Recruiting
Phase 1

IL-12 GEMys

Sponsor:

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Code:

NCT07672483

Conditions

Relapsed Solid Tumor Malignancies

Refractory Solid Tumor Malignancies

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

IL-12 GEMys

Cyclophosphamide

Fludarabine

Cetuximab

Study Details

Brief summary:

Background:

Myeloid cells are a type of immune cell found in most tumors. Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a protein that helps the immune system kill tumor cells. Researchers want to know if myeloid cells that have been genetically engineered to produce IL-12 (IL-12 GEMys) can activate the immune system to attack cancer cells in solid tumors.

Objective:

To test IL-12 GEMys in people with cancer.

Eligibility

People aged 18 years and older with cancer that returned or failed to respond to treatment.

Design:

Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam with blood tests. They will have tests of their heart and lung function. They will have imaging scans of their tumors. A sample of tumor tissue may be taken.

Participants will have daily injections for few days to prepare them to undergo leukapheresis: Blood will be taken from the body through a needle inserted into a vein. The blood will pass through a machine that separates out stem cells. The remaining blood will be returned to the body through a different needle. The collected stem cells will be modified in a lab to create IL-12 GEMys.

Participants will check in to the hospital. They will receive drugs for 5 days to prepare their body for the treatment. Then they will have their own IL-12 GEMys infused through a needle inserted into a vein. They will stay in the hospital until they are well enough to go home. This may be 7 to 14 days or longer.

Some participants may receive a second treatment with IL-12 GEMys within 2 years after the first.

Participants will have follow-up visits for about 5 years. These will include imaging scans and blood tests.

Conditions

Relapsed Solid Tumor Malignancies

Refractory Solid Tumor Malignancies

Study ID

NCT07672483

Start date

Oct 12, 2026

Status verified date

Oct 5, 2026

Completion date

Jan 15, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 15, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:
  • Relapsed or refractory solid tumor malignancies for whom standard measures do not exist or are no longer effective. Must have histologic confirmation of original diagnosis or relapse.
  • Participants must have evaluable (measurable or not measurable) disease.
  • Part B only: Participants must:

  • be willing to undergo mandatory pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies. Tumor tissue should either be taken from non-target lesions or from target lesions where sampling can be done without impacting lesion measurement

and

--have disease amenable to biopsy to allow to perform pre- and post-tumor biopsies.

  • Participants with treated brain metastases are eligible if follow-up brain imaging after central nervous system (CNS)-directed therapy and close monitoring for over 3 months shows no active progression.
  • At least one prior cancer treatment when upfront standard therapy exists. Note: There is no limit to the number or type of prior treatment regimens.
  • The indicated time must have elapsed since any systemic anti-cancer therapy prior to leukapheresis.
  • Age >= 18 years.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status <= 2.

Note: Participants who are unable to walk because of paralysis, but who are able to maintain supine position independently in a wheelchair, will be considered ambulatory for the purpose of performance status.

  • Participants must have adequate organ and marrow function as defined below:

  • Peripheral absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1000/mm\^3
  • Platelet count >= 100,000/mm\^3
  • Hemoglobin (Hgb) >= 8 g/dL (transfusion independent)
  • Prothrombin time (PT) <= 1.5 X institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) (Part B only, participants undergoing biopsy)
  • Creatinine clearance >= 60 mL/minute/1.73m\^2 (calculated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula)
  • Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) <= 3 X institutional ULN
  • Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) <= 3 X institutional ULN
  • Total bilirubin <= 1.5 institutional ULN. Note: In the case of Gilbert's syndrome total bilirubin <= 3 X ULN
  • Serum albumin >= 2.7 g/dL
  • Ejection fraction of >= 45% and no evidence of hemodynamically significant pericardial effusion as determined by an echocardiogram (ECHO).
  • QTc interval < 480 msec
  • Oxygen saturation >92% on room air at rest
  • Participants with a clinical history of prolonged smoking (>= 10 pack-years), lung disease, or current or recent history of respiratory symptoms must have a forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) > 50%.
  • Participants seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) must have an undetectable HIV viral load.
  • Participants seropositive for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) must have an undetectable HCV viral load
  • Participants positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) must have an undetectable Hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral load.
  • Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must agree to use highly effective contraception (hormonal, intrauterine device \[IUD\], abstinence, surgical sterilization) at the study entry and up to 12 months after the last dose of combined chemotherapy.

Note: WOCBP is defined as any woman who has experienced menarche and who has not undergone successful surgical sterilization or who is not postmenopausal.

Men able to father a child must agree to use a highly effective method of contraception (surgical sterilization, abstinence or man may request that partner uses the highly effective form of contraception to fulfill this requirement) at the study entry and up to 7 months after the last dose of study drugs. Men able to father a child must not freeze or donate sperm within the same period.

  • Nursing participants must be willing to discontinue nursing from study treatment initiation through 12 months after the last dose of the study drug(s).
  • Ability and willingness of participant to enroll on protocol 15-C-0028, Follow-Up Evaluation for Gene-Therapy Related Delayed Adverse Events after Participation in Pediatric Oncology Branch Clinical Trials after 5 years.
  • Ability of the participant to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  • Participants with history of primary CNS tumors or leptomeningeal disease.
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, IL-12, or other agents used in the study.
  • Concurrent untreated opportunistic infections as evidenced by history, blood test or imaging at screening.
  • Active systemic infections requiring anti-infective treatment.
  • Any form of primary immunodeficiency (such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease) or secondary/acquired immunodeficiency requiring steroids or other non-steroid immunosuppressive agents.
  • History of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) or myelodysplasia/myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).
  • Participants with symptomatic pleural effusions requiring intervention or with recent history (within 3 months) of pleural effusions that required intervention.
  • Participants with ischemic symptoms (may include chest pain/pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and/or pain in the neck, shoulder, jaw or arm) confirmed by stress test OR a history of coronary revascularization (unless the participant has a normal cardiac stress test after revascularization and within 12 months prior to leukapheresis).
  • Any form of diagnosed autoimmune disease requiring immune suppression as well as participants with active autoimmune skin diseases such as psoriasis or any history of active systemic autoimmune disease (e.g., Crohn's, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus) requiring systemic immunosuppression/systemic disease-modifying agents within the last 2 years. Exceptions will be allowed for vitiligo and hypothyroidism that has been stable on thyroid replacement medications for > 6 weeks prior to leukapheresis.
  • Any participant who developed autoimmunity (>= grade 3 per CTCAE v. 6.0) with checkpoint inhibitor use. Note: Exceptions will be allowed for vitiligo and hypothyroidism that has been stable on thyroid replacement medications for > 6 weeks prior to leukapheresis.
  • Participants who have a major surgical procedure, other than for diagnosis, within 4 weeks prior to leukapheresis or anticipated to need a major surgical procedure during the study.
  • History of prior solid organ transplantation.
  • Participants that require urgent therapy due to tumor mass effects or spinal cord compression within 2 weeks prior to leukapheresis.
  • Any investigational therapy within 2 weeks prior to leukapheresis.
  • Pregnancy confirmed with Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (Beta-HCG) serum or urine pregnancy test in WOCBP at screening. Note: In case of a suspected false-positive serum or urine test result, additional evaluation must be done to rule out pregnancy.
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness or medical condition(s) evaluated by medical history, physical exam, or situations that would unacceptably increase risk for the participant or impair the ability to evaluate the endpoints of the study.

Study Design

Enrollment

95 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Sequential

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Arm 1

Escalating/de-escalating doses of IL-12 GEMys with or without conditioning (cyclophosphamide and fludarabine)

experimental: Arm 2

RP2D of IL-12 GEMys with or without conditioning (cyclophosphamide and fludarabine)

Interventions

IL-12 GEMys

Cell therapy generated from autologous CD34+ cells. Administered on Day 0 as an IV infusion not to exceed 20ml/kg or 40ml/kg depending on DMSO levels.

Cyclophosphamide

Lymphodepletive chemotherapy administered as 30 mg/kg IV infusion over 1 hour daily on days -6 and -5.

Fludarabine

Lymphodeleptive chemotherapy administered as 25 mg/m\^2 IV infusion over 30 minutes on days -6 through -2.

Cetuximab

Administered as IV infusion at 500 mg/m\^2, if needed.

Primary outcome measure

  • Part A (Escalation): Determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of IL-12 [ Time Frame: 0-28 Days ]
  • Part B (Expansion): Assess whether IL-12 or IFNy levels, or both increase in tumors post treatment at the RP2D [ Time Frame: 1 week ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

NCI POB Solid Tumor Referral Team

(240) 858-7013ncipobstreferrals@mail.nih.gov

Locations

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Recruiting

Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892

Contacts

NCI POB Solid Tumor Referral Team

240-858-7013ncipobstreferrals@mail.nih.gov

More Information

Sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Last update posted

Oct 7, 2026

Last verified

Oct 5, 2026

Keywords

  • GEMys
  • Cd34+ Cells
  • Lymphodepletion
  • IFNy
  • Leukapheresis

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-10-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by National Cancer Institute (NCI) on 2026-10-07. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.