Recruiting
Phase 2

Gene Transfer Therapy

Sponsor:

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Code:

NCT03412877

Conditions

Endocrine Tumors

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Ovarian Cancer

Breast Cancer

Gastrointestinal/Genitourinary Cancers

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Cyclophosphamide

Fludarabine

Aldesleukin

Individual Patient TCR-Transduced PBL

Pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA(R))

Study Details

Brief summary:

Background:

A person s tumor is studied for mutations. When cells are found that can attack the mutation in a person s tumor, the genes from those cells are studied to find the parts that make the attack possible. White blood cells are then taken from the person s body, and the gene transfer occurs in a laboratory. A type of virus is used to transfer the genes that make those white blood cells able to attack the mutation in the tumor. The gene transfer therapy is the return of those white blood cells back to the person.

Objective:

To see if gene transfer therapy of white blood cells can shrink tumors.

Eligibility:

People with certain metastatic cancer for which standard treatments have not worked.

Design:

Participants may complete screening under another protocol. Screening includes:

  • Getting tumor cells from a previous procedure
  • Medical history
  • Physical exam
  • Scans
  • Blood, urine, heart, and lung tests

The study has 8 stages:

1. Screening tests repeated over 1-2 weeks. Participants will have leukapheresis: Blood is removed by a needle in one arm. A machine removes white blood cells. The rest of the blood is returned by a needle in the other arm.
2. Care at home over approximately 12 weeks.
3. Stopping therapy for 4-6 weeks while their cells are changed in a lab.
4. Hospital stay approximately 3-4 weeks for treatment. An IV catheter will be placed in the chest to administer drugs.
5. Patients on Arm 2 of the study will receive the first dose of pembrolizumab while in the hospital. Three additional doses will be given after the cell infusion 3 weeks apart.
6. Receiving changed cells by catheter. Then getting a drug over 1-5 days to help the cells live longer.
7. Recover in the hospital for 1-2 weeks. Participants will get drugs and have blood and urine tests.
8. Participants will take an antibiotic and maybe an antiviral for at least 6 months after treatment. They will have repeat screening tests at visits every few months for the first year, every 6 months for the second year, then as determined.

Conditions

Endocrine Tumors

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Ovarian Cancer

Breast Cancer

Gastrointestinal/Genitourinary Cancers

Study ID

NCT03412877

Start date

Sep 6, 2018

Status verified date

Aug 12, 2026

Completion date

Mar 23, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar 23, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:
  • Metastatic, solid cancer that can be measured, and falls into one of five cohorts: (1) gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers; (2) breast, ovarian, and other solid cancers; (3) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); (4) endocrine tumors including neuroendocrine tumors; and, (5) multiple myeloma that includes measurable solid tumors (plasmacytomas). Participants with multiple myeloma are potentially eligible only if they have measurable multiple myeloma as defined in Section 16.7 after plasmacytoma resection.

Note: NSCLC includes but is not limited to squamous cell carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma, or adenocarcinomas.

  • Documented diagnosis of cancer.
  • Refractory to approved standard systemic therapy. Specifically:

  • Participants with metastatic colorectal cancer must have received oxaliplatin or irinotecan.
  • Participants with breast and ovarian cancer must be refractory to first- line treatment and refractory to or have refused second-line treatments.
  • Participants with NSCLC must have received at least one platinum-based chemotherapy regimen and at least one FDA-approved targeted treatment (when appropriate).
  • Participants with endocrine tumors including neuroendocrine tumors must be refractory to first-line therapy (e.g., lanreotide, octreotide) and must be refractory or have refused second-line treatments such as everolimus, sunitinib, or 177 Lu-Dotatate, if indicated.
  • Participants with multiple myeloma must have received at least four prior lines of therapy that included at least one exposure to an immunomodulatory drug such as lenalidomide, a proteosome inhibitor, an anti-CD38 antibody treatment, and an autologous stem cell transplant.
  • Participants with three (3) or fewer brain metastases that are < 1 cm in diameter and asymptomatic are eligible. Lesions that have been treated with stereotactic radiosurgery must be clinically stable for one month after treatment for the participant to be eligible. Participants with surgically resected brain metastases are eligible.
  • Age greater than or equal to 18 years and less than or equal to 72 years.
  • Clinical performance status of ECOG 0 or 1.
  • Participants of both sexes must be willing to practice birth control from the time of enrollment on this study and for and 12 months after the last dose of combined chemotherapy for individuals of child-bearing potential (IOCBP) and four months after treatment for participants who can father a child.
  • Individuals of child-bearing potential must be willing to undergo a pregnancy test prior to the start of treatment because of the potentially dangerous effects of the treatment on the fetus.

NOTE: Certain malignancies may secrete hormones that produce false positive pregnancy tests. Serial blood testing (e.g. HCG measurements) and/ or ultrasound may be performed for clarification.

  • Serology:

  • Seronegative for HIV antibody. (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Participants who are HIV seropositive may have decreased immune-competence and thus be less responsive to the experimental treatment and more susceptible to its toxicities.)
  • Seronegative for hepatitis B antigen, and seronegative for hepatitis C antibody. If hepatitis C antibody test is positive, then participant must be tested for the presence of antigen by RT-PCR and be HCV RNA negative.
  • Hematology:

  • ANC > 1000/mm\^3 without the support of filgrastim
  • WBC greater than or equal to 2500/mm\^3
  • Platelet count greater than or equal to 80,000/mm\^3
  • Hemoglobin > 8.0 g/dL. Subjects may be transfused to reach this cut-off.
  • Chemistry:

  • Serum ALT/AST less than or equal to 5.0 x ULN
  • Serum creatinine less than or equal to 1.6 mg/dL.
  • Total bilirubin less than or equal to 2.0 mg/dL, except in participants with Gilbert's Syndrome, who must have a total bilirubin less than or equal to 3.0 mg/dL.
  • Participants must have completed any prior systemic therapy at the time of enrollment.

Note: Participants may have undergone minor surgical procedures or limited field radiotherapy within the four weeks prior to enrollment, as long as related major organ toxicities have recovered to grade 1 or less. In addition, participants with multiple myeloma may receive bridging therapy during the time between study enrollment and start of study therapy. This may be necessary due to the long time needed for cell production on this study. After bridging therapy and within 14 days of protocol treatment start, participants with multiple myeloma must still have measurable multiple myeloma.

  • For Cohort 3: More than two weeks must have elapsed since any prior palliation for major bronchial occlusion or bleeding at the time the patient receives the preparative regimen, and patient s toxicities must have recovered to a grade 1 or less.
  • Ability of subject to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Willing to sign a durable power of attorney.
  • Subjects must be co-enrolled on protocol 03-C-0277.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Participants who are pregnant or nursing because of the potentially dangerous effects of the treatment on the fetus or infant.
  • Concurrent systemic steroid therapy.
  • Active systemic infections requiring anti-infective treatment, coagulation disorders, or any other active or uncompensated major medical illnesses.
  • For Cohort 3: Any major bronchial occlusion or bleeding not amenable to palliation.
  • Any form of primary immunodeficiency (such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease and AIDS).
  • History of major organ autoimmune disease.
  • For Arm 2: Grade 3 or 4 major organ irAEs following treatment with anti-PD-1/PD-L1, including but not limited to myocarditis and pneumonitis.

Note: Participants with grade 3 or 4 major organ irAEs may be enrolled on Arm 1 if all other eligibility criteria are met.

  • Concurrent opportunistic infections (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Participants who have decreased immune-competence may be less responsive to the experimental treatment and more susceptible to its toxicities.)
  • History of severe immediate hypersensitivity reaction to cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, or aldesleukin.
  • For Cohorts 1, 2, 4. or 5: Clinically significant participant history which in the judgment of the Principal Investigator (PI) would compromise the participants ability to tolerate high-dose aldesleukin.

Note: At the discretion of the PI, participants enrolled in Cohort 3 may receive low-dose aldesleukin.

  • History of coronary revascularization or ischemic symptoms.
  • For select participants with a clinical history prompting cardiac evaluation: last known LVEF less than or equal to 45%.
  • For select participants with a clinical history prompting pulmonary evaluation: known FEV1 less than or equal to 50% predicted.
  • Participants who are receiving any other investigational agents.

Study Design

Enrollment

285 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: 1/iTCR

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + Individual Patient TCR-Transduced PBL + high- or low-dose aldesleukin

experimental: 2/iTCR + Pembro

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + Individual Patient TCRTransduced PBL + high- or low-dose aldesleukin + pembrolizumab prior to cell administration and 3 additional doses every 3 weeksfollowing cell infusion

Interventions

Cyclophosphamide

Days -7 and -6: Cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/day x 2 days IV in 250 mL D5W infused simultaneously with mesna 15 mg/kg/day over 1 hour x 2 days.

Fludarabine

Days -7 to -3: Fludarabine 25 mg/m2/day IVPB daily over 30 minutes for 5 days.

Aldesleukin

Aldesleukin 720,000 IU/kg IV (based on total body weight) over 15 minutes approximately every 8 hours beginning within 24 hours of cell infusion and continuing for up to 4 days (maximum 10 doses). Patients in Cohort 3 may receive 72,000 IU/kg IV.

Individual Patient TCR-Transduced PBL

Day 0: Cells will be infused intravenously on the Patient Care Unit over 20-30 minutes (2-4 days after the last dose of fludarabine).

Pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA(R))

Arm 2: Pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg IV over approximately 30 minutes on Days -2, 21, 42, and 63.

Primary outcome measure

  • Response rate [ Time Frame: 6 and 12 weeks after cell infusion, then every 3 months x3, then every 6 months x 2 years, then per PI discretion ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

NCI SB Immunotherapy Recruitment Center

(866) 820-4505IRC@nih.gov

Locations

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Recruiting

Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892

Contacts

For more information at the NIH Clinical Center contact NCI/Surgery Branch Recruitment Center

866-820-4505irc@nih.gov

More Information

Sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Last update posted

Aug 24, 2026

Last verified

Aug 12, 2026

Keywords

  • Gene Therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Cell Therapy
  • Adoptive Cell Therapy

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by National Cancer Institute (NCI) on 2026-08-24.