Engineered virus plus immunotherapy aims to outperform chemo in advanced lung cancer
NCT ID NCT07660094
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether a combination of an injected virus therapy (CAN-2409) and an immunotherapy drug (pembrolizumab) can help people with stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer live longer than standard chemotherapy. The virus is designed to kill tumor cells and trigger the immune system to attack the cancer. Participants must have a tumor in the chest that can be injected, and their cancer must have worsened despite prior treatment with pembrolizumab-based therapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Aglatimagene besadenovec (CAN-2409) plus valacyclovir and pembrolizumab
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced non-squamous lung cancer whose disease has progressed despite immunotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial, and the experimental therapy involves multiple injections into tumors, which may cause side effects. It is not yet proven to be better than standard chemotherapy.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
-
About 500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Oct 2031
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥ 18 years, at the time of signing the informed consent. 2. Histologically confirmed metastatic Stage IV non-squamous NSCLC. 3. Measurable disease per RECIST v1.1 with at least 1 thoracic lesion amenable to intratumoral injection (e.g., pathological lymph node or lung lesion). Note: Able to be reached by bronchoscopy (including robotic bronchoscopy or flexible bronchoscopy with or without endobronchial ultrasound), or by percutaneous injection. 4. Documented radiographic progression observed in at least 3 consecutive scans or according to RECIST v1.1 criteria after a minimum of 12 weeks on continued pembrolizumab, determined by central review. Note: Participants on a pembrolizumab-based regimen should have achieved a best overall response (BOR) of at least SD (e.g., participants with a BOR of PD while on pembrolizumab are not eligible). 5. Prior treatment requirements: 1. Must have received platinum-based chemotherapy in any line of therapy. 2. May have received pembrolizumab therapy in combination with chemotherapy or sequentially. Note: The participant must be currently progressing on pembrolizumab or a pembrolizumab-based regimen. 6. ECOG performance status of 0 or 1 at screening. 7. Has adequate bone marrow function, defined as: 1. Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm3. 2. Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL ( 3. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1500/mm3 8. Has adequate organ function, defined as: a) Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 ×upper limit of normal (ULN); (≤ 5.0 × ULN if transferase elevation is due to liver metastases) AND b) Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN (\< 3.0 × ULN in the presence of documented Gilbert's syndrome \[unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia\] or liver metastases at baseline). c) Creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min as calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault equation). d) International normalized ratio (INR) \< 1.5 without anticoagulants, INR \< 3 if on prophylactic anticoagulation therapy. e) Prothrombin time (PT) and either partial thromboplastin (PTT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN. 9. Completion of prior therapy with required washout and recovery: * Cytotoxic chemotherapy: \> 14 days from the last dose. * Monoclonal antibodies (e.g., bevacizumab, ramucirumab): ≥ 5 half-lives or ≥ 42 days, whichever is longer. * Recovered to ≤ Grade 1 from prior therapy-related clinical toxicities (except alopecia and stable endocrine replacement). 10. Projected life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks (or 3 months) in the opinion of the Investigator. 11. Pregnancy test (for females of childbearing potential) negative at screening. 12. Male and female individuals of childbearing potential who engage in heterosexual intercourse must agree to use protocol-specified method(s) of contraception. Exclusion Criteria: Participants meeting any exclusion criteria for this trial will be disqualified from entering the study. 1. Has a known actionable genomic alteration, including EGFR, ALK, or ROS1 rearrangements, for which approved targeted therapy exists. Participants who are receiving or have previously received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy targeting EGFR, ALK, or ROS1 are excluded. 2. Prior therapy with docetaxel either as monotherapy or in combination with other agents. 3. Prior treatment with CTLA-4 inhibitor (e.g., ipilimumab). 4. History of severe irAEs related to ICI. 5. Has a known history of active autoimmune disease requiring systemic immunosuppressive therapy within the past 2 years is excluded. Note: Participants receiving physiologic corticosteroid replacement (e.g., ≤ 10 mg/day prednisone equivalent) are eligible. 6. History of hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to valacyclovir. 7. Active, uncontrolled, clinically significant bacterial, fungal, or viral infection, or any ongoing infection requiring systemic therapy. 8. Clinically active central nervous system (CNS) metastases or leptomeningeal disease. Evidence of new or progression of CNS confirmed by imaging during the study screening. 9. Persistently symptomatic bone metastases. 10. Has liver metastases involving more than half of the liver. 11. Prior radiotherapy within 2 weeks of the start of the study drug. 12. Has a known history of active interstitial lung diseases (ILD) (≥ grade 2) or noninfectious pneumonitis requiring active therapy, or for whom suspected ILD/pneumonitis cannot be ruled out by imaging at screening, or clinically severe pulmonary compromise due to intercurrent pulmonary illness and/or pulmonary disorder (e.g., severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, restrictive lung disease, etc.) requiring supplemental oxygen (\>2L/min at rest) or any autoimmune, connective tissue or inflammatory disorders with active pulmonary involvement (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, sarcoidosis, etc.), or any prior pneumonectomy. 13. Receiving or anticipated to receive investigational agents or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug. 14. Ongoing clinically significant toxicity (\> Grade 2 except alopecia), associated with prior treatment including systemic therapy, radiotherapy, or surgery. 15. Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related illness. 16. Has a known active or known prior history of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection (e.g., hepatitis B virus surface antigen \[HBsAg\] reactive or detectable quantitative levels of HBV DNA) or known active Hepatitis C (HCV) (e.g., hepatitis C virus RNA \[quantitative\] is detected). 17. Has an uncontrolled or significant heart disease, defined as: 1. Mean QT interval corrected for heart rate using Fridericia's formula (QTcF) prolongation \> 470 msec (based on the average of Screening triplicate 12-lead electrocardiogram \[ECG\] determinations). 2. Myocardial infarction or uncontrolled/unstable angina within 6 months before randomization. 3. Congestive heart failure (CHF) (New York Heart Association \[NYHA\] Class II to IV) at Screening (see Appendix 12.3). 4. Uncontrolled or significant cardiac arrhythmia (i.e., ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation), high-grade atrioventricular block, or other cardiac arrhythmias requiring anti-arrhythmic medications (except for atrial fibrillation that is well controlled with antiarrhythmic medication). 5. NYHA Class III or IV Functional Classification. 6. LVEF \< 40% by ECHO or MUGA scan within 28 days before randomization. 7. Uncontrolled hypertension (resting systolic blood pressure \> 180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure \> 110 mmHg) within 28 days before randomization. 18. Has a concurrent malignancy requiring active systemic or local anti-cancer treatment except for the following: * Adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous or basal cell cancers). * In situ cervical cancer that has been adequately treated. * Early-stage malignancies under active surveillance or observation only, including but not limited to: * Low-risk prostate cancer managed with active surveillance- Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast managed with observation 19. Participants of childbearing potential, who are pregnant, lactating, or intend to become pregnant or father children during the study. 20. Any other significant physical and medical co-morbid conditions, including psychiatric conditions that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would impair study participation or cooperation.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10016, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Antibody-Drug conjugate takes aim at c-Met-High lung cancer
- Can a targeted pill boost lung cancer treatment?
- Can a novel drug combo outperform standard chemo for lung cancer?
- Can a Four-Drug cocktail shrink Hard-to-Treat lung tumors?
- New lung cancer drug aims to match Keytruda's success
- Targeted drug shows promise for Gene-Driven lung cancers