Allogeneic Tumor Cell Vaccination With Oral Metronomic Cytoxan in Patients With High-Risk Neuroblastoma (ATOMIC)

July 30, 2025 updated by: Malcolm Brenner, Baylor College of Medicine

A Phase I/II Study Using Allogeneic Tumor Cell Vaccination With Oral Metronomic Cytoxan in Patients With High-Risk Neuroblastoma (ATOMIC)

Neuroblastoma is the second most common solid tumor seen in children, but causes approximately 15% of childhood cancer deaths each year. Patients with high-risk disease require treatment with a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and stem cell transplant; however, many will have their disease come back within 3 years. Due to this high rate of relapse, this study is being done to investigate an experimental treatment option for children whose disease has returned.

This clinical trial is for patients with neuroblastoma that has either come back after treatment or never went away in the first place. A series of immunizations will be administered using a tumor vaccine and add low-dose chemotherapy to be taken by mouth on a daily basis. The hope is that the vaccine will cause the immune system to recognize and kill more types of neuroblastoma tumors. Additionally, the immunizations will be combined with daily low dose chemotherapy. Daily low-dose chemotherapy, also know as metronomic chemotherapy, works by attacking the blood vessels that allow tumors to grow. Using metronomic doses of a drug called cytoxan can also decrease T regulatory cells, a specific type of cell that tumors use to hide from the immune system.

The purpose of this study is to test the safety and anti-tumor effect of the tumor cell vaccination plus low dose, metronomic chemotherapy in treating patients with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

WHAT IS THE OVERALL TREATMENT PLAN AND HOW MANY VACCINATIONS WILL THE PATIENT RECEIVE? There will be several injections of the vaccine scheduled. The first injection will be given 3 days after starting oral cytoxan. The 2nd to 4th injections will be given approximately every 14 days after the previous vaccine. During this time, the patient will be taking oral cytoxan once a day except on the day of and 4 days following the vaccine. Two to 3 weeks after the 4th vaccine, the patient will have a complete evaluation of their disease. If the scans and lab tests show that the patient has not had any serious side-effects, they will be eligible to receive 4 additional vaccinations given at 3 week intervals. The disease will be re-evaluated again after vaccine numbers 6 and 8. If the patient is able to complete the entire study, they will have received a total of 8 vaccinations and the last dose of oral cytoxan will be 1 month after the 8th vaccination. Total time duration for participating in this study is 15 years (treatment portion within year 1 and follow up during years 2-15).

Neuroblastoma vaccinations are given like many other vaccines. They will be given subcutaneously. The injections will be 1/10th of a teaspoon.

MEDICAL TESTS BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT:

Before starting low dose chemotherapy plus oral cytoxan, patients will receive a series of standard medical tests:

  • Physical exam
  • Blood tests to measure blood cells, blood salts, kidney and liver function
  • Measurements of their disease (CT or MRI of the primary tumor site and any locations of tumor spread; MIBG or Bone scan; Chest X-ray if they did not have a CT of the chest; and bone marrow studies if the patient has known bone marrow disease)
  • Baseline testing of immune function
  • Pregnancy testing will be performed on females of child bearing age

MEDICAL TESTS DURING AND AFTER TREATMENT:

Prior to each vaccine dose, the patient will receive:

  • Physical exam
  • Blood tests to measure blood cells, blood salts, kidney and liver function
  • Measurements of the disease (CT or MRI of the primary tumor site and any locations of tumor spread; MIBG or Bone scan; Chest X-ray if they did not have a CT of the chest; and bone marrow studies if they have known bone marrow disease) after the 4th, 6th and 8th vaccine.
  • Testing of immune function
  • Pregnancy testing will be performed again on females of child bearing age prior to the 5th vaccine

To learn more about the way the vaccine is stimulating the immune cells, we will collect blood prior to each vaccination and at scheduled time points until 3 months after the last vaccine treatment. The total amount of blood to be collected on any day is no more than 2 ounces, but will depend upon the weight. This volume is considered safe in teens and adults, but may be decreased if the patient is anemic. On days when the patient receives the vaccine, blood will be taken before the cells are given.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
11

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Texas Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Histologically proven high risk neuroblastoma in first or subsequent relapse or with primary refractory disease or inability to complete standard therapy
  • Age less than 21 at time of initial diagnosis
  • Life expectancy 12 weeks or greater
  • Karnofsky or Lansky score of 50 or greater
  • Platelet count of 50,000/ul or greater
  • ANC greater than 750/ul
  • Alk Phos level less than 2.5 x upper limit of normal
  • Bilirubin less than 2x normal
  • AST less than 3x normal
  • Hgb 8.0 or greater
  • Creatinine 2 x ULN or less OR GFR greater than 40 ml/min/1.73 m2
  • Patient has recovered from last chemotherapy or investigational therapy prior to study enrollment
  • Women of child-bearing potential must not be pregnant and take/use effective birth control while participating in the study.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Due to the unknown effects of this therapy on a fetus, pregnant women will be excluded from this research
  • Women who are breast-feeding
  • Known HIV positive subjects since treatment may be immunosuppressive
  • Severe intercurrent infection or uncontrolled condition including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  • Previous use of oral cytoxan for more than 2 consecutive months within the last 6 months
  • Patients currently receiving any investigational agents or have received any tumor vaccines within the previous six months
  • Patients, who in the opinion of the investigator, may not be able to comply with the safety monitoring requirements of the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Treatment Plan
Neuroblastoma Vaccine (unmodified SKNLP, with gene-modified SJNB-JF-IL2 and SJNB-JF-LTN neuroblastoma cells) and Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide)
Biological: Neuroblastoma Vaccine (unmodified SKNLP, with gene-modified SJNB-JF-IL2 and SJNB-JF-LTN neuroblastoma cells

1x10^7cells/m2 each of unmodified SKNLP, with gene-modified SJNB-JF-IL2 and SJNB-JF-LTN neuroblastoma cells will be given by subcutaneous injection while suspended in Ringers solution with 5% HSA in a single syringe in a volume of up to 1 ml.

Vaccines will be given on day 0 of week 0 and then on day 0 (+ 72 hours) of weeks 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 16, 20.

Cells will be administered as a subcutaneous injection over 1 minute using a 21-gauge needle. Procedural pain control methods may be used per institutional protocol.

Other Names:
  • SKNLP w/ gene-mod. SJNB-JF-IL2 & SJNB-JF-LTN neurobl. cells
Drug: Cytoxan
Metronomic oral cytoxan will start 72 hours prior to the first vaccination at a dose of 50 mg/m2/day. Cytoxan will be held on the day of vaccine administration and for the next 96 hours. After the first vaccine, patients will take 25 mg/m2/day as outlined on the roadmap.
Other Names:
  • Cyclophosphamide

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants with Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability
Time Frame: week 30
Phase I Primary Objective: Evaluate the safety of fixed dose oral cytoxan administered metronomically to coincide with repeated immunizations of gene-modified, IL-2/lymphotactin secreting SJNB-JF-IL2 and SJNB-JF-LTN cells co-administered with unmodified SKNLP neuroblastoma cell lines in patients with a history of relapsed/refractory high-risk neuroblastoma.
week 30

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participants with T-cell changes as a Measure of Immune Response
Time Frame: 15 years
Phase I Secondary Objective: Evaluate the immune response to combination metronomic chemotherapy and allogeneic tumor cell immunizations.
15 years
Number of Participants with Disease Progression as a Measure of Efficacy
Time Frame: 10 weeks
Phase II Primary Objective: Evaluate time to progression after administration of combination metronomic chemotherapy and allogeneic tumor cell immunizations in patients with a history of relapsed/refractory high-risk neuroblastoma.
10 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Analysis of Immunologic Measurements
Time Frame: 15 years

Phase II Secondary Objectives:

  1. Evaluate changes in T regulatory cell absolute number, percentages, and suppressive function after the use of metronomic low-dose oral cytoxan with allogeneic neuroblastoma tumor cell immunizations.
  2. Evaluate the alterations in angiogenic biomarkers related to fixed dose oral cytoxan and repeated immunizations with allogeneic tumor cell immunizations.
15 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Baylor College of Medicine

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Malcolm Brenner, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2012

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 16, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 30, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 1, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 1, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 30, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • H-26652-ATOMIC

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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