The Effects of PI3K-δ/γ Inhibitor, Duvelisib, in Mantle Cell Lymphoma in Vitro and in Patient-Derived Xenograft Studies

Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable subtype of B-cell lymphoma. Ibrutinib, a first-in-class, once-daily, oral covalent inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of MCL in patients previously treated. In our prior multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial, the overall response rate in relapsed/refractory MCL was 68%, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 13.9 months. However, the majority of MCL patients treated with ibrutinib relapsed; in these relapsed patients, the one-year survival rate was only 22%. Therefore, there exists an urgent need for additional novel targeted therapies to improve the mortality rate in these patients. In this study, we assessed the in vitro and in vivo effects of duvelisib, a PI3K-δ,-γ inhibitor, in MCL.