Clinical trial Recruiting at 35 sites Phase1; Phase2 Interventional Ages 12 and up

Testing mRNA-4359 alone and with pembrolizumab in advanced solid tumors

Official title: Phase 1/2 Study of mRNA-4359 Administered Alone and in Combination With Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors

Run by ModernaTX, Inc. · NCT05533697 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is testing a new treatment called mRNA-4359, both alone and with another drug called pembrolizumab, to see how safe and effective it is for people with advanced solid tumors who have already tried other treatments.

Quick facts

PhasePhase1; Phase2
Study typeInterventional
Ages12 Years and up
SexAll
Enrollment361 (estimated)
SponsorModernaTX, Inc.
Industry-sponsored
Drugs / interventionsinfliximab, pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, nivolumab, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, prednisone
Locations39 sites (Los Angeles, California and 38 other locations)
StatusRecruiting
StartedSeptember 1, 2022
Main results expectedFebruary 18, 2032
Study endsFebruary 18, 2032
Registry record updatedJuly 14, 2026
Trial IDNCT05533697 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates include individuals with histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors who have progressed after standard treatments.

Probably not a fit

Patients with early-stage tumors or those who have not yet received standard treatment may not benefit from this study.

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 evaluate the safety and tolerability of mRNA-4359, both as a standalone treatment and in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, in patients with advanced solid tumors. Participants will be enrolled in two arms: one for dose escalation and another for dose confirmation, focusing on those who have previously received standard treatments and have measurable disease. The study will assess the response to treatment based on established criteria and will include patients with various types of advanced cancers.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could provide a new treatment option for patients with advanced solid tumors who have limited alternatives.

How similar studies have gone: Other studies have shown promise with similar approaches using mRNA therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors, indicating potential for success.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Key Inclusion Criteria:

* Males or females ≥18 years of age who have provided written informed consent prior to completing any study-specific procedure. For Arm 2d, participants ≥12 years are eligible with informed consent/assent.
* Dose Escalation (Arm 1a): Participant has histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic cancer (cutaneous melanoma, NSCLC, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, microsatellite stable colorectal cancer \[MSS CRC\], basal cell carcinoma, or triple negative breast cancer) with measurable disease as determined by RECIST v1.1. Arm 1a participants must have received, and then progressed, relapsed, or been intolerant to, or ineligible for, at least 1 standard treatment regimen in the advanced or metastatic setting. Participants with a known driver mutation must have also received or been offered a mutation-directed therapy, where indicated. Participants must have a tumor lesion amenable to biopsy and must have another lesion that can be followed for response.
* Dose Confirmation (Arm 1b): Participant has histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic, and CPI refractory melanoma or locally advanced or metastatic, and CPI refractory NSCLC with measurable disease as determined by RECIST v1.1 who has disease progression after, at least 1 line of standard therapy (no limit to prior lines of therapy), and has been treated with or refused standard of care treatment. Participants in PD arm Group 2 must also have PD-L1 TPS ≥1%. Participants must have primary refractory or acquired secondary resistance to prior immune checkpoint treatments. Primary refractory is defined as prior exposure to anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 antibody for at least 6 weeks but no more than 6 months with demonstration of progression on 2 separate scans at least 4 weeks apart but no more than 12 weeks apart and progression occurring within 6 months after first dose of anti-PD-1 antibody. Acquired secondary resistance must have confirmed objective response or prolonged stable disease (SD) (\>6 months), followed by disease progression in the setting of ongoing treatment and confirmed progression on scans at least 4 weeks apart. Participants must have a tumor lesion amenable to biopsy and must have another lesion that can be followed for response.

  1. For NSCLC participants with known EGFR, ALK, proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase reactive oxygen species (ROS1), or other actionable mutations for which there are approved targeted therapies, participants must have received prior approved targeted therapy or have been offered and declined approved targeted therapy.
  2. Expansion of the melanoma Arm 1b cohort (up to approximately 16 additional evaluable participants) will require prospective central testing of Screening tumor biopsies to confirm PD-L1 TPS ≥1% for eligibility.
* Dose Expansion Arms (Arm 2): Participant has histologically confirmed:

  1. Arm 2a: Locally advanced or metastatic melanoma who have not yet received any prior systemic therapy for their melanoma in this setting.
  2. Arm 2b: Newly diagnosed locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with a PD-L1 TPS of ≥50% with no known EGFR or ALK positive tumor mutations who have not yet received any prior systemic therapy for their NSCLC (that is, treatment-naive).
  3. Arm 2c: Locally advanced or metastatic melanoma in participants who have not received prior systemic therapy for melanoma in the advanced/metastatic setting.
  4. Arm 2d: Advanced/metastatic melanoma that is CPI refractory and having a centrally confirmed PD-L1 TPS of ≥1% on their Screening tumor biopsy.
* All participants must have measurable disease as determined by RECIST v1.1.
* Participants must have a tumor lesion amenable to biopsy and must provide tumor biopsy sample at baseline (archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded \[FFPE\] tissue collected within 90 days of informed consent is accepted as long as no intervening therapy is received, during this time), and optionally at all on-treatment timepoints (including response or progression) if medically feasible. Participants in Arm 2c: Sufficient tumor tissue (slides or FFPE block) for PD-L1 testing is required as per Laboratory Manual. Participants in Arm 2c may be replaced in this cohort if not PD-L1 evaluable. Participants in Arm 1b melanoma expansion cohort and Arm 2d: Central confirmation of PD-L1 TPS score is required prior to enrollment.
* If the participant is undergoing a new biopsy, they must have another lesion outside of the lesion biopsied at baseline that can be followed as a RECIST v1.1 target lesion for response.
* Participant has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of ≤1.
* Participant has adequate hematological and biological function.

Key Exclusion Criteria:

* Participant has active central nervous system tumors or metastases.
* Participant has received treatment with prohibited medications (that is, concurrent anticancer therapy including other chemotherapy, radiation \[local radiation for palliative care is permitted with approval from the Sponsor\], hormonal anticancer treatment, biologic therapy, or immunotherapy) or investigational agents within 5 half-lives or 14 days prior to the first day of study treatment, whichever is shorter. Prior exposure to any investigational or approved agent designed to simultaneously target both indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) and PD-L1 is also exclusionary.
* Participant has required the use of additional immunosuppression (for example, infliximab) other than corticosteroids for the management of an AE, has experienced recurrence of an AE if rechallenged, and currently requires maintenance doses of \>10 milligrams (mg) prednisone or equivalent per day.
* Participant has any plan to receive a live attenuated vaccine during study treatment or has received a live vaccine within 30 days before the first dose of study treatment. Examples of live vaccines include, but are not limited to measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, and typhoid vaccine. Seasonal influenza vaccines and non-live coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for injection are generally allowed.
* Participant has reversible toxicities from prior cancer therapy that have not recovered to Grade 1 or baseline. Any unresolved toxicity National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for AEs (CTCAE) Grade ≥2 from previous anticancer therapy with the exception of alopecia, vitiligo, and prespecified laboratory values.
* Participant who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or is of childbearing potential, defined as those who are capable of becoming pregnant who are not willing to employ a highly effective method of contraception during dosing and for 90 days after the last dose of mRNA-4359 or 4 months after the last dose of pembrolizumab or 5 months after the last dose of ipilimumab/nivolumab administrations, whichever is longer.
* Sexually active participants who refuse to use a condom during intercourse or participants who will not refrain from sperm donation while taking study treatment and for 90 days after the last dose of mRNA-4359 or 4 months after the last dose of pembrolizumab or 5 months after the last dose ipilimumab/nivolumab, whichever is longer, or who will not refrain from sperm donation for the same time period.
* Participant has any unstable or clinically significant concurrent medical condition (for example, substance abuse, uncontrolled intercurrent illness including active infection, arterial thrombosis, and symptomatic pulmonary embolism) that would, in the opinion of the Investigator, jeopardize the safety of a participant, impact their expected survival through the end of the study participation, and/or impact their ability to comply with the protocol. Also including but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, interstitial lung disease, serious chronic gastrointestinal conditions associated with diarrhea, active gastrointestinal bleeding or hemoptysis or history of bleeding disorder, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirement, substantially increase risk of incurring AEs, or compromise the ability of the participant to give written informed consent.
* Participant has concurrent enrollment in another clinical study (unless it is an observational noninterventional clinical study).

Where it's running

  • The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute
    Los Angeles, California, United States
    Recruiting
  • UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
    San Francisco, California, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Colorado Cancer Center
    Aurora, Colorado, United States
    Recruiting
  • George Washington University
    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
    Recruiting
  • Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center
    Orlando, Florida, United States
    Recruiting
  • The University of Chicago Medicine
    Chicago, Illinois, United States
    Recruiting
Show 33 more locations
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
    Boston, Massachusetts, United States
    Recruiting
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
    Boston, Massachusetts, United States
    Recruiting
  • Henry Ford Hospital
    Detroit, Michigan, United States
    Recruiting
  • Washington University
    St Louis, Missouri, United States
    Recruiting
  • John Theurer Cancer Center
    Hackensack, New Jersey, United States
    Recruiting
  • NYU Langone Health-Perlmutter Cancer Center
    New York, New York, United States
    Recruiting
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - Melanoma & Immunotherapeutics
    New York, New York, United States
    Recruiting
  • Sara Cannon Research Institute Tennessee
    Nashville, Tennessee, United States
    Recruiting
  • Southside Cancer Center
    Miranda, New South Wales, Australia
    Recruiting
  • Wollongong Hospital
    Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
    Recruiting
  • Melanoma Institute Australia
    Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, Australia
    Recruiting
  • Austin Hospital
    Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
    Recruiting
  • One Clinical Research
    Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
    Recruiting
  • Lungenfachklinik Immenhausen - Thoracic Oncology
    Immenhausen, Hesse, Germany
    Recruiting
  • A.O. Santa Maria della Misericordia
    Udine, Perugia, Italy
    Recruiting
  • Narodowy Instytut Onkologii im. Marii Sklodowskiej-Curie
    Warsaw, Masovia, Poland
    Recruiting
  • South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START) - Rioja
    Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Clinic De Barcelona - Oncología Médica
    Barcelona, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre
    Madrid, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga Parent Org
    Málaga, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Royal Preston Hospital
    Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre
    Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
    Birmingham, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
    London, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
    London, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Imperial College London
    London, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • The Christie NHS Foundation Trust - Cancer Research Centre
    Manchester, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Churchill Hospital
    Oxford, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
    Southampton, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • Carolina BioOncology Institute
    Huntersville, North Carolina, United States
    Completed
  • Oregon Health & Science University
    Portland, Oregon, United States
    Completed
  • NEXT Oncology Barcelona
    Barcelona, Spain
    Completed
  • NEXT Oncology Madrid
    Madrid, Spain
    Completed

Study contacts

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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.