Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Phase 1 Interventional Ages 18 to 75

YMN-136 vaccine for advanced liver, biliary tract, and pancreatic cancers

Official title: YMN-136 Vaccine for Patients With Advanced Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Malignancies: A Prospective, Phase I Clinical Trial

Run by West China Hospital · NCT07763301 · Data updated 2026-11-12

A first-in-human dose-escalation study tests whether the YMN-136 vaccine is safe and tolerable for adults with unresectable advanced liver, biliary tract, or pancreatic cancers who have progressed on standard therapies or cannot receive them.

Quick facts

PhasePhase 1
Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years to 75 Years
SexAll
Enrollment9 (estimated)
SponsorWest China Hospital
Academic / other
Drugs / interventionschemotherapy, immunotherapy, prednisone
Locations1 site (Chengdu, Sichuan)
StatusRecruiting
StartedAugust 1, 2026
Main results expectedFebruary 29, 2028
Study endsMay 31, 2028
Registry record updatedAugust 13, 2026
Trial IDNCT07763301 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Adults aged 18 to 75 with unresectable advanced hepatobiliary or pancreatic cancers who have progressed after standard therapy or cannot tolerate or refuse it.

Probably not a fit

Patients who do not tolerate the vaccine or who do not exhibit any response at tested dose levels may not experience benefit.

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

What this trial studies

This Phase 1 trial uses a dose-escalation design to determine the maximum tolerated dose and assess safety of the YMN-136 vaccine in adults with unresectable advanced hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies. Eligible participants have progressed after standard treatments, cannot tolerate them, or refuse them. The study is conducted at West China Hospital, Chengdu, under a single sponsor without listed collaborators. Primary goals are safety and MTD, while exploratory observations may include signals of clinical activity. The vaccine is the sole interventional agent being tested in this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, participants could experience potential disease control or stabilization and learn more about how the vaccine behaves in this patient group.

How similar studies have gone: Vaccine-based approaches in hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers have shown limited but encouraging safety signals in early-phase studies; this study explores similar concepts in a dose-escalation framework.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Voluntarily sign the informed consent form, and be able to understand and agree to comply with the study procedures and visits as specified in the protocol.
2. Age: 18 to 75 years old, male or female.
3. Patients with pathologically or histologically confirmed, unresectable advanced hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies who must have experienced disease progression after receiving standard anti-tumor therapy, or who are unable to receive or tolerate standard therapy, or who refuse standard therapy:

(1) Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who have failed standard therapy, defined as disease progression after prior treatment with PD-(L)1 and mTKI systemic therapy (either separately or in combination), or discontinuation of treatment due to intolerance to toxicity; (2) Patients with advanced biliary tract cancer who have failed standard therapy, defined as disease progression after prior treatment with gemcitabine-containing systemic therapy and non-cytotoxic therapy (i.e., targeted therapy or immunotherapy), or discontinuation of treatment due to intolerance to toxicity; (3) Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who have failed standard therapy, defined as disease progression after prior treatment with at least two systemic therapies (must include fluoropyrimidines and gemcitabine), or discontinuation of treatment due to intolerance to toxicity.

4\. Positive IMP3 expression. 5. At least one evaluable lesion according to RECIST v1.1. 6. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status: 0 or 1. 7. Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks. 8. Organ function levels at screening must meet the following requirements:

1. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L;
2. Platelet count (PLT) ≥ 75 × 10⁹/L;
3. Hemoglobin (Hb) ≥ 90 g/L;
4. Total bilirubin (TBIL) ≤ 1.5 × ULN;
5. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN, or ≤ 5 × ULN in patients with liver metastases;
6. Serum creatinine (Cr) ≤ 1.5 × ULN, or creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault formula) ≥ 45 mL/min;
7. International normalized ratio (INR) and prothrombin time (PT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN;
8. QTc interval calculated by Fridericia's formula ≤ 450 ms for males and ≤ 470 ms for females;
9. Urinalysis/24-hour urine protein quantification: urine protein qualitative ≤ 1+ (if urine protein qualitative ≥ 2+, 24-hour urine protein \< 1 g is acceptable for enrollment);
10. Cardiac function: left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50%. 9. Eligible patients (male or female) with childbearing potential must agree to use a medically accepted physical contraceptive method (e.g., intrauterine device, condom, tubal or vas deferens ligation, etc.) during the study period and for 6 months after the last dose. Female patients of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine HCG test at screening.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of extensive peritoneal metastasis or intestinal obstruction.
2. Presence of uncontrolled pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or ascites requiring repeated drainage.
3. Known allergy to any component of the investigational drug (e.g., lipid nanoparticles, RNA carrier) or to drugs of the same class.
4. Prior receipt of vaccine therapy.
5. Received chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy within 4 weeks prior to the first dose.
6. In the dose-escalation and dose-expansion phases: received anti-tumor therapy (including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, biological therapy, or other investigational drug therapy for target lesions) within 4 weeks or 5 drug half-lives (whichever is shorter, but at least 14 days) prior to the first dose; or received traditional Chinese medicine or Chinese patent medicine with anti-tumor indications within 14 days prior to the first dose.
7. Use of immunosuppressive drugs within 4 weeks prior to the first dose or expected use during the study period, except for corticosteroid nasal sprays, inhalers, or systemic prednisone ≤ 10 mg/day (or equivalent doses of similar drugs).
8. History of organ transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
9. Receipt of a live attenuated vaccine within 28 days prior to the first dose.
10. In the dose-escalation and dose-expansion phases: presence of symptomatic, untreated, or central nervous system (CNS) metastases requiring ongoing treatment (including corticosteroids and antiepileptics). Patients with previously treated CNS metastases may be enrolled if they have been clinically stable for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment, have no evidence of new or enlarging metastases, and have discontinued corticosteroid therapy. Patients with asymptomatic CNS metastases not requiring treatment may be enrolled.
11. In the dose-escalation and dose-expansion phases: toxicity from prior anti-tumor therapy that has not recovered to baseline or to Grade 0-1 per NCI-CTCAE v5.0 (except for alopecia and hyperpigmentation). Irreversible toxicities that are reasonably not expected to be exacerbated by the study drug may be enrolled after confirmation with the investigator.
12. History of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis requiring systemic therapy, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. Patients with type I diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism controlled with replacement therapy only, or skin diseases not requiring systemic therapy (e.g., vitiligo, psoriasis) may be enrolled.
13. History of immediate hypersensitivity reactions, eczema, or asthma that cannot be controlled with topical corticosteroids.
14. History of other malignancies, except for curatively treated curable tumors, such as basal or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or carcinoma in situ of the breast.
15. Presence of uncontrolled comorbid conditions, including but not limited to: unexplained fever \> 38.5°C (patients with tumor-related fever to be enrolled at the investigator's discretion); symptomatic congestive heart failure of New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ≥ 2; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \< 50%; poorly controlled hypertension (systolic blood pressure \> 160 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mmHg after treatment, and assessed as clinically significant by the investigator); unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction within 3 months prior to the first dose; poorly controlled arrhythmia; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or interstitial lung disease with impaired pulmonary function.
16. Presence of active infection currently requiring systemic anti-infective therapy; patients with active tuberculosis.
17. Known positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or active syphilis infection; HBsAg and/or HBcAb positive with HBV-DNA \> 500 IU/L; HCV-RNA positive.
18. Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes the patient unsuitable for participation in this study, including but not limited to any disease or medical history that may confound the study results or interfere with patient compliance.

Where it's running

  • West China Hospital of Sichuan University
    Chengdu, Sichuan, China
    Recruiting

Study contacts

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

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.