Menin-Inhibition Sensitizes Acute Myeloid Leukemia to CLEC12A-Directed CAR Cell Therapy
Menin inhibitors targeting the Menin-KMT2A chromatin complex have emerged as highly selective therapies for KMT2A-rearranged (KMT2A-r) and NPM1-mutated (NPM1mut) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with recent regulatory approval and increasing interest in combination strategies. In contrast, CAR cell therapies have not yet been successfully established for AML. Here, we show that menin-inhibition primes KMT2A-r and NPM1mut AML for CAR-based targeting by inducing robust and uniform expression of the myeloid antigen CLEC12A (CLL-1). Menin inhibitors did not impair T or NK cell viability, phenotype, or effector function. We engineered second-generation CLEC12A-directed CAR T cells that efficiently eliminated CLEC12A-positive AML. Across in vitro systems and xenograft models, the combination therapy consistently outperformed either monotherapy, resulting in profound disease control and significantly prolonged survival, with evidence of near-complete leukemia eradication in vivo. These findings support epigenetic priming with menin inhibitors to enhance CLEC12A-directed CAR cell-therapy in these AML subtypes. SignificanceMenin inhibitors, now approved for AML treatment, induce the immune target CLEC12A in NPM1mut and KMT2A-r AML subtypes and sensitize AML cells to CLEC12A-directed CAR T cells without compromising immune function. As CLEC12A-CARs are already in clinical testing, this combination is immediately actionable for clinical investigation.