Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Phase 1 Interventional Ages 18 and up

Testing a new treatment using engineered NK cells for advanced melanoma

Official title: Phase 1 Dose Escalation and Expansion Study of PRAME T Cell Receptor (TCR) Engineered NK Cells in Participants With Recurrent and/or Refractory Melanoma (PRAMETIME-Mel)

Run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center · NCT06660420 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is testing a new treatment using specially engineered immune cells to see if it can help people with advanced melanoma who haven't responded to other treatments.

Quick facts

PhasePhase 1
Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
Enrollment39 (estimated)
SponsorM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Academic / other
Drugs / interventionschemotherapy, radiation, prednisone
Locations1 site (Houston, Texas)
StatusRecruiting
StartedFebruary 25, 2025
Main results expectedDecember 31, 2029
Study endsDecember 31, 2031
Registry record updatedOctober 5, 2026
Trial IDNCT06660420 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates are adults aged 18 and older with advanced melanoma that is relapsed or refractory to prior immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies.

Probably not a fit

Patients with melanoma types not specified for this study, such as uveal melanoma, may not benefit from this treatment.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study aims to determine the safety and optimal dosing of PRAME T Cell Receptor (TCR) engineered NK cells in patients with recurrent or refractory melanoma. It will assess the maximum tolerated dose and recommended dose for future phases while also evaluating the preliminary antitumor activity of the treatment. Participants will receive cyclophosphamide and fludarabine as part of the treatment regimen, and the study will monitor the persistence of the infused cells and associated biomarkers in the patients' blood and tissues.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could provide a new therapeutic option for patients with advanced melanoma that has not responded to existing therapies.

How similar studies have gone: Other studies using engineered NK cells have shown promise, but this specific approach is novel in the context of PRAME-targeted therapy for melanoma.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Participants must be 18 years or older.
2. Participants must be willing and able to provide informed consent.
3. Participants must have HLA A\*02:01.
4. Participants must have histologically documented locally advanced, unrespectable, or metastatic melanoma that is relapsed and/or refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy including either anti-PD-1 either with or without anti-CTLA-4 blocking antibody and/or anti-LAG-3 antibody.

   During dose escalation, participants with cutaneous, mucosal, or unknown primary melanoma will be enrolled. Participants with uveal melanoma may be eligible for future enrollment into distinct cohorts during the dose confirmation phase. Participants should have received standard-of-care (SOC) therapy per standard clinical practice guidelines. Participants must not have had exposure to more than 3 prior lines of anti-PD-1 antibody-containing therapeutic regimens administered in the metastatic setting.
5. Participants must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1.
6. Life expectancy 3 months.
7. Participants who received one or more prior systemic therapy are allowed for enrollment
8. A female participant is eligible to participate if at least one of the following conditions applies: Not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP) OR A WOCBP who agrees to follow the contraceptive guidelines in during the study treatment period and for 6 months post PRAME-TCR-NK cell infusion. Female participants who become pregnant or suspect pregnancy must immediately notify their doctor.

   Female participants who become pregnant will be taken off the study.
9. Male participants must agree to follow the contraceptive guidelines during the study treatment period and for 6 months post PRAME-TCR-NK cell infusion. Male participants who father a child or suspect that they have fathered a child must immediately notify their doctor.
10. WOCBP must have a negative urine pregnancy test within 72 hours before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy. If a WOCBP has a urine pregnancy test that cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum (beta-human chorionic gonadotropin \[£\]-hCG\]) pregnancy test will be required.
11. Participants must have measurable disease per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST).
12. Participants must have adequate organ function as defined below within 10 days before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy:
13. Left ventricular ejection fraction \>50%.
14. Adequate respiratory reserve defined as dyspnea Grade 0 or 1 and baseline oxygen saturation \>92% in room air.
15. Willing to undergo mandatory blood collection and biopsies as required by the study.
16. Participants must agree not to receive a live vaccine for at least 24 months post-infusion.
17. Willing to sign consent for long-term follow-up on protocol PA17-0483 which will be signed at the same time with the clinical trial enrollment consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant, breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive within the projected duration of the study, starting with the screening visit through 6 months post PRAME-TCR-NK cell infusion.
2. Has received systemic anticancer therapy within 2 weeks or 5 half-lives, whichever is shorter, before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy. For participants treated with monoclonal antibodies, at least 3 weeks must have elapsed before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Participants who have entered the follow-up phase of an investigational study may participate as long as it has been 3 weeks after the last dose of the previous investigational agent.
3. Participants must have recovered from all AEs due to previous therapies to . Grade 1 or baseline. Participants with Grade 2 neuropathy, alopecia, or other non-relevant AEs may be deemed eligible at the discretion of the principal investigator (PI)/co-PIs. If a with . Grade 2 neuropathy, alopecia, or other non-relevant AEs may be deemed eligible at the discretion of the principal investigator (PI)/co-PIs. If a participant received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy.
4. Has received prior radiotherapy within 2 weeks of the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Participants must have recovered from all radiation-related toxicities, not require corticosteroids, and not have had radiation pneumonitis. A 1-week washout is permitted for palliative radiation (2 weeks of radiotherapy) to non-CNS disease.
5. Has received a live vaccine within 6 weeks prior to PRAME-TCR-NK infusion. Examples of live vaccines include but are not limited to, the following: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, and typhoid vaccine. Seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines for injection are generally killed virus vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed.
6. Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in doses exceeding10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent).
7. History of a second malignancy, unless potentially curative treatment has been completed with no evidence of malignancy for 2 years. The time requirement does not apply to participants who underwent successful definitive resection of basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, superficial bladder cancer, in situ cervical cancer, or other in situ cancers.
8. Known active CNS metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Patients with previously treated brain metastases may participate if they completed radiation therapy, are clinically stable, and without the requirement of steroid treatment for at least 2 weeks prior to study enrollment.
9. Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e., with the use of disease-modifying agents, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) is allowed.
10. Need for systemic immunosuppressive therapy or other physiological replacement of corticosteroids.
11. Interstitial lung disease that is symptomatic or may interfere with the detection or management of suspected drug-related pulmonary toxicity.
12. Active infection (e.g., COVID-19, influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome \[SARS\], recent sepsis). For participants recovered from infections, lymphodepletion may start after full recovery.
13. Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, active or chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection.
14. History or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the study, interfere with the participants participation for the full duration of the study, or is not in the best interest of the participants to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator.
15. Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the study.
16. Has had an allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplant.
17. Clinically significant cardiovascular disease within 12 months before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy, including New York Heart Association Class III or IV congestive heart failure, unstable angina, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular event, or cardiac arrhythmia associated with hemodynamic instability. NOTE: A medically controlled arrhythmia would be permitted.
18. Prolongation of corrected QT interval using Fridericia's formula to \>480 milliseconds.
19. Participants with bleeding or thrombotic disorders or at risk for severe hemorrhage. Participants with a known history of deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism who are on appropriate anti-coagulation treatment are eligible.
20. Participants with LDH \> 2.5-fold ULN. The evaluation should be conducted at screening.

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Where it's running

  • MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Houston, Texas, United States
    Recruiting

Study contacts

  • Principal investigator: Isabella C Glitza Oliva, MD — M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
  • Study coordinator: Isabella C Glitza Oliva, MD
  • Email: ICGlitza@mdanderson.org
  • Phone: 713-792-2921

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How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.