median age at allo-HSCT was 50 years (range: 18-69). There was 123 (53%) acute leukemia (93 AML, 30 ALL), 24 (10%) MDS, 35 (15%) multiple myeloma, 20 (8%) NHL, 7 (3%) Hodgkin's disease, 10 (4%) myeloproliferative neoplasms, 13 (6%) CML, and 3 (1%) CLL. One hundred and nineteen patients (51%) received myeloablative conditioning (MAC) and 116 (49%) received reduced intensity conditioning (RIC). Disease status at allo-HSCT was complete remission (CR) in 144 (61%) patients and less than CR in 91 (39%). HSC donor was 10/10 HLA matched unrelated (MUD) for 162 (69%) (80 PBSC and 93 BM), among them 21 (9%) were matched for HLA-DPB1, 41 (18%) had permissive mismatch and 100 (42%) had non-permissive mismatch; while 73 (31%) had 9/10 HLA mismatched donor MMUD (48 PBSC and 25 BM), among them, 7 (3%) were matched for HLA-DPB1, 12 (5%) had permissive mismatch and 54 (23%) had non-permissive mismatch; 110 (47%) were ABO compatible, 58 (24%) had minor incompatibility and 67 (29%) had major incompatibility. For sex mismatching, in 33 (14%) cases, it was female donor to a male patient. Results After a median follow-up for surviving patients of 29 months (range: 4-108), patients with 10/10 HLA MUD had better overall survival (OS) than those with 9/10 MMUD without considering the HLA-DPB1 matching, with 2 years OS probability of 51% vs 35% respectively (p=0.09), which was reflected by a lower NRM at 2 years of 29% vs 42% (p=0.07). When considering the HLA-DPB1 matching, we found comparable outcomes in terms of OS and NRM for: 1) 10/10 HLA MUD - DPB1 matched vs 10/10 HLA MUD - DPB1 permissive mismatched, 2) 10/10 HLA MUD - non-permissive DPB1 mismatched vs 9/10 HLA MMUD - DPB1 matched, 3) 9/10 HLA MMUD - DPB1 matched vs 9/10 HLA MMUD - DPB1 permissive mismatched; all these 3 groups were not significantly different between each other expect for a last group which included 9/10 HLA MMUD with non-permissive DPB1 mismatch, this group had worse OS and NRM compared to all others with 2 years rates of 34% vs 49% (p=0.05) and 47% vs 29% (p=0.04) respectively. In multivariate analysis, patient age (>50 years), disease status (less than CR), HLA matching (9/10 HLA MUD non-permissive DPB1) and sex mismatching (female donor to male patient) were significantly impacting OS and NRM. We included all these variables in a risk score: age < 50 years= 0, > 50 years= 1; CR= 0, less than CR= 1; HLA 10/10 (matched on DPB1) or HLA 10/10 with permissive MM on DPB1= 0; HLA 10/10 with non-permissive MM on DPB1 or HLA 9/10 (matched on DPB1 or with permissive MM on DPB1)=1; HLA 9/10 with non-permissive MM on DPB1=2; for sex matching, female donor to male patient=1, all other= 0. The risk score distinguished low risk patients (total score=0), intermediate (total score=1 or 2) and high risk (total score >2) with 2 years OS and NRM rates of 66%, 52%, 30% (p=0.003) and 22%, 29% 48% (p=0.004) respectively. Conclusion MMUD with non-permissive T-cell-epitope mismatch at HLA-DPB1 should be avoided due to increased rates of NRM. The risk score combining HLA matching with age, disease status and sex matching is very helpful for daily clinical practice offering patients better treatment strategy. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Nicolini: Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Ariad Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

Abstract Introduction: Permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches defined by the T-cell epitope (TCE) model are an established selection criterion for unrelated donors in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) (Dehn et al. Blood 2019). Based on biological evidence, the TCE model has classified HLA-DPB1 alleles into at least three functional groups, one of which (TCE group 3; TCE3) houses a large number of alleles with different structural and functional characteristics. We have recently shown that structurally close HLA-DP allotypes have similar peptide-binding motifs and share a significant proportion of their immunopeptidomes, the latter being fundamental for permissiveness (Meurer & Crivello et al. Blood 2021). Hence, we hypothesized that HLA-DPB1 mismatches involving alleles that encode structurally distant allotypes within TCE3 could be less permissive than those involving alleles that encode structurally closer allotypes, and thus have a differential impact on clinical outcomes. Methods: Multidimensional scaling techniques were used to compare 28 polymorphic positions (amino acids 8-215) among 51 alleles present in a cohort of 5,140 10/10 matched patient-donor pairs who received a first alloHCT for AML, ALL, or MDS between 2008-2017. Based on these analyses, TCE3-permissive mismatches (N=2,216) were further stratified into those involving structurally close or more distant combinations and compared with HLA-DPB1-matched (N=785) and non-permissively mismatched (N=2,023) pairs. These models were tested in parallel to the "classical" TCE model considering permissive mismatches (N=2,332) as a whole, to determine their association with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), treatment-related mortality (TRM), primary disease relapse, and acute (a) and chronic (c)GVHD. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank testing were used to compare the median OS and DFS. The incidences of GVHD, relapse and TRM were compared using competing risks and Gray's test. The effect of HLA-DPB1 mismatch on time-to-event outcomes was modelled by Cox regression after adjusting for confounders and testing for the proportional hazards assumption. Results: Within TCE3, we identified a subgroup of 4 frequent and structurally as well as functionally closely related alleles (i.e. DPB1*02:01, 04:01, 04:02, 23:01) that form a separate cluster (Figure 1A). These "core" alleles have similar bound-peptide motifs (van Balen et al. J Immunol 2020) and can be distinguished from other alleles in TCE3 in terms of the strength of in vitro alloreactive responses elicited from permissive responders (Meurer et al. Front Immunol 2018). Moreover, principal component analysis identified the HLA-DP 84-87 DEAV/GGMP motif as a major factor driving structural variability among TCE3 alleles (not shown). We used these observations to stratify TCE3 permissive mismatches in the allo-HCT cohort into "core" (N=930) and "non-core" (N=1,286) or into DEAV/GGPM-matched (N=1,209) and mismatched (N=1,007) pairs (Figure 1B). Multivariable analysis confirmed the association of aGVHD2-4 for the classical TCE model of non-permissive mismatching (p&lt;.0001) and revealed a trend in DEAV/GGPM and "core"/"non-core" TCE3-permissive models. When compared to HLA-DPB1 allele matched pairs the risks of aGVHD2-4 increased progressively with "core" TCE3-permissive (HR 1.12 [0.98-1.28]; p=0.1012), "non-core" TCE3-permissive (HR 1.24 [1.06-1.46]; p= 0.0082), and non-permissive mismatches (HR 1.32 [1.16-1.50]; p&lt;.0001) (Figure 1C, "core" vs. "non-core" HR 0.90 [0.80-1.01]; p=0.062). Similar albeit less significant results were obtained with the DEAV/GGPM model. The "core"/"non-core" TCE3 model was also associated with TRM with alloHCT from "core" TCE3-permissive donors showing lower risks of TRM than "non-core" TCE3-permissive (HR 0.82 [0.70-0.96]; p=0.0118) and non-permissive donors (HR 0.78 [0.68-0.88]; p=0.0002). Conclusion: Our results suggest that structural differences within TCE3 that reflect functional divergence and differential immunogenicity of alleles in this group associate with the risks of aGVHD and TRM after alloHCT. Hence, within the population of 10/10 matched donors, selection of "core" TCE3-permissive donors might reduce patient morbidity after transplantation. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Paczesny: Medical University of South Carolina: Patents & Royalties: inventor on the ST2 bispecific antibody patent application. Lee: AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Janssen: Other; Kadmon: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Syndax: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; National Marrow Donor Program: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Research Funding.

Abstract The use of unrelated donors matched in all alleles of HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 loci has been associated with superior outcomes compared with those having 1 or more mismatches. Recent studies showed increased transplant-related mortality (TRM) with the use of HLA-DPB1 mismatched donors supporting the notion that the ideal volunteer unrelated donor should fully match at HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 and lack -DPB1 mismatches. The issue of the effect of HLA-DPB1 mismatch on the disease progression rate is still controversial and we aimed to investigate the impact of HLA-DPB1 mismatch in the graft versus host direction on transplant outcomes in patients categorized according to the recently defined disease risk index (DRI) for disease risk classification. Our study cohort included 1,211 transplant patients with hematological malignancies whohave received an hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) from an unrelated HLA-A, -B, -C,-DRB1 matched donor by high resolution typing (8/8 matched) after 2005 through 2014. The study cohort had a median age of 55 (range, 19-77); the hematopoietic stem cell source was peripheral blood (PB) in 698 and bone marrow (BM) in 513 patients. Disease risk index (DRI) at HSCT was high or very high in 382 (33%), intermediate in 598 (51%), low in 185 (16%) patients. Of the pairs, 1,154 (95%) were matched atHLA-DQB1 and 1,116 (92%) at HLA- DRB3/4/5 by high resolution testing. However, 633 (52%) had mismatch at one of the DPB1 alleles and 208 (17%) had two mismatches. There was association between matching for DPB1and matching for DRB3/4/5 (p=0.002) but not with DQB1. In PB recipients, there was a highly significant decreaseof disease progression in DPB1 mismatched pairs (one and two allele; HR=0.7, p=0.01 and HR=0.6, p=0.01 respectively) as compared tothose pairs with DPB1 matched. The impact of mismatches at one or two alleles were not different on disease progression (HR=1.2, p=0.4). However, the impact of DPB1 mismatch on disease progression was not uniform in different disease risk groups by DRI. Mismatch at DPB1 significantly decreased disease progression only in the intermediate risk group (HR=0.5, p=0.002) but not in low risk and high/very high disease groups by DRI (HR=0.9, p=0.8 and HR=0.7, p=0.1 respectively) (Figure 1a-c). In BM recipients, increasing number of DPB1 incompatibilities decreased disease progression (HR=0.9, p=0.4 and HR=0.6, p=0.1 for 1 and 2 allele mismatches respectively) but did not reach significance. Mismatches at HLA-DQB1 and -DRB3/4/5 had no impact on disease progression in both PB and BM recipients. Pairs with one or two allele-level DPB1 mismatches increased TRM compared with DPB1 matched pairs in PB (HR=1.5, p=0.04 and HR=1.9, p=0.006 respectively) and BM recipients (HR=1.8, p=0.03 and HR=1.9, p=0.05). There was no difference between two and one allele DPB1 mismatched for TRM in PB and BM recipients. Multivariate analyses revealed that the negative impact of DPB1 mismatch on TRM was not uniform in younger or (?) older patients. Interestingly, DPB1 mismatches increased TRM only in younger (aged<55) patients (HR=2.3, p=0.02) if they were PB recipients but only in older patients (HR=2.03, p=0.046) if they were BM recipients. We next analyzed the impact of DPB1 matching on progression free survival (PFS) and did not observe any impact of DPB1 mismatches on PFS in PB (HR=0.9, p=0.9) and BM (HR=1.12, p=0.6) recipients. Subgroup analyses by DRI to identify a specific risk group that the use of HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 matched but DPB1 mismatched unrelated donor might lead to improved PFS did not reveal any particular risk group in both PB and BM recipients. Thus, in recipients of HLA-A, -B-C and DRB1 allele-level matched unrelated donors a mismatch for DPB1 is associated with a significantlydecreased risk of disease progression with no impact on PFS in intermediate risk group by DRI. Further analysis permissive vs. non-permissive DPB1 mismatches would be warranted. Figure 1. The cumulative incidence of disease progression by DPB1 mismatch and Disease Risk Index in peripheral blood recipients. Figure 1. The cumulative incidence of disease progression by DPB1 mismatch and Disease Risk Index in peripheral blood recipients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction: In 8/8 matched unrelated donor (UD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), permissive HLA-DPB1 (DP) mismatches within the same functional T Cell Epitope (TCE) group are associated with better outcomes compared to non-permissive mismatches across different TCE groups (Fleischhauer, Blood 2017). This clinical advantage has been shown to be associated with limited in vitro T cell alloreactivity (Meurer, Front Immunol 2019), which in turn is dependent on polymorphic peptide contact amino acids in the DP molecule (Crivello, Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2015). The HLA class II immunopeptidome is shaped by the peptide editor HLA-DM (DM), and its natural antagonist HLA-DO (DO). Here we investigated the effect of DM/DO activity on the DP immunopeptidome, the breadth of the overall alloresponse to and immunogenicity of permissive and non-permissive DP mismatches, in healthy individuals and in patients after UD-HCT. Methods: HeLa cells expressing single DP alleles in the presence or absence of DM, or in the presence of DM and DO (Rutten, BBMT 2008), were generated for HLA-DPB1*04:02 (DP4) and *10:01 (DP10) as prototypes for 2 distinct TCE groups. The DP immunopeptidomes were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Alloresponses against DP were quantified by CD137 up-regulation assays after co-culture of irradiated HeLa cells with CD4+ responder T cells from 14 healthy blood donors permissive to DP4 and non-permissive to DP10, or from 2 patients referring to the University Hospital Essen, Germany, the latter alive and well >9 months after 8/8 matched UD-HCT with a permissive DP4 or a non-permissive DP10 mismatch, respectively. The breadth of the responding T cell receptor beta (TCRb) repertoire was determined by immunosequencing (Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle, USA). The study was performed under informed consent according to the declaration of Helsinki. Results: Reflecting their association with different TCE groups, DP4 and DP10 presented peptidomes with limited (<4%) overlap and different peptide motifs. These features were not changed by the presence or absence of DM. In contrast, the presence of DM resulted in a significant (>50%) shrinking of the peptide repertoire displayed by the same DP antigen in the absence of DM, with approximately 30% peptides shared by the same allele in the two conditions, both for DP4 and for DP10 (Figure 1A). In the presence of DM, the magnitude of the T cell alloresponse to non-permissive DP10 was significantly higher than to permissive DP4, both in healthy individuals (40.7% vs 16.3%, respectively, p<0.0001) and in the informative transplanted patients (Figure 1B). Neither the absence of DM (40.7% vs 45.3%, p=ns) nor the presence of DM with DO (71.6% vs 77.4%, p=ns) altered the magnitude of the non-permissive alloresponse to DP10. Compellingly, both the absence of DM (16.3% vs 39.0%, p<0.001) and the co-expression of DM and DO (21.6% vs 59.5%, p<0.001) significantly increased the response to permissive DP4, again both in healthy individuals and in the informative transplanted patients. The strength of the overall alloresponse was associated with the breadth of the corresponding TCRb repertoire, with significantly higher diversity (1-clonality) in response to non-permissive DP10 (mean 0.68) compared to permissive DP4 (mean 0.48) in the presence of DM, and similar high diversity against both DP antigens in its absence (mean 0.74 vs 0.75 against DP4 and DP10, respectively) in healthy individuals. In the transplanted patients, the permissive alloresponse to DP4 was dominated by a single TCRb that could be retrieved at high frequency also in ex-vivo follow-up samples from the same patient from day +195 and +363, while the non-permissive alloresponse to DP10 was polyclonal (mean 0.62 and 0.61 in the presence and absence of DM, respectively) (Figure 1C). Conclusion: Permissiveness of HLA-DPB1 TCE mismatches is dependent on the peptide editing by DM, and converted into non-permissiveness in its absence or in the presence of its antagonist DO. Permissiveness is associated with the immunopeptidomes of mismatched HLA-DP alloantigens on the MHC side, and with TCRb diversity on the alloreactive T cell side, both in healthy individuals and in patients after UD-HCT. These new mechanistic insights suggest that expression of DM and DO by leukemia or healthy tissues might modulate graft-versus-leukemia and graft-versus-host disease after permissively DP mismatched UD HCT. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction: Optimal HLA matching is associated with clinical outcome of unrelated donor (UD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)(Pidala, Blood2014, Morishima, Blood2015, Fürst, Blood2013), but a comprehensive analysis addressing this question in European transplant centers has not yet been performed. Within the CTIWP of EBMT, we have addressed this issue in adultsreceiving an UD-HCT from 2000 to 2015. Methods: All consecutive cases of UC-HCT with available 6-loci high resolution (2nd field) HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1, -DPB1 typing for both patient and donor and ARD-level matching for at least 7/8 HLA-A,B,C,DRB1 alleles reported to the EBMT were selected. Further inclusion criteria were first allogeneic HCT for hematological malignancies, patient age >=18 years, availability of donor age and use of either bone marrow or peripheral blood (PB) as stem cell source. Overall, 9575 patient-donor pairs were included from 29 countries and 198 transplant centers. Median follow-up was of 28.3 months, main diagnosis was acute leukemia (AL)(51.5%), disease stage was early in 44.1% of cases. UD-HCT were performed with PB in 84.7%, in vivo T cell depletion (TCD) in 64.4% and reduced intensity conditioning regimen in 57.3% of cases, and mostly standard graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) prophylaxis with calcineurin inhibitors. HLA data were validated using the HLAcore library and a haplotype based probability check from the German Donor Registry. Pairs were stratified by: 1) In the overall cohort, according to HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 matching status (8/8 N=7724 and 7/8 N=1851) and 2) in informative 8/8 matched pairs (N=7480), according to HLA-DPB1 matching status as identical (23.7%), permissive (26.6%) or non-permissive (32.9%) by the 3-group T Cell Epitope (TCE3) model, or by the 4-group TCE4 model (Fleischhauer, Blood2017). Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), secondary endpoints were non-relapse mortality (NRM), relapse and acute GvHD grade II-IV, and relapse free survival (RFS). Results: At 5 years, OS and RFS in the entire cohort were 47% and 40.5%. The cumulative incidence of 5-y NRM, relapse and 1-y grade II-IV aGvHD was 28.1%, 31.4% and 19.4%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, a single mismatch at HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 (7/8) was associated with a significantly higher risk of death compared to full match (8/8; HR 1.16, p<0.001). Other variables significantly associated with OS were patient (HR 1.14, p<0.001) and donor age (HR 1.08, p<0.001) per decade, CMV serostatus (HR 1.10, p=0.007), diagnosis of AL (HR 1.14, p<0.001), disease status (HR 1.22, p<0.001) and year of HCT (HR 0.98, p<0.001). The hazards of NRM, grade II-IV aGvHD and RFS were also significantly higher in 7/8 compared to 8/8 group (HR 1.34, p<0.001, HR 1.18, p<0.001 and HR 1.13, p<0.001, respectively) but not with lower risks of relapse (HR 0.96, p=0.51). In 8/8 matched HCT, when comparing with the HLA-DPB1 TCE3 permissive group, NRM were significantly higher in the non-permissive but not in the allele matched group (HR 1.17, p<0.001 and HR 0.90, p=0.15). Permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches were associated with significantly lower relapse risks compared to allele matches but not compared to non-permissive mismatches (HR 0.85, p<0.01 and HR 0.96, p=0.433, respectively). OS was not significantly different between permissively HLA-DPB1 mismatched and allele matched pairs (HR 0.98, p=0.678.) or non-permissively mismatched pairs (HR 1.07, p=0.08). RFS was similar between the 3 groups. Stratification according to the TCE4 group model resulted in similar outcome associations. Conclusion: In this large independent cohort of UD-HCT from EBMT performed mostly from PB with in vivo TCD, a single allele mismatch at HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 was independently associated with lower OS, and RFS, higher risk of NRM and aGvHD and no difference in relapse. The latter outcome was improved by permissive HLA-DPB1 mismatches in the 8/8 setting, which carried a significantly lower risk of NRM compared to non-permissive mismatches. The results from this new dataset validate current paradigms in donor selection and provide an important new platform for donor selection and HCT immunobiology. Figure: OS and RI relapse in UD-HCT. Pairs were stratified according to A) 8/8 (N=7724) and 7/8 (N=1851) HLA-A,B,C,DRB1 allele mismatches, or B) HLA-DPB1 allele matches (N=2045), TCE3 permissive mismatches (N=3743) and TCE3 non-permissive mismatches (N=2838) in the 8/8. Figure Disclosures Vago: Moderna Therapeutics: Research Funding; GenDx: Research Funding. Socie:Alexion: Consultancy. Kröger:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; DKMS: Research Funding; JAZZ: Honoraria; Medac: Honoraria; Neovii: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Riemser: Research Funding; Sanofi-Aventis: Research Funding. Leleu:Takeda: Honoraria; Oncopeptide: Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Carsgen: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; Merck: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria. Bonini:Novartis: Consultancy; -: Patents & Royalties: Adoptive T cell therapy field; Intellia Therapeutics: Research Funding; Molmed: Consultancy; Intellia Therapeutics: Consultancy; TxCell: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy; Allogene: Consultancy; Kite/Gilead: Consultancy. Chabannon:EBMT: Other: Working Party Chair, Board member; Fresenius Kabi: Other: research support; Miltenyi Biotech: Other: research support; Terumo BCT: Other: speaker's fees; Celgene: Other: speaker's fees; Novartis: Other: speaker's fees; Gilead: Other: speaker's fees, hospitalities; Sanofi SA: Other: research support, speaker's fees, hospitalities.

Abstract Background: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching between donor and recipient is a key part of successful allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). The HCT from the unrelated donor (UD) with one allele/antigen mismatch (MM) can be as beneficial as HCT from perfectly matched donor. For the remaining patients, the donors with permissive mismatches may be the option. In HLA-mismatched transplantation, the patient and donor can also be mismatched for their killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) ligands that recognize allotypic determinants shared by certain HLA class I allele groups. Recent research has accumulated evidence of the role of each HLA locus and KIR ligand MM on clinical outcomes for UD-HCT. However, HCT outcomes of the patients with permissive MM depending on KIR ligand MM (KIR-L-MM) status remain obscure in UD-HCT. In the current study, we identified permissive and nonpermissive MM allele combinations and analyzed the effects of these mismatches in combination of KIR ligand mismatches in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: A total of 438 patients with AML who underwent allo-HCT from UD from 2007 to 2014 were analyzed. Alleles of patients and donors at the HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 loci were identified by the high resolution DNA typing. Nonpermissive HLA allele combinations were defined as a significant HLA risk factor for severe acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). KIR-L-MM among patient-donor pairs were searched in the Immuno Polymorphism Database available at www.ebi.ac.uk/ipd/kir. Results: Median age of the patients was 45 (range 15-60) years and 117 patients (40.4%) were female. Eighty-five (19.4%) patients were high risk at the time of HCT. Reduced intensity conditioning was performed in 131 patients (29.9%) and anti-thymocyte globulin was used in 324 patients (74.0%). Primary graft source was peripheral blood stem cells (n=369, 84.2%) and median 6.0 x 106/kg cells were infused. Severe aGVDH occurred in 43 patients (9.8%) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) in 193 (44.1%). With median follow-up duration of 19 (range, 2-96) months, treatment-related mortality (TRM) occurred in 111 patients (25.3%), relapse in 119 (27.2%) and death in 214 (48.9%). Two-hundred sixty-four patients (60.3%) were HLA full matched in the 4 loci. Mismatches in HLA-A loci observed in 64 patients, HLA-B in 35, HLA-C in 98, and HLA-DRB1 in 60. Five nonpermissive MM pairs in 33 patients were identified as donor/patient pair: A*02:06/A*02:01, C*03:03/C*08:01, C*08:01/C03:04, C*08:01/C*15:02, and DRB1*04:03/DRB1*04:05. Among 98 patients with HLA-C loci MM, 16 patients showed KIR ligand MM (KIR-L-MM) as GvH direction, which was observed in the permissive MM group. Severe aGVHD occurred in 30.4%, 22.4%, 13.4%, and 10.8% in nonpermissive, permissive MM and KIR-L-MM, permissive MM and KIR-L-M, and full match group, respectively (p=0.003). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was inferior in permissive MM and KIR-L-MM group (30.0%) compared to full match (53.5%), permissive MM and KIR-L-M (51.8%), and nonpermissive (42.4%) group (p=0.067). The 3-year TRM was higher in permissive MM and KIR-L-MM group (57.5%) than full match (21.0%), permissive MM and KIR-L-M (27.7%), and nonpermissive (33.3%) group (p=0.006). In the multivariate analysis, high risk at HCT (HR 2.087, p<0.001), severe aGVHD (HR 3.851, p<0.001), and cGVHD (HR 0.321, p<0.001) were identified as variables affecting the OS. The following variables adversely affected on TRM: permissive MM and KIR-L-MM group (HR 2.699, p=0.007), severe aGVDH (HR 2.204, p=0.001), and cGVHD (HR 2.052, p<0.001). Non-permissive MM (HR 7.487, p=0.001) and CD34+ cells >6x106/kg (HR 4.113, p=0.017) were high risk factors on severe aGVHD. Conclusion: Permissive MM for HLA could be further classified into high risk groups with regard to TRM by KIR-L matching in UD-HCT. The evaluation of KIR-L matching is warranted to reduce unfavorable outcomes among the patients with permissive MM in UD-HCT. Figure 1 Figure 1. Figure 2 Figure 2. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major cause of treatment failure after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). In HLA-mismatched donor setting, indirect presentation of allogeneic peptides from recipient's mismatched HLA class I or II proteins by donor or recipient antigen presenting cells can be an immunogenic driver of GVHD. However, the potential diversity of such antigens is large, and predicting them in a systematic manner has proven challenging. Using a novel, highly-multiplexed peptide-MHC binding assay (MHC-PepSeq) we sought to 1) identify allogeneic peptides derived from mismatched HLA protein that can be efficiently presented by HLA-DR, and 2) explore the possibility that the frequency of these HLA-DRB1 binding allopeptides may be predictive of clinical GVHD in HLA-DPB1 mismatched donor/recipient pairs. Using publicly-available population allele frequency data (allelefrequencies.net), we identified a set of class I and II sequences that cover &gt;95% of alleles at each of 9 human HLA-loci (-A, -B, -C, -DRA1,-DRB1, -DQA1, -DQB1, -DPA1, -DPB1) in 3 major US populations (European Caucasian, African American, Mexican Chicano). When represented in the form of densely overlapping tiled 15-mer peptides, 7,744 unique 15mers were identified. We encoded these peptides into DNA oligonucleotides and used the PepSeq parallel synthesis protocol to generate a library of the corresponding DNA-barcoded peptides. The library was incubated with recombinantly-expressed full-length HLA proteins, washed, eluted, amplified, and sequenced to identify the various HLA-derived peptides that bind to the assayed HLA proteins (Figure 1). In the current study, DPB1-derived allopeptides in the setting of HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, and DQB1 (10/10) matched unrelated (MUD) HCT donors with a mismatch in DPB1 were investigated. The peptide library was assayed for binding to the DRB1*07:01 protein, selected since it was the common allele in this cohort. We identified 327 patients who were transplanted at our center and met these criteria. For each case, we used comprehensive in silico tiling to identify HLA-DPA and DPB-derived peptides present in the recipient but absent in the donor. This set was intersected with the peptides identified as binders to HLA-DRB1*07:01 in the 7,744-plex MHC-PepSeq assay, to arrive at a donor-recipient pair-specific set of 'allopeptides' Overall, we identified such allopeptide at the median of 0 (range: 0-8) across the 327 cases. Next, we examined an association between the number of allopeptides and acute GVHD in the cohort of 94 patients with positive HLA-DRB1*07:01. Median age at alloHCT was 60 years (range: 19-78), 53% males, 1.% bone marrow graft and only 7% female to male donors. Ablative (TBI) conditioning was delivered to 34%) pts. 83% received Tacrolimus/Sirolimus-based, and 9% received post-transplant cyclophosphamide-based GVHD prophylaxis. Patient/HCT characteristics are summarized in Table 1. In this cohort, 18% had no DPB1 mismatch, 54% had a single and 28% had double mismatches, with 21% pts carrying non-permissive DPB1 mismatches. Allopeptide score was 0 in 75% of pts. Non-permissive mismatch 9 (39%) vs. 11 (16%) were more likely to have allopeptide score ≥1 and similarly double mismatches 11 (48%) vs. 15 (21%) were more likely to have allopeptide score of ≥1. Among pts with ≥1 allopeptide score 14 (61%) had DPB1 matched or permissive mismatch. The cumulative incidence of grade 2-4 acute GVHD was 40.8% (range: 29-52) in pts with no allopeptides from DPB1 compared with 56% (range: 34-74) in those with ≥1 allopeptides (p=0.259) (Figure 2). The cumulative incidence of grade 3-4 acute GVHD and chronic GVHD were similar between allopeptide 0 vs. ≥1. Together, we show that the "MHC-PepSeq" assay can identify novel candidate HLA-derived allopeptides in 10/10 MUD HCTs. The number of such peptides are relatively low - with a majority having no allopeptide. In an exploratory analysis in a selected cohort of patients with HLA-DRB1*0701 in the setting of 10/10 MUD HCT, the number of allopeptides in our assay may be predictive of GVHD. The expanded analyses on other HLA-DRB1 restriction elements are underway. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Al Malki: CareDx: Consultancy; Hansa Biopharma: Consultancy; Neximmune: Consultancy; Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy; Rigel Pharma: Consultancy. Ali: BMS: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; CTI BioPharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Forman: Mustang Bio: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Lixte Biotechnology: Consultancy, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company; Allogene: Consultancy.

Abstract Background: We and others have previously shown that non-permissive T cell epitope (TCE) group mismatches at HLA-DPB1 are associated with the risks of mortality after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from 10/10 HLA-matched unrelated donors (Fleischhauer et al, Lancet Oncol 2012; Pidala et al, Blood 2014). Moreover, we recently reported that TCE groups are reflected by a numerical score assignable to each HLA-DPB1 allele based on the combined median impact of 12 naturally occurring amino acid substitutions (AAS) on allorecognition of HLA-DPB1*09:01 as reference, termed functional distance (FD) (Crivello et al, Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2015). Here we studied the association between the Delta in FD scores of HLA-DPB1 alleles present in the patient and in the donor (Delta-FD), and the clinical outcome of unrelated HCT. Methods: 417 consecutive adult patients transplanted from a 10/10 HLA-matched unrelated donor AML (n=302 [72%]), ALL (n=58 [8%]), or MDS (n=57 [14%]) at the University Hospital Essen between the years 2005 and 2014 were included in the analysis. 37 pairs were matched for both HLA-DPB1 alleles (12/12 HLA matches) while the remaining 380 pairs were HLA-DPB1 mismatched. Among the latter, Delta-FD scores were calculated as the absolute number of [FDpatient-FDdonor] on the basis of previously described FD scores for each HLA-DPB1 allele (Crivello et al, Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2015). Results: The median Delta-FD score of HLA-DPB1 mismatched pairs was 1.64 (0.01-7.46). Receiver Operator Curves indicated stratification into 2 subgroups with Delta-FD scores <=2.665 (n=253 [66%]) and >2.665 (n=127 [34%]) as the best predictor of overall survival (OS). The 2 subgroups showed no significant differences for the distribution of major variables including diagnosis, disease status at transplant, immune prophylaxis and conditioning regimen, except for the percentage of permissive HLA-DPB1 TCE mismatches which was significantly higher in the subgroup with Delta-FD scores <=2.665 (p<0.0001). With a median follow-up of 4 yrs for surviving pts, the 5-yrs OS in the entire HLA-DPB1 mismatched cohort was 48%. In the 2 Delta-FD subgroups, the Kaplan-Meier (KM) probabilities of OS were 52% for Delta-FD <=2.665 and 38% for Delta-FD >2.665 (p<0.008), compared to 50% and 44% (p=0.31) for permissive and non-permissive TCE mismatches, respectively. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of OS were time-dependent acute GvHD (HR 3.41, p<0.0001) and chronic GvHD (HR 0.41, p<0.0001), the use of anti-thymocyte globulin (HR 0.58, p=0.0006), disease status at transplant (HR 1.27, p<0.007), patient age (HR 1.63 p<0.007), and the stratified Delta-FD score (HR 1.51, p<0.007). Moreover, Delta-FD scores >2.665 were associated with lower probability of event-free survival (HR 1.48, p<0.007), due to significantly higher risks of disease relapse (HR 1.52, p<0.03) and NRM (HR 1.50, p<0.045), but not of acute or chronic GvHD. No significant differences were observed for any of the endpoints between 12/12 HLA-matched and 10/10 HLA-matched pairs with Delta-FD <=2.665. Conclusion: Stratification of HLA-DPB1 mismatches according to Delta-FD scores between donor and recipient represents a refinement of our previously published TCE algorithm of non-permissive mismatches with significant overlaps. In comparison to the latter, Delta-FD scores showed improved associations with the risks of mortality and relapse after 10/10 HLA-matched unrelated HCT in the patient cohort analyzed. If confirmed, these findings could provide a refined tool for donor-recipient matching for HLA-DPB1, and suggest that the combined impact of key AAS on T-cell alloreactivity, rather than AAS at individual positions, are relevant parameters for risk prediction in HLA-DPB1 mismatched HCT. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Alloreactivity is the major barrier to solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), determining important clinical events such as graft rejection and graft versus host disease. This biological phenomenon is due to the immunogenicity of allogeneic Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) expressed in transplanted tissues and recognized by T cell receptor (TCR) on the surface of alloreactive T cells. In the past, the hosting laboratory identified an immunogenic T cell epitope (TCE) encoded by a subset of HLA-DPB1 alleles, thereby defining permissive and non-permissive DPB1 mismatches between donor and recipient associated with different clinical outcomes after HSCT. Aim of this thesis is to elucidate the molecular basis underlying the different clinical impact of DPB1 mismatches in order to improve our understanding of HLA immunogenicity in the context of transplantation. To achieve this aim, we investigated if the clinical effect of DPB1 mismatches was reflected by the strength of their in vitro alloreactive T cell response and, subsequently, we characterized the alloreactive response to one of the most immunogenic DPB1 alleles, HLA-DPB1*09:01 (HLA-DP9), at the molecular level by homology modeling driven site directed mutagenesis. The strength of the alloreactive T cell response to HLA-DP was assessed in Mixed Lymphocyte Reactions between healthy responder/stimulator pairs mismatched only at the DPB1 locus, followed by quantitative assessment of responder T cells upregulating the cell surface activation marker CD137. We observed significantly higher frequencies of activated T cells against non-permissive mismatches (n=9; mean 10.13% ± 7.51%) compared to permissive mismatches (n=15; mean 2.34% ± 2.82% p<0.05). SDM of HLA-DP9 was performed on 6 polymorphic amino acid residues predicted to be crucial for interaction with bound peptide (positions 9, 35, 55, 69, 76 and 84), and on 2 amino acid residues putatively involved in direct interaction with the TCR (positions 56 and 57). These residues were mutated into amino acids naturally occurring in other HLA-DP variants. A lentiviral vector expression platform was used to express the wild type or mutant HLA-DP in 2 HLA homozygous reporter B lymphoblastoid Cell lines. A panel of 8 alloreactive T cell effectors, specific for wild type HLA-DPB1*09:01 (n=6) or for DPB1*10:01 and DPB1*1701, respectively, but crossreactive to DPB1*09:01 (n=2), was used to evaluate the impact of mutagenesis on T cell recognition by gIFN ELISpot or CD107a degranulation assay. For T cells specifically alloreactive to HLA-DPB1*09:01, recognition was influenced by a complex pattern of residues, which was different for each of the 6 effectors studied. In contrast, for the 2 T cells cross-reactive to HLA-DPB1*09:01, only 2 amino acids (positions 69 and 76) had an influence on allorecognition, suggesting the presence of a more restricted set of T cell epitopes in the context of cross-reactivity rather than nominal specificity. These results are consistent with the peptide involvement in alloreactivity to HLA-DPB1*09:01, and underline the complexity of allorecognition which may be one of the mechanisms underlying the immunogenicity of this molecule. Finally, an additional collaborative study with the North Italian Program for Solid Organ Transplantation was aimed at predicting the functional role of amino acid point mutations in newly described naturally occurring variants of HLA-A3 and A32, respectively, by homology modeling. These studies confirmed data from the literature suggesting a relevant putative role of amino acid substitutions at positions 114 and 116, present in a variant of HLA-A3, on the molecular shape and charge of the peptide binding groove. In contrast, point mutations at position 151 and 258 found in two variants of HLA-A32 and A3, respectively, were not predicted to have important functional impacts, due to limited structural or biochemical changes of the groove. In conclusion, our results shed new light on the molecular basis of T cell alloreactivity. In particular, we showed that the stronger immunogenicity of non-permissive DPB1 mismatches is reflected by a divergent and complex T cell epitope repertoire with a putative involvement of the peptide repertoire presented to the alloreactive TCRs. Identification of specific allopeptides associated with these responses will allow to further dissect their molecular basis.