Brief Summary:
In this single-center,open-label, phase I study, the safety and efficacy of PIN in combination with programmed cell death protein antibody (anti-PD1) therapeutic regimen will be evaluated in patients with refractory primary advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) . A total of 25 to 30 patients are planned to be enrolled and receive PIN plus anti-PD1 combined treatment. It aims to: 1).assess the safety and antitumor effects of the above combined treatment regimen. 2).detect the dynamic changes and molecular characteristics of PIN-induced CD8+ T cells with special phenotype in peripheral blood (PB) and transformation of tumor microenvironment (TME) after the treatment with PIN. 3).evaluate the immunological or clinical predictive biomarkers for toxicity and efficacy.
Detailed Description:
Currently, systemic therapy for advanced primary HCC mainly relies on targeted therapy and immunotherapy.However,after disease progression, patients often have limited treatment options and poor prognosis.Therefore, no standard therapies beyond second-line are recommended, highlighting the urgent need for innovative treatments.
Several clinical studies have found that oncolytic viruses (OVs) can provide clinical benefits to patients with various malignant tumors, including advanced HCC.To date, there are hundreds of projects in clinical trial stages, especially in recent years, new generations of OVs developed or in clinical stages have shown better safety and stronger anti-tumor capabilities. Through genetic engineering, OVs can express target genes that have anti-tumor effects, such as granulocyte-macrophage colonystimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-12(IL-12),etc, further enhancing their anti-tumor effects. Despite these advances, how to obtain a more durable antitumor immune response and long-term benefits is still an urgent clinical issue.
Previous studies have confirmed that the Newcastle disease oncolytic virus (NDV) can selectively infect tumor cells while sparing normal cells, demonstrating an acceptable safety profile. In this study, investigators have developed a nove PIN . Preclinical studies have shown that combining PIN with anti-PD1 therapy can reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment and transform "cold" tumors into "hot" tumors, thereby triggering local and systemic anti-tumor immune responses and significantly improving the efficacy of the immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI). Based on these preclinical findings, investigators are conducting this clinical trial to evaluate the safety and anti tumor activity of the PIN and anti-PD1 combination therapy in vivo.
In this study, 25 to 30 subjects with refractory advanced HCC will be enrolled. The initial dose for the first cycle will be determined as 4e9 or 8e9 viral particles based on the number of injectable lesions, their longest diameter, and the tumor volume capacity.
Following the first cycle of treatment, the subsequent dose and injection sites of PIN will be adjusted based on the permissible volume of the injected tumor mass, according to the following principles:
PIN injection frequency: day 0 and day 3, per 3 weeks for 8 cycles; unless unavailability of injection lesion, disease progression (PD) or serious intolerable adverse events (AEs).
PIN injection dosage:
1. a.For patients with a single injectable lesion with a maximum diameter of \<8 cm, the initial cycle's PIN dose is 4e9 viral particles. Subsequent cycles will maintain this dose of 4e9 or increase it to 8e9 viral particles based on the lesion's capacity to accommodate the injection volume; b. For patients with a single injectable lesion with a maximum diameter of ≥8 cm, the initial cycle's PIN dose is 8e9 viral particles. Subsequent cycles will maintain this dose of 8e9 viral particles based on the lesion's capacity to accommodate the injection volume.
2. a.For patients with two injectable lesions, injections will alternate between the two lesions after two cycles. The initial cycle's PIN dose is 4e9 viral particles, and the second cycle will maintain this dose of 4e9 or increase it to 8e9 viral particles based on the tumor volume's capacity; b.For patients with injectable lesions with a maximum diameter of ≥8 cm, the initial cycle's PIN dose is 8e9 viral particles, and subsequent cycles will maintain this dose of 8e9 or decrease it to 4e9 viral particles based on the lesion's capacity.
3. a.For patients with multiple injectable lesions (≥ 3), after 1-2 cycles of injections in each injectable lesion, injections are alternated between lesions. The initial injection dose for each lesion is determined by the size of the lesion; b.For lesions \<3 cm, the initial cycle's dose is 4e9 viral particles, and the second cycle will maintain this dose of 4e9 or increase it to 8e9 viral particles based on the tumor volume's capacity; c.For lesions ≥3 cm, the initial cycle's injection dose is selected as 8e9 viral particles, and subsequent cycles will maintain this dose of 8e9 or decrease it to 4e9 viral particles based on the tumor volume's capacity.
4. After injections, if the tumor shrinks by 0.5-1 cm in diameter, the injection dose should be adjusted to 2e9 viral particles until the tumor disappears.
Anti-PD1 infusion frequency: day -3, per 3 weeks for 8 cycles; until unacceptable toxicity occurred or PD.
Objectives:
The primary objective are to assess the safety and adverse event profile of the combination regimen.
The coprimary objective is immune response, assessed by CD8+T cells with special phenotype by Fluorescence Activating Cell Sorter (FACS). The secondary objectives are to evaluate disease control rate (DCR), objective response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and quality of life.