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NCT Number: NCT00911560

Bivalent Vaccine With Escalating Doses of the Immunological Adjuvant OPT-821, in Combination With Oral β-glucan for High-Risk Neuroblastoma

In the first part of this study we found the highest dose of the vaccine that did not have too many side effects. We are now trying to find out what effects the vaccine has when given at the same dose to all patients. The main treatment in this protocol is a vaccine. It is called a " bivalent vaccine" which means it has 2 antigens. An antigen is a specific protein on the surface of a cell. The antigens are called GD2L and GD3L.

We want the vaccine to cause the patient's immune system to make antibodies against the antigens. Antibodies are made by the body to attack cancer (and to fight infections). If the patient can make antibodies against the 2 antigens in the vaccine, those antibodies might also attach to neuroblastoma cells because a lot of each antigen is on neuroblastoma (and very little on other parts of the body). Then, the attached antibodies would attract the patient's white blood cells to kill the neuroblastoma. This protocol also uses β-glucan which is a kind of sugar from yeast. β-glucan is taken by mouth and can help white blood cells kill cancer. The best way to get the body to make antibodies against the 2 antigens is to link each antigen to a protein called KLH (which stands for: keyhole limpet hemocyanin) and to mix them with a substance called QS-21. But it is hard to get enough QS-21 so we are using an identical substance called OPT-821, which we can get easily in large amounts for use in patients.

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Key information

Conditions

Neuroblastoma Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial Neuroectodermal Tumors Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive, Peripheral

Age range

Up to 21 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1 / Phase 2

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, 10065, United States

About this study

The phase II treatment schema for patients in 1st CR or ≥ 2nd CR will be the same for the vaccine as in phase I except OPT-821 will be given at a fixed dose of 150 mcg/ m^2 and with no DLT assessment. Patients will be randomized to starting oral β-glucan in week 1 or in week 6.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of neuroblastoma (NB) as defined by international criteria,[104] i.e., histopathology (confirmed by the MSKCC Department of Pathology) or bone marrow metastases plus high urine catecholamine levels.
  • High-risk NB as defined by risk-related treatment guidelines and the International NB Staging System,[104] i.e., stage 4 with MYCN amplification (any age) stage 4 >18 months old.
  • High-risk NB (as defined above) and in 1) first CR at 6 ≥ months from initiation of immunotherapy using anti-GD2 antibody, or 2) second or subsequent remission. Remission is defined as complete (CR) remission, according to the International Neuroblastoma Response Criteria.[104] Urine catecholamine levels are no longer taken into consideration when staging.
  • Absolute lymphocyte count ≥ 500/mcl and absolute neutrophil count ≥ 500/mcl.
  • Patients with grade 3 toxicities or less using the Common Toxicity Criteria (Version 3.0) developed by the National Cancer Institute of the USA (CTCAE v3.0) related to cardiac, neurological, pulmonary, renal, hepatic or gastrointestinal function as determined by blood tests or physical exam.
  • ALT, AST and Alkaline Phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times the upper limit of normal
  • Prior treatment with other immunotherapy, including antibodies, is allowed
  • ≥ 3 weeks and no more than 6 months (<180 days) between completion of systemic therapy and 1st vaccination.
  • Patients previously enrolled on this trial are eligible for repeat enrollment but will be assigned to treatment as per the control arm (Group 1) and will not be included in the biostatistical analyses.
  • Signed informed consent indicating awareness of the investigational nature of this program.

Exclusion criteria

  • History of allergy to KLH, QS-21, OPT-821, or glucan.
  • Active life-threatening infection.
  • Inability to comply with protocol requirements.

Treatment and study plan

adjuvant OPT-821 in a vaccine containing two antigens (GD2L and GD3L) covalently linked to KLH

Biological

Pts receive a total of 7 subcutaneous injections, at weeks 1, 2, 3, 8, 20, 32, & 52. Minor schedule adjustments are permitted, as needed. Vaccines must occur a minimum of 6 days apart. Induction of antibody response against the target antigens will be assessed. A fixed dose of oral β-glucan (40 mg/kg/day) is started at week 6 or 7(to allow time for generation of antibodies), & continued as approximately 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, up to 1 cycle after the last vaccination. Neutrophils will be tested for glucan effects on cytotoxicity. Antineuroblastoma activity will be monitored using standard radiographic & bone marrow studies, as well as RT-PCR for measurement of minimal residual disease in blood & bone marrow. Phase II treatment schema for patients in 1st CR/VGPR or >2nd CR/VGPR will be the same for the vaccine as in phase I except OPT-821 will be given at a fixed dose of 150 mcg/m2.

oral β-glucan

Biological

Phase II Patients will be randomized to starting oral β-glucan (40 mg/kg/day) in week 1 or in week 6.

Primary outcomes

  1. To determine the maximally tolerated dose of OPT-821 in a vaccine containing two antigens abundantly expressed on neuroblastoma. (PHASE I)

    Time frame: 2 years

  2. To assess anti-NB activity of the bivalent vaccine plus oral β-glucan in patients who are enrolled with evidence of minimal residual disease (MRD) by molecular biological testing of bone marrow. (PHASE II)

    Time frame: 2 years

  3. To prove the adjuvant effect of oral beta-glucan on anti-GD2 antibody titer among patients who are in first or second (or later) complete

    Time frame: 2 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. To obtain preliminary data on whether subcutaneous administration of the bivalent vaccine produces an immune response directed against the target antigens in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. (PHASE I)

    Time frame: 2 years

  2. To obtain preliminary data on the anti-neuroblastoma activity of the bivalent vaccine plus oral β-glucan in patients, including measuring the molecular response in blood and bone marrow. (PHASE I)

    Time frame: 2 years

  3. To obtain data on the immune response directed against the target NB-associated antigens in patients as induced by the subcutaneous administration of the bivalent vaccine. (PHASE II)

    Time frame: 2 years

  4. To assess FcRIIa, FcRIIIa, CR3 and CD18 gene polymorphism of leukocytes (effector cells), with a view towards a possible association with outcome. (PHASE II)

    Time frame: 2 years

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Collaborators

  • Y-mAbs Therapeutics

Registry information

Official study title

Phase I/II Trial of a Bivalent Vaccine With Escalating Doses of the Immunological Adjuvant OPT-821, in Combination With Oral β-glucan for High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Important dates

Study start
2009
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jun 2, 2009
Registry last updated
Jun 3, 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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