~8 spots leftby Jun 2025

mRNA-4157 + Pembrolizumab for Cancer (KEYNOTE-603 Trial)

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
+33 other locations
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May be covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Phase 1
Recruiting
Sponsor: ModernaTX, Inc.
No Placebo Group
Breakthrough Therapy

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?The purpose of this study is to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of mRNA-4157 alone and in combination in participants with solid tumors.
Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?

The trial requires stopping certain medications before starting. You must not have taken investigational agents, certain cancer treatments, or live-virus vaccines within specific timeframes before the first dose. Check with the trial team for details on your specific medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the drug pembrolizumab in treating cancer?

Research shows that pembrolizumab, a part of the treatment, has been effective in improving survival rates in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma. It has been approved by the FDA for these conditions due to its ability to prolong survival and provide durable responses.

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Is mRNA-4157 + Pembrolizumab safe for humans?

Pembrolizumab (also known as Keytruda) has been used in various cancer treatments and is generally considered safe, but it can cause side effects like fatigue, cough, and nausea. Some serious immune-related side effects, such as pneumonitis (lung inflammation) and type 1 diabetes, have been reported in a small percentage of patients.

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What makes the drug mRNA-4157 + Pembrolizumab unique for cancer treatment?

The combination of mRNA-4157 and Pembrolizumab is unique because it combines a personalized mRNA-based vaccine with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, Pembrolizumab, which blocks the PD-1 pathway to enhance the immune system's ability to fight cancer. This approach aims to boost the body's immune response specifically against cancer cells, offering a novel strategy compared to traditional treatments.

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Eligibility Criteria

Adults with certain unresectable solid tumors or those who are disease-free after resection can join. They must have measurable disease, not received prior PD-1/PD-L1 therapy (for some parts), and be suitable for pembrolizumab treatment. Participants need a tumor sample for sequencing and agree to use contraception.

Inclusion Criteria

My skin cancer was surgically removed and was stage II, III, or IV.
I have a tumor sample for testing and at least one tumor that can be biopsied.
My cancer is advanced, cannot be surgically removed, and can be measured for changes.
I am currently free from any signs of cancer.
My cancer is advanced, can't be removed by surgery, and hasn't been treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.
I had surgery for pancreatic cancer with no signs of spread and am ready for additional treatment.
I have Stage II-IIIB lung or advanced stomach cancer with tissue samples available.
I am fully active or restricted in physically strenuous activity but can do light work.

Participant Groups

The trial is testing the safety and immune response to mRNA-4157 alone in patients with removed tumors, and combined with pembrolizumab in those with unresectable tumors. It aims to understand how well these treatments are tolerated.
8Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Part E3: Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment3 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle, pembrolizumab Q3W via IV infusion, and SoC chemotherapy Q2W or Q3W for up to 4 cycles during the perioperative and adjuvant phases.
Group II: Part E2: Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment3 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle, pembrolizumab Q6W via IV infusion, and SoC chemotherapy Q3W for up to 4 cycles during the perioperative and adjuvant phases.
Group III: Part E1: Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment3 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle, pembrolizumab every 6 weeks (Q6W) via IV infusion, and SoC chemotherapy every 3 weeks (Q3W) for up to 4 cycles during the perioperative and adjuvant phases.
Group IV: Part D: Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle for up to 9 cycles and pembrolizumab via IV infusion on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 18 cycles (approximately 1 year of treatment), whichever is sooner.
Group V: Part C: Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle for up to 9 cycles and pembrolizumab via IV infusion on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 35 cycles (approximately 2 years of treatment), whichever is sooner.
Group VI: Part B: Dose Escalation and Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via an IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle for up to 9 cycles and pembrolizumab via IV infusion on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or up to 35 cycles (approximately 2 years of treatment), whichever is sooner.
Group VII: Part A: Dose Escalation and Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via an intramuscular (IM) injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle for up to 9 cycles.
Group VIII: Part A2: Dose ExpansionExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Participants will receive mRNA-4157 via an IM injection on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle and a SoC treatment every 2 weeks (Q2W) on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle starting from Cycle 5 of mRNA-4157 for up to 12 cycles.
mRNA-4157 is already approved in United States for the following indications:
🇺🇸 Approved in United States as mRNA-4157 for:
  • High-risk melanoma (adjuvant treatment)

Find A Clinic Near You

Research locations nearbySelect from list below to view details:
Hackensack University Medical Center, John Theurer Cancer CenterHackensack, NJ
NYU Langone Medical CenterNew York, NY
UPMC Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburgh, PA
NYU LangoneNew York, NY
More Trial Locations
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Who is running the clinical trial?

ModernaTX, Inc.Lead Sponsor
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLCIndustry Sponsor

References

Use of archival versus newly collected tumor samples for assessing PD-L1 expression and overall survival: an updated analysis of KEYNOTE-010 trial. [2023]In KEYNOTE-010, pembrolizumab versus docetaxel improved overall survival (OS) in patients with programmed death-1 protein (PD)-L1-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A prespecified exploratory analysis compared outcomes in patients based on PD-L1 expression in archival versus newly collected tumor samples using recently updated survival data.
FDA Approval Summary: Pembrolizumab for Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: First-Line Therapy and Beyond. [2022]On October 24, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck & Co., Inc., https://www.merck.com) for treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) whose tumors express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) as determined by an FDA-approved test, as follows: (a) first-line treatment of patients with mNSCLC whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (tumor proportion score [TPS] ≥50%), with no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genomic tumor aberrations, and (b) treatment of patients with mNSCLC whose tumors express PD-L1 (TPS ≥1%), with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving pembrolizumab.Approval was based on two randomized, open-label, active-controlled trials demonstrating statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients randomized to pembrolizumab compared with chemotherapy. In KEYNOTE-024, patients with previously untreated mNSCLC who received pembrolizumab (200 mg intravenously [IV] every 3 weeks) had a statistically significant improvement in OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41-0.89; p = .005), and significant improvement in PFS (HR 0.50; 95% CI: 0.37-0.68; p < .001). In KEYNOTE-010, patients with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy received pembrolizumab IV 2 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, or docetaxel 75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. The HR and p value for OS was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.58-0.88), p < .001 comparing pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg with chemotherapy and the HR and p value for OS was 0.61 (95% CI: 0.49-0.75), p < .001 comparing pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg with chemotherapy.
Neoadjuvant anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: First clinical experience. [2022]A phase II trial investigating the therapeutic effect of neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab (MK-3475, KEYTRUDA®) administered prior to surgery for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been conducted (NCT03197467). We report the first clinical results of a planned interim safety analysis after 15 patients were enrolled.
FDA Approval Summary: Accelerated Approval of Pembrolizumab for Second-Line Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma. [2021]On September 4, 2014, the FDA approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.) with a recommended dose of 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks by intravenous infusion for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who have progressed following treatment with ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor. Approval was based on demonstration of objective tumor responses with prolonged response durations in 89 patients enrolled in a randomized, multicenter, open-label, dose-finding, and activity-estimating phase 1 trial. The overall response rate (ORR) by blinded independent central review per RECIST v1.1 was 24% (95% confidence interval, 15-34); with 6 months of follow-up, 86% of responses were ongoing. The most common (≥20%) adverse reactions were fatigue, cough, nausea, pruritus, rash, decreased appetite, constipation, arthralgia, and diarrhea. Immune-mediated adverse reactions included pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, and thyroid disorders. The benefits of the observed ORR with prolonged duration of responses outweighed the risks of immune-mediated adverse reactions in this life-threatening disease and represented an improvement over available therapy. Important regulatory issues in this application were role of durability of response in the evaluation of ORR for accelerated approval, reliance on data from a first-in-human trial, and strategies for dose selection. Clin Cancer Res; 23(19); 5666-70. ©2017 AACR.
Long-Term Overall Survival From KEYNOTE-021 Cohort G: Pemetrexed and Carboplatin With or Without Pembrolizumab as First-Line Therapy for Advanced Nonsquamous NSCLC. [2021]In cohort G of KEYNOTE-021 (NCT02039674), first-line pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-carboplatin significantly improved the objective response rate and progression-free survival versus chemotherapy alone with manageable toxicity in advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. We report the long-term outcomes from this study.
Recurrent and atypical immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced pneumonitis. [2023]Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is a monoclonal antibody against the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor on lymphocytes, which is one of the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) approved for multiple solid and hematologic malignancies. Although ICIs have proven to be more effective and less toxic compared to chemotherapy, there are reports of adverse side effects with ICIs. For example, pneumonitis is a potentially lethal side effect occurring in 1%-5% of patients who received ICIs in clinical trials, and there are case reports with clinical and radiological features of checkpoint inhibitor-pneumonitis (CIP).
Programmed Cell Death-1 Inhibitor-Induced Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. [2022]Pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck Sharp & Dohme) is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody used in cancer immunotherapy. It targets the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor, which is important in maintaining self-tolerance. However, immune checkpoint blockade is associated with a risk for immune-related adverse events (irAEs) potentially affecting the endocrine organs. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a rare irAE of PD-1 inhibitors, occurring in 0.2% of cases.
Biophysical and Immunological Characterization and In Vivo Pharmacokinetics and Toxicology in Nonhuman Primates of the Anti-PD-1 Antibody Pembrolizumab. [2021]The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) pathway represents a major immune checkpoint, which may be engaged by cells in the tumor microenvironment to overcome active T-cell immune surveillance. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®, MK-3475) is a potent and highly selective humanized mAb of the IgG4/kappa isotype designed to directly block the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2. This blockade enhances the functional activity of T cells to facilitate tumor regression and ultimately immune rejection. Pembrolizumab binds to human and cynomolgus monkey PD-1 with picomolar affinity and blocks the binding of human and cynomolgus monkey PD-1 to PD-L1 and PD-L2 with comparable potency. Pembrolizumab binds both the C'D and FG loops of PD-1. Pembrolizumab overcomes human and cynomolgus monkey PD-L1-mediated immune suppression in T-cell cultures by enhancing IL2 production following staphylococcal enterotoxin B stimulation of healthy donor and cancer patient cells, and IFNγ production in human primary tumor histoculture. Ex vivo and in vitro studies with human and primate T cells show that pembrolizumab enhances antigen-specific T-cell IFNγ and IL2 production. Pembrolizumab does not mediate FcR or complement-driven effector function against PD-1-expressing cells. Pembrolizumab displays dose-dependent clearance and half-life in cynomolgus monkey pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic studies typical for human IgG4 antibodies. In nonhuman primate toxicology studies, no findings of toxicologic significance were observed. The preclinical data for pembrolizumab are consistent with the clinical anticancer activity and safety that has been demonstrated in human clinical trials.
Pembrolizumab for the treatment of thoracic malignancies: current landscape and future directions. [2017]New insights into the interaction between the immune system and the tumor microenvironment have led to the development of checkpoint inhibitors that target the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. Pembrolizumab (MK-3475, lambrolizumab, Keytruda(®)) is a PD-1 inhibitor that has shown clinical activity in a variety of solid tumors and is currently approved for the second-line treatment of PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer and for unresectable/metastatic melanoma. This article will discuss the results of early-phase trials of pembrolizumab in thoracic malignancies as well as ongoing studies aimed to confirm clinical benefit.
Pembrolizumab joins the anti-PD-1 armamentarium in the treatment of melanoma. [2017]Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the PD-1 receptor on T cells and prevents binding to its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. Blocking this receptor frees T cells from the inhibitory effects of PD-L1 and allows them to mediate antitumor effects against cancer cells. In a large Phase I study of 411 patients with melanoma, high durable response rates over a range of doses and schedules have been shown with very little toxicity. A Phase III study of pembrolizumab comparing two schedules of administration with the current standard treatment with the anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody is in progress. Combinations with other checkpoint inhibitors as well as other anticancer agents are also being evaluated. Approval of pembrolizumab for the treatment of melanoma is expected.
A six-weekly dosing schedule for pembrolizumab in patients with cancer based on evaluation using modelling and simulation. [2021]Pembrolizumab is approved for multiple cancer types at 200 mg and 2 mg/kg dose every 3 weeks (Q3W). We used a model-based approach to compare the exposure of pembrolizumab 400 mg dose every 6 weeks (Q6W) with the Q3W regimens.