Active Specific Intranodal Immunotherapy of Recombinant Vaccinia Virus in Locally Advanced to Metastatic Melanoma

Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess intranodal immunotherapy in locally advanced to metastatic melanoma patients (American Joint Committee on Cancer \[AJCC\] stages IIb to IV). For this, the investigators capitalize on their previous melanoma clinical trial (published by Zajac P et al in Human Gene Ther 2003) and take advantage of a proprietary recombinant vaccinia virus (replication inactivated) expressing 5 minigenes: 3 melanoma associated antigens and 2 costimulatory molecules. Immunization with the recombinant vaccinia virus is followed by 3 boosts with soluble, synthetic melanoma associated antigens. The patients are immunized intranodally (groin lymph node) under ultrasonographic guidance in an outpatient clinic. The protocol foresees 2 cycles of immunotherapy for alternate weeks and lasts 15 weeks.

Timeline

Start

2002-11

Primary completion

2007-07

Completion

2008-12

Publications

• Background Spagnoli GC, Zajac P, Marti WR, Oertli D, Padovan E, Noppen C, Kocher T, Adamina M, Heberer M. Cytotoxic T-cell induction in metastatic melanoma patients undergoing recombinant vaccinia virus-based immuno-gene therapy. Recent Results Cancer Res. 2002;160:195-201. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-59410-6_23.
• Background Zajac P, Schutz A, Oertli D, Noppen C, Schaefer C, Heberer M, Spagnoli GC, Marti WR. Enhanced generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes using recombinant vaccinia virus expressing human tumor-associated antigens and B7 costimulatory molecules. Cancer Res. 1998 Oct 15;58(20):4567-71.
• Background Adamina M, Oertli D. Antigen specific active immunotherapy: lessons from the first decade. Swiss Med Wkly. 2005 Apr 16;135(15-16):212-21. doi: 10.4414/smw.2005.10127.
• Results Zajac P, Oertli D, Marti W, Adamina M, Bolli M, Guller U, Noppen C, Padovan E, Schultz-Thater E, Heberer M, Spagnoli G. Phase I/II clinical trial of a nonreplicative vaccinia virus expressing multiple HLA-A0201-restricted tumor-associated epitopes and costimulatory molecules in metastatic melanoma patients. Hum Gene Ther. 2003 Nov 1;14(16):1497-510. doi: 10.1089/104303403322495016.
• Results Oertli D, Marti WR, Zajac P, Noppen C, Kocher T, Padovan E, Adamina M, Schumacher R, Harder F, Heberer M, Spagnoli GC. Rapid induction of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes against melanoma-associated antigens by a recombinant vaccinia virus vector expressing multiple immunodominant epitopes and costimulatory molecules in vivo. Hum Gene Ther. 2002 Mar 1;13(4):569-75. doi: 10.1089/10430340252809856.
• Results Adamina M, Rosenthal R, Weber WP, Frey DM, Viehl CT, Bolli M, Huegli RW, Jacob AL, Heberer M, Oertli D, Marti W, Spagnoli GC, Zajac P. Intranodal immunization with a vaccinia virus encoding multiple antigenic epitopes and costimulatory molecules in metastatic melanoma. Mol Ther. 2010 Mar;18(3):651-9. doi: 10.1038/mt.2009.275. Epub 2009 Nov 24.

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