A Study of Combination Spartalizumab and Canakinumab in Patients With Localized Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (SPARC-1)

April 10, 2026 updated by: Karie D. Runcie, MD, Columbia University

A Pilot Study of Neoadjuvant Combination Spartalizumab and Canakinumab Prior to Radical Nephrectomy in Patients With Localized Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (SPARC-1 Trial)

Primary Objective:

  • To confirm the safety and feasibility of canakinumab and spartalizumab (PDR-001) administered using a standard dose / schedule in the neo-adjuvant setting in renal cell carcinoma

Secondary Objectives:

  • To assess the immune response to combination canakinumab and spartalizumab
  • To assess anti-tumor activity as measured by pathologic downstaging

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

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

Patients with localized and non-metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) represent an "at-need" population who would benefit from immunotherapy earlier in their disease course with a programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1) therapy combined with a second immunotherapy agent. A logical next step is to pursue the combination of an anti- programmed cell death protein 1(PD1) therapy with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) blockade extrapolating from recent successes in the metastatic setting. The primary concern with previous approaches and studies is that CTLA-4 based therapy is associated with increased risk of autoimmune side effects which potentially could delay a curative surgery. Clearly, the neoadjuvant setting in RCC represents an ideal space to evaluate novel I/O combination strategies aside from CTLA-4 blockade.

This study intends to confirm the safety and feasibility of canakinumab and spartalizumab (PDR-001) administered using a standard dose / schedule in the neo-adjuvant setting in renal cell carcinoma. This is a single-center, single arm, open-label pilot study evaluating the feasibility, safety, anti-tumor effect, and immunogenicity of neoadjuvant canakinumab and spartalizumab given prior to radical nephrectomy in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma. Patients will be recruited from the outpatient Urology clinic.

Eligible patients will receive canakinumab at a dose of 300 mg Q4weeks and spartalizumab at 400 mg Q4weeks IV. Approximately 14 days after the last dose of canakinumab and spartalizumab, patients with proceed to radical nephrectomy, and nephrectomy tissue will be examined for the secondary endpoints. Follow-up evaluation for adverse events will occur 30 days and 90 days after surgery. Patients will then be followed by their urologists and oncologist according to standard institutional practices, but will require repeat labs every 3 months along with standard of care surveillance imaging.

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.
17

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.
  • Early 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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Columbia University Irving Medical Center

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

18 years to 99 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Radiographically consistent with or histologically confirmed clear cell RCC or predominantly clear cell RCC
  • Localized non-metastatic RCC T1b-T4NanyM0 or TanyN1M0)
  • Schedule to undergo either partial or radical nephrectomy as part of the treatment plan
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of 0 or 1
  • Age ≥ 18 years old at time of consent

  • HIV-infected patients who are healthy and have a low risk of AIDS-related outcomes as defined by the following

    • Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4+) T cell counts ≥ 350 cells/microliter OR undetectable HIV viral load
    • no history of AIDS-defining opportunistic infection in the last year

  • Normal organ and marrow function as defined below:

    • White blood cell count (WBC) > 3.0 K/mm3
    • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 K/mm3
    • Platelets ≥ 100 K/mm3
    • Hemoglobin (Hgb) ≥ 9 g/dL
    • Serum total bilirubin: ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
    • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 3.0 x ULN
    • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN or serum creatinine > 1.5 - 3 x ULN if calculated
    • creatinine clearance (CrCl) is ≥ 30 mL/min
  • For patients with known chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated
  • For patients with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the infection must be treated and cured
  • Willingness to provide written informed consent and HIPAA authorization for the release of personal health information, and the ability to comply with the study requirements (note: HIPAA authorization will be included in the informed consent)
  • Willingness to use barrier contraception from the time of first dose of canakinumab and spartalizumab until 120 days after surgical intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of distant metastases
  • Presence of active, known or suspected autoimmune disease.
  • No patients with documented, active infections, treated or untreated, may be included in this study
  • Use of any live vaccines against infectious disease within 4 weeks of initiation ot study treatment.
  • Prior therapy with experimental anti-tumor vaccines; any T cell co-stimulation or checkpoint pathways
  • Prior treatment for RCC including surgery, radiation, thermoablation, or systemic therapy
  • Surgery within 28 days of starting study treatment
  • Prior treatment with any antibody or drug targeting T cell costimulation or immune checkpoint pathways (anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2, anti-CTLA-4, etc)
  • Systemic chronic steroid therapy (≥ 10mg/day prednisone or equivalent) or any immunosuppressive therapy 7 days prior to planned date of first dose of study treatment. Note: Topical, inhaled, nasal and ophthalmic steroids are allowed
  • Allogenic bone marrow or solid organ transplant
  • History of severe hypersensitivity reactions to other monoclonal antibodies, which in the opinion of the investigator may pose an increased risk of serious infusion reaction
  • History or current interstitial lung disease or non-infectious pneumonitis requiring the use of home oxygen
  • History of severe hypersensitivity reaction to other monoclonal antibodies
  • Current signs or symptoms of severe progressive or uncontrolled, hepatic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, endocrine, pulmonary, or cardiac disease other than directly related to RCC
  • Positive tests for hepatitis B surface antigen or hepatitis C ribonucleic acid (RNA)

  • History of known or suspected autoimmune disease with the following exceptions:

    • Vitiligo
    • Resolved childhood atopic dermatitis
    • Psoriasis (with exception of psoriatic arthritis) not requiring systemic treatment (within the past 2 years).
    • Patients with Grave's disease or Hashimoto's thyroiditis that are now euthyroid clinically and by laboratory testing.
  • History of malignancy within the last 2 years, with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancers and superficial bladder cancer
  • Uncontrolled major active infectious, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, or psychiatric illnesses that would make the patient a poor study candidate

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: Spartalizumab and Canakinumab
Subjects with renal cell carcinoma will receive study treatment Q4 weeks x 2 doses prior to radical nephrectomy.
Drug: Spartalizumab
Spartalizumab at 400 mg weeks x 2 doses prior to radical nephrectomy Infusion
Other Names:
  • PDR-001
Drug: Canakinumab
Canakinumab 300 mg IV Q4 weeks x 2 doses prior to radical nephrectomy Infusion
Other Names:
  • ACZ885

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
Percentage of subjects who proceed to radical nephrectomy
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
Feasibility of spartalizumab and canakinumab will be met if > 85% of patients proceed to radical nephrectomy (12 of 14).
6 Weeks

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
Objective tumor response rate
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
To assess the immune response to combination canakinumab and spartalizumab. By RECIST and by Immunotherapeutics Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (iRECIST), proportion of pathologic complete response (pathCR (pT0)) and downstaging (decrease in size from baseline scans) will be calculated.
6 Weeks
Quantification of cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) T cell infiltration into the tumor / peritumoral area infiltrates
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
To assess the immune response to combination canakinumab and spartalizumab. Tumor blocks and/or additional unstained slides will be collected for study-specific quantitative immunohistochemical evaluations. Cell infiltration into the kidney resection specimens will be quantified as the mean staining percentage, using immunohistochemical staining methods.
6 Weeks
Quantification of immune cell populations (PMN-MDSC) in the tumor/ peritumoral area
Time Frame: 6 Weeks
To assess the immune response to combination canakinumab and spartalizumab. Tumor blocks and/or additional unstained slides will be collected for study-specific quantitative immunohistochemical evaluations. Cell infiltration into the kidney resection specimens will be quantified using immunohistochemical staining methods which will attempt to determine the potential potential ratio of CD8 and the regulatory T cells (Treg).
6 Weeks

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.
Columbia University

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.
Novartis

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: Karie D. Runcie, MD, Columbia University

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 (Actual)

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.
August 15, 2019

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.
March 14, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
March 5, 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).
July 18, 2019

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.
July 18, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

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.
July 22, 2019

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.
April 15, 2026

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.
April 10, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • AAAS2814

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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