Fast TILs to Treat Metastatic Pleural Effusions From Epithelial or Mesothelial Primary Tumors (RIOT 4B)

Fast TILs to Treat Metastatic Pleural Effusions From Epithelial or Mesothelial Primary Tumors: A Phase I Trial (FAST TILS 2)

This research study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel immunotherapy, Fast TIL, an Adoptive Cellular Therapeutic (ACT), to fight cancer that has spread to the pleura or pleural mesothelioma. The ACT product is created at AHN West Penn using the participant's pleural infiltrating T-cells (PIT). It is administered through a pleural catheter along with the drug Interleukin-2 (IL-2). Based on previous research it is believed that it may help fight the tumor and relieve symptoms.

As a participant, their pleural fluid will be collected and the PIT cells will be isolated and expanded in the lab to create the ACT product. Before receiving the ACT product through their pleural catheter, they will undergo outpatient lymphodepleting chemotherapy. LDC is a standard procedure for many approved immunotherapy treatments Following the infusion, they'll receive IL-2 through the catheter for two days to stimulate the expanded PIT cells.

The active treatment phase lasts about three weeks, with follow-up visits over five years at AHN West Penn Hospital, potentially requiring a hospital stay of up to six days. Blood samples will be taken to monitor their response. As this is a first-in-human study, treatment carries an unknown risk up to and including death from toxicity. However, the risks of similar immunotherapy treatments are well documented.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Malignant Mesothelioma; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Malignant Pleural Effusion; Metastasis to Pleura
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: locally manufactured adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) product; Drug: Interleukin-2 (IL-2)

Detailed Description

This is a first-in-human Phase 1 trial of short-term expanded pleural T cells to treat cancer metastatic to the pleura. Expanded cells will be delivered intrapleurally in combination with intrapleural IL-2, administered at a dose that ensures high local concentration while minimizing systemic exposure.

Ancillary studies conducted in conjunction with the trial will leverage drained pleural effusions collected before and after intervention to determine why the intervention is succeeding or failing.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 10
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Patrick Wagner, MD; Phone Number: 412-359-3731; Email: patrick.wagner@ahn.org
• Study Contact Backup: Name: AHN Clinical Trial Contact; Phone Number: 412-359-3731; Email: clinicaltrials@ahn.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15224
      • Recruiting
      • AHN West Penn Hospital
      • Sub-Investigator: Cyrus Khan, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Prerna Mewawalla, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Santhosh Sadashiv, MD
      • Contact: Patrick Wagner, MD; Phone Number: 412-359-3731; Email: patrick.wagner@ahn.org
      • Contact: AHN Clinical Trial Contact; Phone Number: 412-359-3731; Email: clinicaltrials@ahn.org
      • Sub-Investigator: David Bartlett, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Albert Donnenberg, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: John Lister, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Thomas Curley, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Anna Kaminsky Koget, MD
      • Sub-Investigator: Leslie Schlagel, PA-C
      • Sub-Investigator: Shannon Altpeter, PA-C

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with symptomatic, biopsy-proven malignant to the pleura, or mesothelioma with pleural effusions. Patients must have received and be refractory to available standard of care (SOC) therapy specific to their cancer type and must have exhausted or failed available standard of care with clinical benefit.
2. Patients will be ≥ 18 and < 80 years of age.

3. Female patients of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test and if sexually active must use an acceptable method of contraception, including abstinence, a barrier method (diaphragm or condom), an injectable contraceptive (such as Depo-Provera), or an oral contraceptive. Active contraception should continue for at least 12 months after ACT administration.

   Male participants must be willing to practice birth control from the time of enrollment on this study and for 4 months after receiving the preparative regimen.

4. Cardiac ejection fraction ≥ 0.45 by MUGA or echocardiography.
5. No requirement for supplemental oxygen and no dyspnea immediately after effusion drainage.
6. ECOG Performance Status 0 or 1.
7. Patients must have an expected survival > 12 weeks.
8. Patients must be able to comprehend the risks and methods used in this clinical trial and independently consent to participate.
9. Patients must consent to collection of demographic and clinical data.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Infection with HIV and active viral replication. Patients with an undetectable viral load on Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) can be considered for participation on this protocol.
2. Infection with hepatitis B and active viral replication.
3. Infection with hepatitis C and active viral replication.
4. Patients currently being treated for bacterial, fungal or viral infection.
5. Documented myocardial infarction within 6 months of study participation and/or symptomatic coronary artery or valvular disease or uncontrolled arrhythmia.
6. Investigational drug use within 30 days before effusion collection.
7. Cytotoxic anti-cancer or radiation therapy administration within 2 weeks of effusion collection. The exclusion does not apply to patients receiving monoclonal antibody therapy targeting immune checkpoint molecules.
8. Corticosteroid therapy > 10 mg of prednisone (biological equivalent) daily within 2 weeks before effusion collection.
9. Immunosuppressive therapy that cannot be stopped for 4 weeks prior to effusion collection as deemed by the prescribing physician.

10. Laboratory abnormalities that indicate clinically significant hematological, hepatobiliary, or renal disease:

    AST/SGOT > 2.0 times the upper limit of normal ALT/SGPT > 2.0 times the upper limit of normal Total bilirubin > 2.0 times the upper limit of normal, unless patient has Gilbert Syndrome (>3.0 times the upper limit of normal) Hemoglobin < 8 gm/dL or dependent upon transfusion to maintain ≥ 8 gm/dL White blood cell count < 2,000/mm3 Platelet count < 100,000/mm3 or dependent upon transfusion to maintain ≥ 100,000 mm3 Creatinine > 2.0 times the upper limit of normal or calculated creatinine clearance ≤ 40 mL/min.

11. Pregnant or lactating females.
12. Prior solid organ transplantation
13. Patients who, in the opinion of the Investigator, will be non-compliant with study schedules or procedures.
14. Patients who belong to a vulnerable population such as the homeless, the developmentally disabled and prisoners or have any condition that impairs their ability to provide informed consent or comply with study schedules or procedures.
15. Patients with documented anaphylaxis as a result of penicillin allergy.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: locally manufactured adoptive cellular therapeutic (ACT) product; Single dose, intrapleural delivery (via indwelling pleural catheter) of adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) product derived from autologous pleural infiltrating T-cells. Low dose Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will also be administered intrapleural at the dose of 20 milliliters (mL) at 1 x 10⁵ International Units (IU)/mL starting approximately 2 hours after ACT infusion and every 8 to 16 hours thereafter, as tolerated, for up to 4 doses (total 8 x 10⁶ IU).

Biological: locally manufactured adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) product; Single dose, intrapleural delivery (via indwelling pleural catheter) of adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) product derived from autologous pleural infiltrating T-cells.; Other Names: ACT; Fast TIL; Drug: Interleukin-2 (IL-2); Low dose Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will also be administered intrapleural at the dose of 20 milliliters (mL) at 1 x 10⁵ International Units (IU)/mL starting approximately 2 hours after ACT infusion and every 8 to 16 hours thereafter, as tolerated, for up to 4 doses (total 8 x 10⁶ IU).; Other Names: Proleukin; IL-2

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Document the feasibility of local manufacture of ACT product from drained pleural effusions using the CliniMACS Prodigy® device	flow cytometry for cellular ACT identity	30 days
Document the feasibility of local manufacture of ACT product from drained pleural effusions using the CliniMACS Prodigy® device	cytotoxicity assays for ACT potency	30 days
Document the feasibility of local manufacture of ACT product from drained pleural effusions using the CliniMACS Prodigy® device	flow cytometry for cellular ACT purity	30 days
To demonstrate the safety of intrapleural administration of the locally manufactured ACT product plus Interleukin 2 (IL-2) to study patients	incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events (Safety) of intrapleural administration of the locally manufactured ACT product, as assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.	5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
To document changes in the pleural fluid secretome secondary to local therapeutic ACT product infusion.	changes in the pleural fluid secretome secondary to local therapeutic ACT product infusion using Luminex assays	30 days
To document changes in the pleural cellular composition secondary to local therapeutic ACT product infusion	changes in the pleural cellular composition secondary to local therapeutic ACT product infusion via flow cytometry	30 days
To document the overall response rates to therapy	as measured by PET CT scan, using mRECIST criteria	60 days
To document the complete response rates to therapy	as measured by PET CT scan, using mRECIST criteria	60 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Allegheny Singer Research Institute (also known as Allegheny Health Network Research Institute)
• Collaborators: AHN Cancer Institute (AHNCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Patrick Wagner, MD, Allegheny Health Network

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): May 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2033
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2038

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 25, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 7, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: immunotherapy; malignant mesothelioma; metastasis to pleura; pleural infiltrating T cells; CliniMACS Prodigy; pleural effusion, malignant; Adoptive Cellular Therapeutic; autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL)
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Lung Diseases; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Adenoma; Neoplasms, Mesothelial; Pleural Neoplasms; Pleural Diseases; Pleural Effusion; Mesothelioma; Mesothelioma, Malignant; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Peptides; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Biological Factors; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Cytokines; Interleukins; Lymphokines; Interleukin-2; aldesleukin; Pharmaceutical Preparations
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-289; RIOT 4B (Other Identifier: AHN Institutional Review Board); Fast TILS 2 (Other Identifier: AHN Institutional Review Board)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Indefinitely from time of publication
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Unrestricted
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

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