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GMCI, Nivolumab, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Newly Diagnosed High-Grade Gliomas

Study Purpose

The purpose of this phase I trial is to test the safety of combining GMCI, an immunostimulator, plus nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), with standard of care radiation therapy, and temozolomide in treating patients with newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas. Gene Mediated Cytotoxic Immunotherapy (GMCI) involves the use of aglatimagene besadenovec (AdV-tk) injection into the tumor site and oral valacyclovir to kill tumor cells and stimulate the immune system. Nivolumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that may also stimulate the immune system by blocking the PD-1 immune suppressive pathway. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors and temozolomide is a chemotherapy drug that kills tumor cells. Giving GMCI, nivolumab, radiation therapy, and temozolomide may work better in treating patients with high-grade gliomas

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

No
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Interventional
Eligible Ages 18 Years and Over
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - Patients must have operable brain tumor presumed to be high grade glioma (HGG) based on clinical and radiologic evaluation, where a gross total surgical resection of the contrast-enhancing area is intended; pathologic confirmation of HGG must be made at the time of surgery prior to AdV-tk injection, if not previously determined.
  • - Patients must have a Karnofsky performance status >= 70% (i.e. the patient must be able to care for himself/herself with occasional help from others) - Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/uL.
  • - Platelets >= 100,000/uL.
  • - Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL.
  • - Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN), (except for patients with known Gilbert's syndrome who must have normal direct bilirubin) - Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT)/alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) =< 3.0 x institutional ULN.
  • - Creatinine =< institutional ULN.
  • - Calculated creatinine clearance >= 40 ml/min (use a modified Cockcroft-Gault equation) - Activated partial thromboplastin time/partial thromboplastin time (APTT/PTT) =< 1.5 x institutional ULN.
  • - Patients must be able to provide written informed consent.
  • - Patients must have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 14 days of starting treatment; patients must be able to tolerate MRI.
  • - Women of childbearing potential must agree to have a negative serum pregnancy test within 24 hours prior to treatment start; women of childbearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study treatment, and through at least 5 months after the last dose of study drug; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately; sexually active men of reproductive potential who are partners of women with reproductive potential must also agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and through at least 7 months after the last dose of study drug; adequate methods of effective birth control include sexual abstinence (men, women); vasectomy; or a condom with spermicide (men) in combination with barrier methods, hormonal birth control or intrauterine device (IUD) (women) - Patients must have no concurrent malignancy except curatively treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or carcinoma in situ of the cervix, breast, or bladder; patients with prior malignancies must be disease-free for >= two years; patients with low-risk prostate cancer on active surveillance are eligible.
  • - Patients must be able to swallow oral medications.
  • - Patients must not have received prior radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or therapy with biologic agent (including immunotoxins, immunoconjugates, antisense, peptide receptor antagonists, interferons, interleukins, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte [TIL], lymphokine-activated killer [LAK] or gene therapy), or hormonal therapy for their brain tumor; glucocorticoid therapy is allowed.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - Patients receiving any other investigational agents are ineligible.
  • - Patients with a history of hypersensitivity or allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to valacyclovir, acyclovir, or temozolomide are ineligible; the valacyclovir and temozolomide package inserts can be referenced for more information.
  • - Patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to any monoclonal antibody are ineligible.
  • - Patients who require therapy with systemic immunosuppressive drugs except corticosteroids are ineligible.
  • - Patients with a history of active autoimmune disease requiring treatment in the past 2 years are ineligible.
  • - Patients with uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, active liver disease or active hepatitis, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements, are ineligible.
  • - Pregnant women are excluded from this study; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with these agents through 1 week after receiving the last dose of study drugs.
- Patients who are known to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive are ineligible

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT03576612
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

Phase 1
Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

Candel Therapeutics, Inc.
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

Patrick Wen, MD
Principal Investigator Affiliation Dana Farber
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Industry, NIH
Overall Status Completed
Countries United States
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Glioma, Malignant
Additional Details

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

  • I. To assess the safety/maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the combination of aglatimagene besadenovec (AdV-tk) given intra-cranially at the time of initial tumor resection followed by valacyclovir (GMCI), nivolumab, and standard of care (radiation therapy [RT]+temozolomide [TMZ]) in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGG).
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
  • I. To assess the safety/maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the combination of aglatimagene besadenovec (AdV-tk) given intra-cranially at the time of initial tumor resection followed by valacyclovir (GMCI), nivolumab, and standard of care (radiation therapy [RT]+temozolomide [TMZ]) in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGG).
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
  • I. To evaluate safety and toxicity of this combined treatment regimen.
  • II. To estimate overall survival.
  • III. To estimate progression free survival.
  • IV. Immune biomarkers, including serum extracellular vesicles (EVs).
OUTLINE: Patients undergo tumor resection and receive AdV-tk injection into the wall of the resection cavity. Patients then receive valacyclovir orally three times per day for 14 days. Beginning on approximately day 8, patients undergo radiation therapy five days per week for 6 weeks. Temozolomide will be initiated on approximately day 15 after valacyclovir is completed and will continue until MGMT methylation status is known. If unmethylated, temozolomide will be discontinued: these patients will constitute Cohort 1. In Cohort 2
  • - patients with methylated MGMT - temozolomide will continue.
If methylation status is unable to be determined, those patients will also continue receiving temozolomide (Cohort 2). Both cohorts will receive nivolumab intravenously every two weeks for up to 52 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 2 months for 2 years, and then every 6 months thereafter.

Arms & Interventions

Arms

Experimental: Cohort 1: MGMT Unmethylated Patients

After confirmation of high grade glioma, AdV-tk injection into wall of resection cavity. Valacyclovir starting 1-3 days post-surgery for 14 days. Radiation begins approximately day 8 and continues for 6 weeks. Temozolomide started after complete valacyclovir and stop when MGMT unmethylated result obtained. Nivolumab every 2 weeks x 26 doses up to 52 weeks. MRI every 8 weeks until progression.

Experimental: Cohort 2: MGMT Methylated & undetermined Patients

After confirmation of high grade glioma, AdV-tk injection into wall of resection cavity. Valacyclovir starting 1-3 days post-surgery for 14 days. Radiation begins approximately day 8. Temozolomide started after complete valacyclovir and continue during radiation then 5 week break and then begin adjuvant temozolomide dosing. Nivolumab every 2 weeks x 26 doses up to 52 weeks. MRI every 8 weeks until progression.

Interventions

Biological: - AdV-tk

Given IT

Drug: - Valacyclovir

Given PO days 1-14; 1-3 days post surgery

Radiation: - Radiation

Undergo RT, 60Gy in 30 daily fractions M-F for 6weeks

Drug: - Temozolomide

Given PO during RT 75mg/m2 daily during RT Post RT cycle 1: 150mg/m2 days 1-5 150mg/m2 cycle 2-6: days 1-5 (150-200mg/m2)

Biological: - Nivolumab

day 15 post surgery 240mg IV q2wks x 26 doses , up to 52 weeks

Other: - Laboratory Biomarker Analysis

correlative studies

Contact a Trial Team

If you are interested in learning more about this trial, find the trial site nearest to your location and contact the site coordinator via email or phone. We also strongly recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider about the trials that may interest you and refer to our terms of service below.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Status

Address

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215

Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan

Status

Address

Henry Ford Hospital

Detroit, Michigan, 48202

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Status

Address

Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Status

Address

Abrams Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Status

Address

Hillman Cancer Center at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232