A Pilot Study of Autologous T-Cell Transplantation With Vaccine Driven Expansion of Anti-Tumor Effectors After Cytoreductive Therapy in Metastatic Pediatric Sarcomas

Summary

This is a single arm study. The tumor specimen is analyzed for the presence of a fusion protein which corresponds to available peptides. Patients undergo T cell harvest 10 days after an initial priming peptide-pulsed antigen presenting cell (APC) vaccine is performed. Fresh APCs are utilized for initial priming vaccination. All subsequent vaccinations will use cryopreserved APCs. Minimum number of APCs administered per vaccination is 100,000/kg and maximum is 100,000,000/kg. Patients undergo cytoreductive therapy for the treatment of their particular malignancy. This therapy usually consists of multiagent chemotherapy in the context of a separate protocol. Following chemotherapy, infusion of harvested T cells followed by infusion of peptide-pulsed APC vaccinations occurs every 6 weeks for a total of 3 post-priming vaccinations. Influenza vaccine is administered by intramuscular injection concurrent to peptide-pulsed APC vaccines. Interleukin -2 (IL-2) is administered as a continuous intravenous (IV) infusion for 4 days/week for 3 successive weeks starting on the same day as T cell /peptide-pulsed infusions.

Timeline

Start

1996-12

Primary completion

2008-09

Completion

2008-09

Publications

• Background Yanuck M, Carbone DP, Pendleton CD, Tsukui T, Winter SF, Minna JD, Berzofsky JA. A mutant p53 tumor suppressor protein is a target for peptide-induced CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells. Cancer Res. 1993 Jul 15;53(14):3257-61.
• Background Mackall CL, Bare CV, Granger LA, Sharrow SO, Titus JA, Gress RE. Thymic-independent T cell regeneration occurs via antigen-driven expansion of peripheral T cells resulting in a repertoire that is limited in diversity and prone to skewing. J Immunol. 1996 Jun 15;156(12):4609-16.
• Background Mackall CL, Fleisher TA, Brown MR, Andrich MP, Chen CC, Feuerstein IM, Horowitz ME, Magrath IT, Shad AT, Steinberg SM, et al. Age, thymopoiesis, and CD4+ T-lymphocyte regeneration after intensive chemotherapy. N Engl J Med. 1995 Jan 19;332(3):143-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199501193320303.
• Background Zhang H, Chua KS, Guimond M, Kapoor V, Brown MV, Fleisher TA, Long LM, Bernstein D, Hill BJ, Douek DC, Berzofsky JA, Carter CS, Read EJ, Helman LJ, Mackall CL. Lymphopenia and interleukin-2 therapy alter homeostasis of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. Nat Med. 2005 Nov;11(11):1238-43. doi: 10.1038/nm1312. Epub 2005 Oct 16.
• Results Mackall CL, Rhee EH, Read EJ, Khuu HM, Leitman SF, Bernstein D, Tesso M, Long LM, Grindler D, Merino M, Kopp W, Tsokos M, Berzofsky JA, Helman LJ. A pilot study of consolidative immunotherapy in patients with high-risk pediatric sarcomas. Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Aug 1;14(15):4850-8. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-07-4065.

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