Personalized Immunotherapy in Adults With Advanced Cancers Immunotherapy in Adults With Advanced Cancers

A Phase 1b Safety and Feasibility Study of Personalized Immunotherapy in Adults With Advanced Cancers

The purpose of this study is to determine if it is possible to make and administer safely a 'personalized' vaccine to treat patients that have been diagnosed with advanced cancer and are not candidates for curative therapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Advanced Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: personalized vaccine; Drug: Pembrolizumab

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to determine if it is possible to make and administer safely a 'personalized' vaccine to treat patients that have been diagnosed with advanced cancer and are not candidates for curative therapy.

This 'personalized' vaccine will use information gained from specific characteristics of your own cancer. It is known that cancer has mutations (changes in genetic material) that are specific to an individual and tumor. These mutations can cause the tumor cells to produce proteins that appear very different from the body's own cells. It is possible that these proteins used in a vaccine may induce strong immune (protective) responses, which may help your body fight any tumor cells that could cause your cancer to come back in the future. The study will examine the safety of the vaccine when given at several time points and will examine your blood cells for signs that the vaccine induced an immune response.

The personalized vaccine will be given in combination with an anti-PD1 antibody, pembrolizumab, which is used with the intention to increase anti-cancer immunity (protection). Pembrolizumab is a type of drug that blocks certain proteins made by some types of immune system cells, such as T cells, and some cancer cells. These proteins help keep immune responses in check and can keep T cells from killing cancer cells. When these proteins are blocked, the "brakes" on the immune system are released and T cells are able to kill cancer cells better.

This personalized vaccine is considered experimental because this is not an FDA approved therapy for cancer.

Pembrolizumab is FDA approved for the treatment of melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), primary mediastinal large b-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), urothelial carcinoma, tumor mutational burden-high (TMB-H) cancer, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient cancer, microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient colorectal cancer (CRC), gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, cervical cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), endometrial carcinoma. Pembrolizumab is considered experimental (investigational) for the treatment of all other cancer types.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • San Diego, California, United States, 92103
      • UCSD Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria

• Histologically or cytologically documented incurable solid tumor [excluding lymphoma].
• Measurable disease as defined by RECIST 1.1
• Progressed on or be intolerant to therapies that are known to provide clinical benefit.
• Non-measurable disease by RECIST 1.1 and high-risk (>50% over 5 years) of mortality
• At least one tumor site accessible for biopsy.
• Adequate organ function
• Women of child-bearing potential and men with partners of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for 90 days following completion of therapy.

Exclusion Criteria

• Currently receiving or has received another anti-cancer therapy within 4 weeks prior to first dose of vaccine study treatment.
• Currently receiving or has received PD1/PDL1 inhibitor immunotherapy within 4 weeks prior to first dose of study treatment.
• Currently receiving or has received anti-PD1 or anti-CTLA4 treatment during the vaccine preparation period.
• Receiving TNF pathway inhibitors, PI3 kinase inhibitors, systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 14 days prior to the first dose of study medication.
• Received an investigational agent within 28 days prior to the first dose of study drug.
• Untreated brain metastases; individuals with treated and stable metastases are eligible. Eligible subjects should have recovered from the acute effects of radiation therapy or surgery prior to study entry, have discontinued corticosteroid treatment for brain metastases for at least 4 weeks and are neurologically stable for 8 weeks (confirmed by MRI) prior to administration of experimental therapy
• Has known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
• Received a diagnosis of hepatitis B or hepatitis C for which there is no clear evidence of natural immunity, immunity subsequent to vaccination, or successful eradication of the virus following antiviral therapy (individuals who are hepatitis C antibody positive may be enrolled if negative viral load confirmed).
• History of autoimmune disease including: inflammatory bowel disease (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease), rheumatoid arthritis, systemic progressive sclerosis (scleroderma), systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune vasculitis (e.g. Wegener's granulomatosis); central nervous system or motor neuropathy considered of autoimmune origin (e.g. Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis). Individuals with vitiligo, Sjogren's Syndrome, interstitial cystitis, Graves' or Hashimoto's Disease, celiac disease, DM1, or hypothyroidism stable on hormone replacement will be allowed with Study Medical Monitor's approval.
• Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or has current pneumonitis.
• History of receiving a solid organ transplant or allogeneic bone marrow transplant.
• Major surgical procedure within 28 days prior to the first dose of study drug.
• If female, pregnant or breastfeeding.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: vaccine and anti-PD-1; personalized vaccine and anti-PD-1 administered concurrently at the start of study therapy	Drug: personalized vaccine; Vaccine will be constructed for each subject that express multiple candidate tumor-derived neoantigens.; Drug: Pembrolizumab; 200 mg pembrolizumab will be administered intravenous (IV) infusion every 3 weeks.; Other Names: keytruda
Experimental: anti-PD1 before vaccine; anti-PD-1 antibody for 6 weeks followed by personalized vaccine therapy	Drug: personalized vaccine; Vaccine will be constructed for each subject that express multiple candidate tumor-derived neoantigens.; Drug: Pembrolizumab; 200 mg pembrolizumab will be administered intravenous (IV) infusion every 3 weeks.; Other Names: keytruda
Experimental: anti-PD1 and vaccine; anti-PD-1 antibody followed by personalized vaccine therapy	Drug: personalized vaccine; Vaccine will be constructed for each subject that express multiple candidate tumor-derived neoantigens.; Drug: Pembrolizumab; 200 mg pembrolizumab will be administered intravenous (IV) infusion every 3 weeks.; Other Names: keytruda
Experimental: vaccine; personalized vaccine therapy	Drug: personalized vaccine; Vaccine will be constructed for each subject that express multiple candidate tumor-derived neoantigens.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Quantitative frequency of TCR	1 year
Number of Participants with Treatment-related Adverse Events	1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Overall Response	RECIST 1.1	1 year
Progression-free survival (PFS)	Duration of time from start of study treatment until objective tumor progression or death.	1 year
Time to Progression	Duration of time from start of study treatment until objective tumor progression.	1 year
Overall Survival	Duration of time from start of study treatment to death	1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ezra Cohen
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erza Cohen, MD, University of California, San Diego

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 26, 2018
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 13, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 13, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): June 26, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 3, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 30, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: immunotherapy; cancer; vaccine; Keytruda; solid tumor; pembrolizumab; personalized cancer vaccine; neoantigen; personalized immunotherapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors; Pembrolizumab
• Other Study ID Numbers: 180410

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No