Experimental cell therapy takes on Drug-Resistant melanoma
NCT ID NCT06708455
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This Phase 2 trial tests a new cell therapy called RAPA-201 for people with advanced melanoma that has stopped responding to PD-(L)1 inhibitors. The therapy uses a patient's own immune cells, modified to resist the drug rapamycin, and is given along with chemotherapy. The study aims to see if this combination can shrink tumors and improve outcomes in 65 participants with stage IIIc or IV melanoma.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- RAPA-201 (a type of immune cell therapy made from the patient's own cells, designed to resist the drug rapamycin) plus chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced melanoma that no longer responds to standard immunotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early Phase 2 trial with only 65 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatment involves strong chemotherapy and cell therapy, which can cause serious side effects.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 65 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Mar 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Sep 2029
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. Male or female patients ≥ 18 years of age. 2. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 and an estimated life expectancy of ≥ 3 months. 3. Patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma (Stage IIIc or Stage IV). 4. Prior to enrollment, documented refractory status to the most recent regimen, which must include an anti-PD-(L)1 monoclonal antibody, as defined by lack of response after at least two cycles of therapy or relapse within 12-months of initiation of the anti-PD- (L)1-containing therapy. 5. For patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive tumors, prior therapy with a BRAF inhibitor alone or in combination with a MEK inhibitor. 6. Presence of measurable disease to permit monitoring by iRECISTv1.1 Criteria. 7. Must have a potential source of autologous T cells potentially sufficient to manufacture RAPA-201 cells, as defined by a circulating absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) of ≥ 500 cells/μL. 8. Patients must be ≥ two weeks from last solid tumor cancer chemotherapy, major surgery, radiation therapy and/or participation in investigational trials. 9. Patients must have recovered from clinical immunotherapy-related toxicities \[resolution of CTCAE (v5) toxicity to a value of ≤ 1; with the exception of alopecia, vitiligo, and endocrinopathy stable on hormone replacement\]. 10. Hematologic parameters of: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of ≥ 1500 cells/μL, Platelet count ≥ 100,000 cells/μL, and Hemoglobin of ≥ 9 grams/μL. 11. Calculated creatinine clearance of ≥ 40 mL/min. 12. Ejection fraction (EF) by MUGA or 2-D echocardiogram within institution normal limits, with an EF level of ≥ 45%. 13. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) (or ≤ ULN if patient has liver metastasis). 14. Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL (if Gilbert\'s disease, ≤ 3.0 mg/dL). 15. No history of abnormal bleeding tendency (as defined by any inherited coagulation defect or history of internal bleeding). 16. Voluntary written consent must be given before performance of any study related procedure not part of standard medical care, with the understanding that consent may be withdrawn by the patient at any time without prejudice to future medical care. Exclusion Criteria 1. Other active malignancy (except non-melanoma skin cancer). 2. Life expectancy \< 3 months. 3. Seropositivity for HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C, unless such conditions are in stable condition using adequate treatment. 4. Uncontrolled hypertension. 5. Cerebrovascular accident within 6 months of enrollment. 6. Myocardial infarction within 6 months of enrollment. 7. NYHA class III/IV congestive heart failure. 8. Uncontrolled angina/ischemic heart disease. 9. Cancer metastasis to the central nervous system, unless such metastasis has been adequately treated. 10. Pregnant or breastfeeding patients. 11. Women of childbearing potential, or males who have a partner of childbearing potential, who are unwilling to practice contraception. 12. Patients may be excluded at the discretion of the PI or if it is deemed that allowing participation would represent an unacceptable medical or psychiatric risk.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Malignant melanoma 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
-
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack, New Jersey, 07601, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- A new recipe for cancer care: social prescriptions and Bite-Sized learning
- Can two immune boosters beat advanced melanoma?
- Drug duo takes on rare head and neck tumors
- Experimental cancer therapy targets tough tumors with radioactive precision
- Keytruda immune response trial aims to unlock cancer clues
- Experimental combo aims to supercharge cancer immunotherapy