Lenalidomide Enhances MOR202 Dependent Macrophage-Mediated Effector Functions Via the Vitamin D Pathway

Multiple myeloma (MM) is considered a chronic and incurable disease due to its highly complex and heterogeneous molecular abnormalities and the support from myeloma microenvironment factors. Macrophages are an abundant component of the stromal cell compartment and are believed to support proliferation, survival, and drug resistance of MM cells. Conversely, macrophages are key immune effector cells for the therapeutic effect of monoclonal antibodies and can directly eliminate tumor cells. However, myeloma-associated macrophages (MAMs) regularly fail to exert direct effector functions. Given their abundance in MM, an attractive therapeutic approach would be to stimulate their tumoricidal activity in order to promote antitumor immunity. Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent that enhances antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), has the potential to synergize with MOR202, an anti-CD38 monoclonal IgG1 antibody currently in phase I/IIa for the treatment of MM. Furthermore, vitamin D plays a key role in regulating effector functions of human macrophages. This is closely linked to the expression of the vitamin D-1-hydroxylase CYP27B1, which catalyzes the conversion of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25D) to the bioactive form 1,25-di-hydroxy-vitamin D (1,25D). We have previously shown, that vitamin D promotes tumoricidal activity of macrophages and improves the efficacy of rituximab-dependent cytotoxicity (Bruns et al., Sci. Transl. Med., 2015; Bittenbring et al., JCO, 2014). Therefore, we hypothesized that the combination of MOR202 with lenalidomide and MOR202 with 1,25D would enhance the MOR202- dependent macrophage-mediated effector functions against myeloma cells.

Here we report that MAMs exhibit an altered vitamin D metabolism with a reduced expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and CYP27B1, while the expression of CYP24A1, which catabolizes 1,25D, is increased. As a consequence MAMs cannot convert 25D into bioactive 1,25D. Given the importance of the vitamin D pathway for antibody mediated cytotoxicity, we screened several drugs for their ability to restore the vitamin D pathway in human macrophages. We found, by RNA-sequencing, that lenalidomide treatment modulates the phenotype of monocyte-derived macrophages and isolated MAMs, and that lenalidomide significantly increases the expression of the VDR, CYP27B1 and CAMP (cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide) in these macrophages. Furthermore, we demonstrate that isolated MAMs regularly fail to eliminate primary myeloma cells, and that the lack of effector functions can be overcome by treatment with lenalidomide and vitamin D. Moreover, we show that MOR202-dependent elimination of myeloma cells is enhanced by pre-treatment of isolated MAMs with lenalidomide and supplementation of vitamin D.

 In summary, these data show that the bioactive form of vitamin D (1,25D) is essential for the effector functions of MAMs and that the therapeutic activation of the vitamin D pathway by lenalidomide may restore their tumoricidal effector mechanisms. Furthermore, these findings highlight that stimulating the tumoricidal activity of MAMs, an abundant component of the stromal cell compartment, with lenalidomide and 1,25D is an attractive therapeutic approach in combination with the anti-CD38 monoclonal IgG1 antibody MOR202.