Recruiting
Phase 1

SL-401 & Azacitidine

Sponsor:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Code:

NCT03113643

Conditions

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Azacitidine

SL-401

Venetoclax

Study Details

Brief summary:

This research study is studying a drug as a possible treatment for diagnosis of AML, BPDCN and high-risk MDS.

The interventions involved in this study are:

  • SL-401
  • Azacitidine
  • Venetoclax

Conditions

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm

Study ID

NCT03113643

Start date

Jun 26, 2017

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

May 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 15, 2021

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Histologically confirmed diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) \[Cohort B\] or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) \[Cohort A\] or BPDCN \[Cohort C\] per 2016 WHO criteria

CD123 / IL3RA expression on the subject's AML or MDS blasts or BPDCN cells determined locally within 3 months of first protocol treatment

Age >= 18 years with relapsed or refractory AML (hydroxyurea is not considered a prior treatment regimen) \[Cohort B\]

OR

Age >= 18 years with treatment-naïve AML who decline intensive induction chemotherapy or who are unfit due to co-morbidity or other factors (see APPENDIX A for unfitness definitions) (hydroxyurea is not considered a prior treatment regimen) \[Cohort B\]

OR

Age >= 18 years with MDS and > 10% myeloblasts in the bone marrow \[Cohort A\]

OR

Age >= 18 years with relapsed or refractory BPDCN (hydroxyurea is not considered a prior treatment regimen) \[Cohort C\]

Adequate organ function as defined by:

Albumin > 3.2 g/dL (in the absence of receipt of intravenous albumin in the previous 72 hours) Serum creatinine < 1.5x ULN Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 2.5x ULN Total bilirubin < 1.5x ULN (if thought to be > 1.5x ULN due to Gilbert's disease or the patient's AML, must discuss with the PI) Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) < 2.5x ULN Left ventricular ejection fraction > institutional lower limit of normal by MUGA scan or echocardiogram within 30 days of first protocol treatment

\[Cohorts B and C\] WBC < 20,000 / uL on day of first therapy, cytoreduction may be achieved using hydroxyurea

Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Able to adhere to study visit schedule and other protocol requirements including follow-up for survival assessment

Women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception for the duration of study participation and for 2 months after completion of protocol treatment.

Men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception for the duration of study participation and 2 months after completion of protocol treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

Prior treatment with venetoclax \[Cohorts B or C\], unless it was last taken >2 months before protocol therapy

Diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia

Received treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, or biologic cancer therapy within 14 days of first protocol treatment, except for intrathecal chemotherapy. Prior and concurrent hydroxyurea is permitted.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) within 60 days of screening or active graft versus-host-disease

Active CNS involvement by AML or BPDCN. Screening lumbar puncture (LP) required for patients with BPDCN. If history of treated CNS involvement, must have had two consecutive negative LPs since last CNS involvement, which may include the screening LP

Known positive status for HIV infection; known active hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection

Clinically significant cardiopulmonary disease including uncontrolled or NYHA class 3 or 4 congestive heart failure, uncontrolled angina, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled arrhythmia, myocardial infarction or stroke within 6 months of first protocol treatment, or QTc > 480 ms

Patients with known active advanced malignant solid tumors are excluded (except for basal or squamous skin cancers, or carcinomas in situ). Patients with additional hematologic malignancies that require treatment are excluded.

Pregnant women are excluded from this study because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in the developing fetus with SL-401, azacitidine, and venetoclax (negative urine or serum pregnancy test required within 14 days of Cycle 1, Day 1). Because nursing infants have unknown potential for adverse events secondary to treatment of the mother, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with SL-401, azacitidine, and venetoclax.

Patients with uncontrolled infection shall not be enrolled until infection is treated and brought under control. Patients with active infection are permitted to enroll provided that the infection is controlled

\[Cohorts B and C\] Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) tract disease causing the inability to take oral medication, malabsorption syndrome, a requirement for intravenous (IV) alimentation, prior surgical procedures affecting absorption, uncontrolled inflammatory GI disease (e.g., Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis)

\[Cohorts B and C\] Patients on strong CYP3A inducers within 7 days of first dose of study treatment.

Study Design

Enrollment

72 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: SL-401+ Azacitidine

SL-401 will be administered every 4 weeks, on a 28 day cycle; SL-401 will be given intravenously; Azacitidine will be administered every 4 weeks, on a 28 day cycle; Azacitidine will be given intravenously or subcutaneously

experimental: SL-401+ Azacitidine + Venetoclax

SL-401 will be administered every 4 weeks, on a 28 day cycle; SL-401 will be given intravenously; Azacitidine will be administered every 4 weeks, on a 28 day cycle; Azacitidine will be given intravenously or subcutaneously; Venetoclax will be administered for 21 days on a 28 day cycle; Venetoclax will be taken orally

Interventions

Azacitidine

Chemotherapy

SL-401

SL-401 works by targeting leukemia cells (blasts), and also possibly by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer stem cells, which are the undeveloped cells which can develop into cancer cells.

Venetoclax

Venetoclax is a BH3-mimetic. Venetoclax blocks the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein, leading to programmed cell death of CLL cells. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in some lymphoid malignancies has sometimes shown to be linked with increased resistance to chemotherapy.

Primary outcome measure

  • Maximum Tolerated Dose [ Time Frame: 2 years ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

City of Hope

Recruiting

Duarte, California, United States, 91010

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Anthony Stein, MD

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Andrew Lane, MD, PhD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Recruiting

Houston, Texas, United States, 77030

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Naveen Pemmaraju, MD

More Information

Sponsor

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Last update posted

Jun 17, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

  • Acute Myeloid Leukemia
  • Myelodysplastic Syndrome
  • Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm
  • BPDCN

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on 2026-06-17.