Medical Student Research Forum Posters

• Hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin and dexamethasone (Hyper-CVAD) results in high complete remission (CR) rates, long-term survival in 30-40%1 , and measurable/minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity in 50% adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

• Proteasome inhibitors have synergistic activity with chemotherapy in relapsed ALL.

• Carfilzomib, a next-generation irreversible and selective inhibitor of the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome, shows increased specificity, potency, and cellular apoptotic sensitivity compared to bortezomib in ALL.

• Carfilzomib shows preclinical activity in ALL ex vivo studies, and has promising synergism with dexamethasone.

• We hypothesized that adding carfilzomib to Hyper-CVAD would be safe and could better outcomes in adults with ALL.