Pseudovax - A Cancer Vaccine for Patients With Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (Pseudovax)

January 7, 2026 updated by: Geir Olav Hjortland, Oslo University Hospital

Pseudovav - A Cancer Vaccine Targeting Mutated GNAS Combined With Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for Patienes With Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

Participants will receive vaccination with Pseudovax/GM-CSF in combination with PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab over a period of up to two years. The vaccine is expected to reactivate measurable immune response, and tislelizumab to restore anticancer immunity in patients with GNAS mutated pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare, slow-growing abdominal cancer that commonly originates in ruptured appendiceal mucinous neoplasms, which seed tumor cells and mucin into the peritoneal cavity. The disease is characterized by slow, progressive growth and accumulation of mucinous tumor tissue in the peritoneal cavity, ultimately leading to abdominal compression and death. Standard-of-care treatment (SOC) involves extensive cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and is curative in approximately 50% of the patients, but for patients who cannot be cured by SOC, no efficacious treatment options exist. In the setting of non-resectable and recurrent disease, PMP is a debilitating and ultimately fatal condition, leaving patients to experience progressively poor quality of life caused by an increasing intraperitoneal tumor burden. In research carried out by the study team, mutated GNAS as a potential tumor neo-antigen was investigated by analyzing tumor and peripheral blood samples collected from PMP patients at the time of surgery.

The results (detailed in the Pseudovax IB) indicated that the patients had a strong immune response against mutated GNAS. However, the presence of a high tumor burden at the time of surgery implies that the immune response had been insufficient to control tumor growth. Further analyses revealed that this could be explained by inhibition of anti-tumor T cells by up-regulation of immune checkpoint molecules.

These results provide the rationale for vaccination targeting mutated GNAS to increase the number of tumor cell targeting T cells. Furthermore, the observed up-regulation of programmed death-1 (PD-1) on intratumoral T cells provides rationale for combining the vaccination with a PD-1 inhibitor. Importantly, very few patients with PMP have had the opportunity to test treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The main reason is that PMP molecularly is a microsatellite stable disease with very low tumor mutational burden, and patients are therefore not likely to respond to immune-check point inhibition (ICI) monotherapy. The planned combination with the Pseudovax peptide vaccine may represent a unique opportunity to derive benefit from ICI treatment for this patient group.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

10

Phase

  • 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

  • Name: Geir Olav Hjortland, Medical Doctor - Oncologist
  • Phone Number: +47 22934000
  • Email: kreftstudier@ous-hf.no

Study Locations

    • Oslo County
      • Oslo, Oslo County, Norway, 0379
        • Recruiting
        • Oslo University Hospital HF, Radium
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Geir Olav Hjortland, Medical doctor - Oncologist

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. The subject is ≥ 18 years of age on the day of signing the informed consent form, able to provide written informed consent and can understand and agree to comply with the requirements of the study and the schedule of assessments.
  2. Confirmed diagnosis of recurrent or non-resectable PMP with no other available treatment options that are expected to be efficacious.
  3. The subject's tumor must carry a mutation in the GNAS oncogene*
  4. Subjects must have peritoneal tumor distribution at screening that, in the opinion of the Investigator, is suitable for repeat biopsies: Up to 3 biopsies of target tissue are planned for subjects that complete the study.
  5. Adequate organ, bone marrow, liver, and renal function at screening, including:

    1. Absolute neutrophil count: ≥ 1,5 x109/L
    2. Platelets: ≥ 100 x109/L
    3. Hemoglobin: ≥ 9 x109/L
    4. Creatinine ≤ 1,5 upper limit normal (ULN) OR measured/calculated GFR ≥60 mL/min
    5. Albumin ≥ 30 g/L
    6. Total bilirubin ≤ 1,5 ULN
    7. ASAT and ALAT ≤ 3 ULN
    8. International Normalized Ratio (INR) ≤ 1,5 ULN and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) ≤ 1,5 ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy.
  6. ECOG performance status of 0 or 1.
  7. Life expectancy of >6 months, at the time of signing the informed consent.
  8. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 48 hours of the first study intervention, and must not be breast-feeding. 8ai. Female participant:

    i. Unless documented not to have childbearing potential: Subject is willing to use contraceptive measures for the duration of the study, and ≥ 6 months after the last dose of IMP, as prescribed by the protocol (according to the applicable guidance: CTFG, 2020). The Investigator should counsel women of childbearing potential of the importance of pregnancy prevention.

8aii. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 48 hours of the first study intervention.

8b. Male subject: Sexually active males must be willing to use a condom during sex for the duration of the study and for ≥ 6 months after the last dose of IMP. Males must also be willing to abstain from donating sperm during the same period.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient has Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 2 or worse.
  2. Blood transfusion or growth factor support ≤ 14 days before sample collection at screening.
  3. Active malignancy the past 3 years except for the specific cancer under investigation in this study and any locally recurring cancer that has been treated curatively (e.g., resected basal or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast)
  4. Enrollment in another interventional trial that, in the opinion of the Investigator, could influence the outcome of this study.
  5. Subject has within the last 30 days received any other interventional therapy that, in the opinion of the Investigator, could influence the outcome of this study.
  6. Pregnancy or lactating female.
  7. Known active hepatitis B or C, or is known to be HIV-positive.
  8. Any condition that required systemic treatment with either corticosteroids (> 10 mg daily of prednisone or equivalent) or other immunosuppressive medication ≤ 14 days before the first dose of IMP.

    Note: Subjects who are currently or have previously been on any of the following steroid regimens are not excluded: Adrenal replacement steroid (dose ≤ 10 mg daily of prednisone or equivalent); Topical, ocular, intra-articular, intranasal, or inhaled corticosteroid with minimal systemic absorption; Short course (≤ 7 days) of corticosteroid prescribed prophylactically (e.g., for contrast dye allergy) or for the treatment of a non-autoimmune condition (e.g., delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction caused by contact allergen).

  9. Active autoimmune diseases or history of autoimmune diseases that may relapse. Note: Subjects with the following diseases are not excluded and may proceed to further screening, controlled Type I diabetes, hypothyroidism (provided it is managed with hormone replacement therapy only), controlled celiac disease skin diseases not requiring systemic treatment (eg, vitiligo, psoriasis, alopecia), any other disease that is not expected to recur in the absence of external triggering factors.
  10. Diagnosis of immunodeficiency.
  11. History of interstitial lung disease, non-infectious pneumonitis or uncontrolled diseases including pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung diseases, etc.
  12. Severe chronic or active infections requiring systemic antibacterial, antifungal or antiviral therapy, including tuberculosis infection, etc.
  13. Severe infections within 4 weeks before first dose of IMP, including but not limited to hospitalization for complications of infection, bacteremia, or severe pneumonia.
  14. Therapeutic oral or intravenous antibiotics within 2 weeks before first dose of IMP.
  15. Any major surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia ≤ 28 days before first dose of IMP.
  16. Prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation or organ transplantation
  17. Cardiac chest pain, defined as moderate pain that limits instrumental activities of daily living, ≤ 28 days before first dose of IMP.
  18. Pulmonary embolism ≤ 28 days before first dose of IMP.
  19. History of acute myocardial infarction ≤ 6 months before first dose of IMP.
  20. History of heart failure meeting New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classification III or IV (Appendix 6) ≤ 6 months before first dose of IMP.
  21. Subject has had any event of ventricular arrhythmia ≥ Grade 2 in severity ≤ 6 months before first dose of IMP.
  22. Severe hypersensitivity (≥grade 3) to chemotherapy, any other biologic drug or the contents or preservatives of any of the study drugs.
  23. History of cerebrovascular accident ≤ 6 months before first dose of IMP.
  24. Subject has underlying medical conditions (including laboratory abnormalities) or alcohol or drug abuse or dependence that, will be unfavorable for the administration of study drug or affect the explanation of drug toxicity or AEs or result in insufficient or might impair compliance with study conduct.
  25. Any reason why, in the opinion of the investigator, the patient should not participate.

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pseudovax peptide, adjuvant and PD-1 inhibitor
Participants will be administered the Pseudovax peptide vaccine + adjuvant, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). From study week 13, the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor tislelizumab will be administered in addition, for a maximum of 21 months, until confirmed progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal of consent, or Investigator decision, whichever happens first.
Pseudovax peptide dissolved in 0.5 mL water for injection to 1 mg/mL (+/- 0.1 mg/mL)
Molgramostim, 100 μg recombinant human GM-CSF, powder, to be reconstituted in 0.33 mL water for injection
100 mg of humanized IgG4 mAb in 10 mL of isotonic solution

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Safety and tolerability of sequential treatment with Pseudovax/GM-CSF and tislelizumab
Time Frame: From start treatment to 6 months after last dose of study drug.
Incidence of Investigative Medicinal Product-related adverse events. All ≥ Grade 3 adverse events and all grades vaccine-related adverse events will be reported and graded using CTCAE v 5.0.
From start treatment to 6 months after last dose of study drug.
Immune responses following sequential treatment with Pseudovax/GM-CSF and tislelizumab
Time Frame: From enrollment to end of treatment (2 years).
Count of circulating vaccine-specific T cells
From enrollment to end of treatment (2 years).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Progression-free survival, measured as the number of months from date of first treatment until disease progression or death from any cause
Time Frame: From start treatment to disease progression, death or last follow-up 6 months after last dose of study drug (whichever comes first).
Assessment of preliminary efficacy of study treatment with Pseudovax/GM-CSF and Tislelizumab, measured as the number of months from date of first treatment until disease progression or death from any cause
From start treatment to disease progression, death or last follow-up 6 months after last dose of study drug (whichever comes first).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Collaborators

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)

October 13, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2034

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 7, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

By now there is no plan on sharing IPD as the patient group is very small (ten patients plan) with a rare disease. As a result we can not make this data widely available without violating GDPR guidance. For researchers interested in the data, a request can be send to the study team.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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