Safety and Immunogenicity of a Melanoma DNA Vaccine Delivered by Electroporation

Ichor Medical Systems

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 1

Conditions

Intraocular Melanoma

Melanoma (Skin)

Treatments

Biological: Xenogeneic Tyrosinase DNA Vaccine

Device: TriGrid Delivery System for Intramuscular Electroporation

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Industry

Identifiers

NCT00471133

07-003

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine encoding a melanosomal antigen in melanoma patients at risk for disease progression or recurrence. In this study, the vaccine will be administered intramuscularly using a device that applies brief electrical fields to the tissue at the site of injection (a technique known as electroporation). It is expected that this device will improve the delivery of the vaccine. This study is being performed to determine if this procedure can be administered safely and if it is capable of inducing immune responses to the vaccine.

Full description

This study is designed to evaluate administration of a xenogeneic DNA vaccine encoding the melanosomal antigen tyrosinase by in vivo electroporation in patients with malignant melanoma. The objectives of the study are to characterize the safety and immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine encoding the murine tyrosinase gene delivered administered intramuscularly using the electroporation based TriGrid Delivery System (Ichor Medical Systems). We will assess the nature, frequency, and severity of any toxicity associated with vaccination at escalating pINGmuTyr doses and then expand enrollment at then expand enrollment at the Maximum Tolerated Dose to assess immunologic responses to the tyrosinase antigen.

The hypotheses being tested are that the procedure is feasible and safe and that it induces immune responses specific for tyrosinase in patients with stage IIB-IV malignant melanoma.

Enrollment

24 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients must have documented, histologically confirmed malignant melanoma, American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Stage IIB- IV. Patients with stage IIb-III disease are only eligible after standard surgical care with wide local excision and appropriate lymph node sampling. Patients with stage IIb, IIc, or III melanoma who are free of disease after surgical resection are also eligible, only if they have refused high dose Interferon-alfa (INTRON A) or have had a recurrence while on Interferon-alfa.
Patients with choroidal melanoma may participate if they fulfill one of the following criteria: Basal diameter >16mm; Height >8mm or involvement of the ciliary body with tumor.
Patients must be at least 18 years of age and must be capable of understanding the consent form and giving informed consent.
Karnofsky Score > 80
Life Expectancy > 6 months
HLA-A1, A2, A24, or B35+ as assessed by low resolution phenotyping
White blood cell count ≥ 2,000/mm3
Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3
Neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mm3
Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
Serum AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
Serum Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
Serum Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
Serum Alkaline Phosphatase < 2.5 times ULN
Serum Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) < 2.5 times ULN

Exclusion criteria

Documented metastases in brain
Clinical history of HIV, HepB, HepC, and/or HTLV I.
Active autoimmune disease other than vitiligo
Patients previously immunized using the tyrosinase DNA sequence, protein, or peptides.
Systemic immunosuppressive therapy (corticosteroids, or other immunosuppressive drugs) within the previous 28 days
Surgery and/or radiotherapy within the previous 28 days
Chemotherapy and/or biotherapy within the previous 28 days
Participation in an investigational study within previous 28 days
Patients with cardiac demand pacemakers.
Women who are pregnant or < 3 months post partum or nursing.
Women of child-bearing potential and sexually active men must be using appropriate contraception during the course of this study.
Any other concurrent medical condition that in the opinion of the Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator's would preclude study compliance.