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NCT Number: NCT05077137

A Feasibility Study Utilizing Immune Recall to Increase Response to Checkpoint Therapy

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and feasibility of administering the Tetanus Diptheria Vaccine (Td) or Polio Boost Immunization (IPOL) to patients with metastatic melanoma who are receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor (IO) therapy per standard of care. Subjects will have the vaccine at cycle 4 of IO therapy and will have research blood and tissue samples collected prior to starting IO therapy, at cycle 4 prior to vaccine administration, and at 12-17 days post vaccine.

Recruiting

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Duke University Medical Center

Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Carol Ann Wiggs, BSN

CONTACT

[email protected]

919-684-0281

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Histologically confirmed advanced metastatic melanoma
  • Male or female participants who are at least 18 years of age on the day of signing informed consent
  • Participants must be planned or scheduled by their treating physician to receive PD-1 therapy or PD-1 plus anti CTLA-4 therapy as standard of care
  • Participant (or legally acceptable representative if applicable) provides written informed consent for the trial
  • Participant must have at least 1 lesion that is at least 8 mm in size and is cutaneous, subcutaneous, palpable, or amenable to ultrasound guided core biopsy. The lesion chosen for biopsy can also be a target lesion but does not have to be a target lesion
  • Adequate organ function as defined below. Standard of care labs drawn within 45 days prior to consent may be used for the purposes of determining eligibility
  • ANC >/= 1500/uL
  • platelets >/=100,000/uL
  • Hemoglobin >/= 9.0 g/dL

Exclusion criteria

  • Uveal or mucosal melanoma
  • Any women known to be pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Any prior systemic therapy for metastatic melanoma (prior surgery is allowed)
  • Known diagnosis of immunodeficiency or receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in doses exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone or equivalent), or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to first research biopsy
  • Patients with symptomatic CNS metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis

a) Patients with asymptomatic, stable CNS metastases are allowed provided that they are not on >10mg prednisone daily

  • History of or active (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids
  • Active infection requiring systemic therapy
  • Known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection
  • Known history of Hepatitis B (defined as Hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or known active Hepatitis C virus (defined as HCV RNA [qualitative] is detected) infection. NOTE: no testing for Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C is required
  • Known history of active TB (Bacillus Tuberculosis)
  • History or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the study, interfere with subject's participation for the full duration of the study, or make it not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating physician
  • Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial
  • History of allogenic tissue or solid organ transplant
  • History of allergic reaction to IPOL or Td vaccine
  • Receipt of Td vaccine within 30 days prior to starting IO therapy

Treatment and study plan

Tetanus Diptheria Vaccine

Biological

tetanus and diphtheria toxoids

Other names: Tenivac

Polio Boost Immunization

Biological

trivalent inactivated polio vaccine

Other names: IPOL

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of subjects out of the proposed 25 that successfully receive the vaccine after 4 cycles of IO therapy

    Time frame: informed consent through date of vaccine (est apx 4-5 months)

    Evaluable patients are defined as those who receive four cycles of IO therapy and then receive a Td or IPOL vaccine

  2. Safety, as measured by the change in the number and severity of adverse events deemed related to the vaccine or study procedures (blood draw and biopsies)

    Time frame: Baseline, cycle 4 of IO therapy (apx 12-16 weeks), 12-17 days post vaccine, SOC scan following vaccine (apx 8-12 weeks post vaccine)

    Adverse events will only include those that are determined to be related to the study vaccine or study procedures (blood draw and biopsies)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Preliminary efficacy, as measured by objective response rate

    Time frame: up to 36 months

    Number of patients that experience tumor response vs. stable disease vs. progression as determined by PI assessment of standard of care scans

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Carol Ann Wiggs, BSN

CONTACT

[email protected]

919-684-0281

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Duke University

Other

Registry information

Acronym: TdVax

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Oct 14, 2021
Registry last updated
Jul 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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