Recruiting
Phase 1

5-Azacitidine & PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors

Sponsor:

Mohammed Milhem

Code:

NCT07404332

Conditions

Solid Tumor

Locally Advanced Solid Tumor

Metastatic Tumor

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

5 Azacytidine

Pembrolizumab

Nivolumab

Cemiplimab

Study Details

Brief summary:

This is a Phase I study to determine the optimal biological dose (OBD) of 5-Azacitidine in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with tumors refractory to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, for which such treatments have been approved.

Conditions

Solid Tumor

Locally Advanced Solid Tumor

Metastatic Tumor

Study ID

NCT07404332

Start date

Feb 11, 2026

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Feb 28, 2031

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb 28, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Written and voluntary informed consent.
  • At least 18 years of age or older.
  • Histologically and radiologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic unresectable solid tumor malignancy for which PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy is already approved by the FDA. Locally advanced is defined as unresectable in the opinion of the treating physician. A repeat biopsy is required if previous biopsy tissue is unavailable.
  • At least one Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) - defined target lesion.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 (fully active, able to carry on all pre-disease performance without restriction), 1 (restricted in physically strenuous activity but ambulatory and able to carry out work of a light or sedentary nature, such as light housework or office work), or 2 (ambulatory and capable of self-care but unable to carry out any work activities, spending more than 50% of waking hours up and about).
  • Documented progression on PD1 or PD-L1 inhibitors.
  • Recovery from any acute toxicity associated with prior therapy to grade 1.
  • Renal function (creatinine level within normal institutional limit, or creatinine clearance >15 mL/min/1.73 m2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal, calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula).
  • Liver function (AST/ALT <3.0 X institutional upper limit of normal OR <5 X institutional upper limit of normal in cases of liver metastasis; total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal).
  • Adequate hematological lab values including:

  • Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) ≥ 1.0 X 109/L
  • Platelets ≥ 100X109/L
  • Hemoglobin ≥ 7.0 g/dL
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential and non-sterilized male subjects who intend to be sexually active during the study must agree to use a highly effective method of contraception from time of screening, throughout the whole duration of the drug treatment, and during the 6-month post-treatment washout period.
  • Patients may have previously received a hypomethylating agent, as long as it was not given in combination with ipilimumab.
  • Patients may have previously received ipilimumab but must have relapsed or progressed while on therapy.
  • Patients must have adequate archival tissue available for the purpose of downstream methylation status assessment, immunohistochemistry, RNA expression (10 slides at 5µM). If archival tissue is not available, a repeat biopsy is required.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment has the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen.
  • Patients with active, untreated metastases in the central nervous system.
  • Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Patients who have an active infection.
  • Patients with significant hematologic, hepatic, and renal function impairment.
  • Patients who are being treated for any concurrent medical condition requiring the use of systemic steroids or history of long-term use of systemic steroids.
  • Patients who have a history of inflammatory bowel disease or a history of symptomatic autoimmune disease.
  • Patients who have had any major surgical procedure or significant traumatic injury within 28 days prior to study enrollment.
  • Patients who have received chemotherapy, immunosuppressive agents or any investigational drug within 28 days prior to starting the study drugs.
  • Patients who have any underlying medical condition which, in the treating physician's opinion, will make the administration of study drugs hazardous or obscure the interpretation of adverse events.

Study Design

Enrollment

35 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: 5-Azacitidine Plus PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor

This Phase I study will assess 6 doses of 5-Azacitidine (5, 10, 15, 25, 50 and 75 mg/m2) in combination with a PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor will be given at standard of care dosing approved by the FDA for this indication. Inhibitors approved for study indications include Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab, and Cemiplimab.

Interventions

5 Azacytidine

5-Azacitidine (Azacitidine) is a nucleoside analogue chemotherapy drug

Pembrolizumab

Pembrolizumab is a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that functions as immune checkpoint inhibitor

Nivolumab

Nivolumab is a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that functions as immune checkpoint inhibitor

Cemiplimab

Cemiplimab is a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that functions as immune checkpoint inhibitor

Primary outcome measure

  • Incidence of dose-limiting toxicities and responses as defined by CTCAE v5.0 [ Time Frame: Treatment initiation through 30 days +/- 7 days post completion of therapy ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Mohammed Milhem, MD

+1 319 356 2324mohammed-milhem@uiowa.edu

Locations

University of Iowa Health Care

Recruiting

Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242

Contacts

Mohammed Milhem, MD

+1 319 356 2324mohammed-milhem@uiowa.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Mohammed Milhem

Last update posted

May 28, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Mohammed Milhem on 2026-05-28.