Immunotherapy With IFx-Hu2.0 Vaccine for Advanced MCC or cSCC
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The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Know the risks and potential benefits of clinical studies and talk to your health care provider before participating. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04160065 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : November 12, 2019
Last Update Posted : March 26, 2020
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Merkel Cell Carcinoma Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma | Biological: IFx-Hu2.0 | Phase 1 |
Approximately twenty adult patients (≥ 18 years of age), of any sex, ethnicity, and race with histologically confirmed MCC or cSCC with accessible lesions, will be eligible for study enrollment and treatment with IFx-Hu2.0 (i.e. 20 total patients across both indications). These types of non-melanoma cancers are very rare in the pediatric population (< 18 years of age) with only scattered case reports. The potential for development of this product for pediatric subjects with MCC or cSCC will be evaluated after the results of this study are available.
Patients must have at least one injectable lesion, defined as an easily palpable superficial lesion (cutaneous, subcutaneous or lymph nodal metastasis) that can be accurately localized, stabilized by palpation, and is superficial enough to enable intralesional injection.
To be eligible for this study, patients must have progressed despite standard therapy(ies), or are intolerant to or refused standard therapy(ies).
Enrollees will receive IFx-Hu2.0 as a monotherapy at up to three time points. Depending on the number of accessible lesions, a patient could receive up to three doses across three lesions (one dose per lesion). The maximum number of lesions to be injected at any time point under this protocol is three lesions. Blood will be collected from these patients prior to treatment administration at every drug administration visit. These samples will be used to perform CBC and clinical chemistry tests. A urine sample will be obtained for urinalysis for protein and blood at the same frequency. Blood samples will also be drawn at the same intervals for immune response evaluation as well.
This is primarily a safety study that is designed to evaluate IFx-Hu2.0 monotherapy and provide foundational evidence to potentially support further studies investigating IFx-Hu2.0 + anti-PD-1 combination therapy for patients with advanced MCC or cSCC.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 20 participants |
Intervention Model: | Sequential Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Phase 1 Trial of Intralesional Immunotherapy With IFx-Hu2.0 Vaccine in Patients With Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma or Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma |
Actual Study Start Date : | March 3, 2020 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | July 2021 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | September 2021 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: IFx-Hu2.0 (plasmid DNA) 0.1 mg/lesion/time point
Therapeutic Classification:
Route of Administration:
Mechanism of Action:
Physiological Effect:
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Biological: IFx-Hu2.0
Exposure Escalation:
Cohort Expansion:
Other Name: pAc/emm55 |
- Number of Grade 3-5, Treatment-Related Adverse Events per CTCAE 5.0 [ Time Frame: 28 days from last injection ]
- Number of Enrolled Subjects who have completed the Trial without Major Protocol Deviations [ Time Frame: 28 days from last injection ]
- Objective Response Rate (ORR) per 2018 FDA Guidance on Clinical Trial Endpoints for the Approval of Cancer Drugs and Biologics [ Time Frame: 28 days from last injection ]
- Best Overall Response per RECIST v1.1 [ Time Frame: 28 days from last injection ]

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Life expectancy ≥ 3 months at recruitment
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤ 2 at the time of study treatment initiation.
- Males or females with histologically confirmed diagnosis of advanced Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC)
- Patients must have progressed despite standard therapy(ies) or are intolerant to or refused standard therapy(ies).
- Clinically measurable disease with at least 1 injectable lesion ≥ 3 mm in longest diameter; an injectable lesion is defined as an easily palpable superficial lesion (cutaneous, subcutaneous or lymph nodal metastasis) that can be accurately localized, stabilized by palpation, and is superficial enough to enable intralesional injection.
- No known bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy that would make intratumoral injection or biopsy unsafe
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The entry laboratory criteria for subject eligibility must be less than or equal to Grade 1 adverse event levels for the parameters tested as defined by CTCAE v5.0:
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Bone Marrow Function:
- Hemoglobin (Hb) > LLN 10 g/dL
- White Blood Cell Count (WBC) > LLN 3,000 cells/mcL
- Platelet count (PLT) > LLN - 75,000 /mcL
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Blood Coagulation Parameters
- PT, INR < 1.5 x institutional ULN unless patient is therapeutically anticoagulated. If on anticoagulation PT/INR need to be within appropriate anticoagulation limits for the clinical indication. Patients who are receiving anticoagulants may participate in the trial if their anticoagulation can be stopped safely for several days at the time of biopsy.
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Renal Function
- Serum Creatinine (SCr) < 1 - 1.5 x baseline; < 1 1.5 x ULN
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Hepatic Function:
- Blood bilirubin < 1 - 1.5 x ULN if baseline was normal; < 1 1.5 x baseline if baseline was abnormal
- Serum Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) < 1 - 3 x ULN if baseline was normal; 1.5 3 x baseline if baseline was abnormal
- Serum Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) < 1 - 3 x ULN if baseline was normal; 1.5 3 x baseline if baseline was abnormal
- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) < 1 - 2.5 x ULN if baseline was normal; 2 2.5 x baseline if baseline was abnormal
- Gamma Glutylamyltransferase (GGT) < 1 - 2.5 x ULN, if baseline was normal; 2 2.5 x baseline if baseline was abnormal
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- Males and females of reproductive potential must agree to continuously use adequate contraception prior to study entry and for up to 6 months thereafter. A female is of childbearing potential unless she has had a surgical procedure that would accomplish sterility such a bilateral tubal ligation, hysterectomy or has not had menses for the past 12 months.
- Females of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within one week prior to start of treatment
- Patient or legal representative must understand and sign a written informed consent form.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Concurrent use of any other investigational product or participation in another trial within 28 days before start of study treatment.
- Have received oncologic therapy within 2 weeks of planned IFx-Hu2.0 injection
- Presence or history of central nervous system metastasis [treated/stable brain metastasis are allowable when patients have received prior therapy for their brain metastases and their central nervous system (CNS) disease is radiographically stable (> 4 weeks)]
- Pregnant or breastfeeding females and females desiring to become pregnant or breastfeed within the timeframe of this study
- Concurrent steroid therapy (> 10 mg of daily prednisone equivalent) or other immunosuppressive therapies such as those needed for solid organ transplants and rheumatoid arthritis. Topical or inhaled steroids are allowable.
- History of organ allograft transplantation
- History of hemolytic anemia
- History of significant tumor bleeding, or coagulation or bleeding disorders.
- History of autoimmune disorder, with exception of patients with vitiligo or endocrine-related autoimmune conditions receiving appropriate hormonal supplementation who are eligible; systemic use of immunosuppressant drugs such as steroids (except as hormone replacement therapy or short-course supportive medication such as chemotherapy or drug allergy, etc.), azathioprine, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, etc. within 4 weeks before recruitment
- Major surgery within 14 days prior to starting study drug or has not recovered from major side effects (tumor biopsy is not considered major surgery) resulting from a prior surgery
- Leptomeningeal involvement regardless of treatment status
- Active, clinically serious infections or other serious uncontrolled medical conditions such as HIV, HBV, HCV, and EBV infection
- Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with protocol requirements
- Unwilling or unable to follow protocol requirements

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT04160065
Contact: Michael JP Lawman, PhD | 813-875-6600 ext 101 | mlawman@morphogenesis-inc.com | |
Contact: Patricia D Lawman, PhD | 813-875-6600 ext 102 | plawman@morphogenesis-inc.com |
United States, California | |
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center | Recruiting |
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033 | |
Contact: Jacob S Thomas, MD 323-865-0451 Jacob.Thomas@med.usc.edu | |
Principal Investigator: Jacob S Thomas, MD | |
United States, Florida | |
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute | Recruiting |
Tampa, Florida, United States, 33612 | |
Contact: Andrew S Brohl, MD 813-745-4673 Andrew.Brohl@moffitt.org | |
Principal Investigator: Andrew S Brohl, MD |
Principal Investigator: | Andrew S Brohl, MD | Collaborator |
Responsible Party: | Morphogenesis, Inc. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT04160065 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
NMSC 2019-01 |
First Posted: | November 12, 2019 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | March 26, 2020 |
Last Verified: | February 2020 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Advanced MCC cSCC pDNA plasmid DNA |
pAc/emm55 Gene Therapy Immuno-Oncology Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine Immunotherapy |
Carcinoma, Merkel Cell Carcinoma Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms Neoplasms, Squamous Cell Polyomavirus Infections DNA Virus Infections |
Virus Diseases Tumor Virus Infections Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine Neuroendocrine Tumors Neuroectodermal Tumors Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal Adenocarcinoma Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue |