Background: Nanog and focal adhesion kinase are overexpressed in cancer cells. Results: Nanog binds the FAK promoter, up-regulates FAK, and directly binds and is phosphorylated by FAK that regulates cell morphology, growth, and invasion. Conclusion: Nanog binds the FAK promoter and up-regulates FAK, binds to FAK to be tyrosine-phosphorylated, and regulates cancer cell functions. Significance: The Nanog and FAK interaction is critical for cancer biology.

7016 Background: Baseline characteristics such as age >60, WBC>100,000/µL and FLT3/NPM1/DNMT3A+ve are known to be associated with a poor prognosis in AML. Ivey et al. (NEJM 2016) reported that FLT3-ITD+ve patients (pts) who were MRD+ve after 2 cycles of induction chemotherapy were more likely to relapse as compared to those who became MRD-ve (92% vs 35%). Eradication of FLT3+veclones may lead to reduced relapse rates. Crenolanib is a type I FLT3 TKI, which inhibits both FLT3-ITD and TKD mutations. We here report that a single induction cycle of cytarabine/anthracycline/crenolanib leads to MRD negativity by multiparameter flow cytometry (MPF), and low rate of early relapse in pts with newly diagnosed FLT3+veAML. Methods: This abstract includes 29 consecutively treated, newly diagnosed, FLT3+ve AML pts, who achieved CR1 after one course of cytarabine/anthracycline/crenolanib. Pts received 7+3 induction with cytarabine 100 mg/m2/d for 7d and either daunorubicin (<60 y: 90 mg/m2; ≥60 y: 60 mg/m2) or idarubicin 12 mg/m2 for 3d. Crenolanib (100 mg TID) was started on day 9 until 72 h prior to next chemotherapy. Results: 29 pts (15M, 14F), median age 55y (10pts ≥60y) are included. MRD at time of count recovery was assessed by MPF in 25/29 pts. 20/25 (80%) became MRD–ve. With a median follow up of 7mth, 4/25 pts have relapsed (2/5 MRD+ve, 2/20 MRD-ve).Age ≥60 was a risk factor for MRD+ve and relapse. All 4 pts with WBC>100K as well as 5 pts with FLT3/NPM1/DNMT3A+ve AML became MRD-ve after one induction cycle and none have relapsed. Conclusions: These data suggest, in the context of an ongoing trial (NCT02283177), crenolanib in combination with standard induction is associated with a high rate of achieving an MRD negative state by MPF and a low rate of relapse in previously untreated adults with mutant FLT3. Longer follow-up and comparison of MRD data with similar pts treated with standard chemo alone will be necessary to reach more definitive conclusions. Clinical trial information: NCT02283177. [Table: see text]