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Recruiting Phase 1, Phase 2 NCT06961357

NCT06961357 Clinical Trial of CD40L-augmented TIL for Patients With Advanced Melanoma

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Clinical Trial Summary
NCT ID NCT06961357
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 1, Phase 2
Sponsor H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Condition Melanoma
Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment 36 participants
Start Date 2025-12-03
Primary Completion 2029-05

Eligibility & Interventions

Sex All sexes
Min Age 18 Years
Max Age N/A
Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
Interventions
CyclophosphamideFludarabineInterleukin-2

Eligibility Fast-Check

Enter your details for a quick preliminary check. This does not replace medical advice.

What to Expect as a Participant

You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.

Phase 1 is the earliest stage of human testing — safety and dosage are the primary focus. Visits are frequent and medical supervision is intensive. You will be among the first people to receive this treatment.

This trial targets 36 participants in total. It began in 2025-12-03 with a primary completion date of 2029-05.

⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.

Brief Summary

This is a phase I/II clinical trial of a single dose of CD40L-augmented TIL administered in patients with advanced melanoma (Cohort 1: Cutaneous acral melanoma, cutaneous non-acral melanoma, (n=26); Cohort 2: Mucosal melanoma, uveal melanoma, (n=10)). Patients will undergo an excision of a readily accessible tumor for preparation of TIL. Eligible patients with progressive disease after standard of care therapy will undergo lymphodepletion with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine followed by CD40L-augmented TIL and standard of care bolus dose interleukin-2 (short-course IL-2).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must have histologically confirmed, unresectable (Stage III/IV) or metastatic melanoma as follows: Cutaneous, non-acral, melanoma (including melanoma of unknown primary); Cutaneous acral melanoma; Mucosal melanoma; Ocular melanoma (including uveal, iris, conjunctival melanoma). * Participants must have failed, be refractory to, or unable to tolerate at least one line of standard of care in the opinion of the Investigator. For participants with cutaneous non-acral melanoma, standard of care therapy includes a PD-1/L1 or combination therapy with anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 or combination therapy of anti-PD1 and anti-LAG3 or if BRAF V600 activating mutation positive, a BRAF ± MEK inhibitor. Participants are allowed to be enrolled in this trial if they failed one line of any of those standards of care therapy regimens. * Any systemic therapy, including anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies, must have been completed at least 4 weeks from the start of lymphodepleting therapy, and any prior therapy-related AEs must have resolved to Grade ≤ 1 except for alopecia and vitiligo. * Participants must be ages ≥18. Additionally, participants who are ≥ 65 years of age may need to undergo a cardiology evaluation including a cardiac stress test or coronary computed tomography after which they must be deemed to be low/acceptable risk. This cardiac evaluation may be omitted for patients who underwent testing within 6 months and have no interval change in cardiopulmonary clinical status. Note 1: Cardiac stress test may be omitted for patients ≥65 years old (y/o) who are fully functional with no relevant medical comorbidities and are able to carry ≥4 METS activities at baseline. For patients who demonstrate abnormal cardiac stress test cardiac evaluation by cardiologist will be done and if deemed low acceptable risk, will be allowed to participate in this trial per PI discretion. Cardiac stress test may be indicated for any patient \<65 y/o who have relevant medical comorbidities or demonstrate clinically worrisome symptoms. Note 2: While age preference will be between 18-75 years, this study allows age \>75 years if the patient meets eligibility criteria and demonstrates no significant medical comorbidities per PI. * ECOG performance status of 0 or 1. * Participants must have adequate organ and marrow function as defined within the protocol. * Seronegative for Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C (HCV) antibody (if HCV antibody positive, must be tested for HCV RNA, which must be negative to be eligible). * Participants with brain metastases are eligible provided that the brain metastases have been successfully treated with stereotactic radiosurgery or resection and clinically stable for at least 4 weeks (±14 days). Note: Participants who develop brain metastases after tumor harvest and/or lymphodepleting therapy will be allowed to remain on study and may proceed with cell therapy after undergoing definitive radiation therapy and/or surgery. For those participants who develop brain metastases during lymphodepleting therapy and undergo definitive radiation therapy and/or surgery careful decision will be made to proceed with TIL infusion after discussion with treating physician, neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist and PI. * Women of child-bearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test. * The effects of CD40L-augmented TIL on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason and because TIL agents, as well as other therapeutic agents used in this trial including IL-2 are known to be teratogenic, both males and females of childbearing potential must be willing to practice birth control starting with screening through 1 year after the last study drug is administered for females or 6 months for males. * Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner are participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. * Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. * Participants should have at least one surgically accessible lesion for tumor harvest for preparation of TIL, and at least one RECIST v1.1 measurable lesion after tumor harvest to follow for response assessment. Note: Tumor harvest lesion will be considered as target lesion if after harvest remaining portion of tumor meets RECIST v1.1 measurable lesion criteria. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants, regardless of age, who have a current or past medical history of ischemic heart disease, or clinically significant atrial or ventricular rhythm abnormality are excluded unless they undergo a cardiac stress test and cardiology clearance examination and are determined to be low or acceptable risk. * Participants with either a primary immunodeficiency disorder (i.e., severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome) or acquired immunodeficiency disorders (such as HIV/AIDS). * Pregnant women are excluded from this study because the agents used in this study have teratogenic or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with CD40L-augmented TIL or the other agents in the study, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is enrolled in the study. * Participants taking systemic steroid therapy (other than replacement therapy or prednisone equivalent of ≤10mg daily) or therapy with any immunosuppressive medications such as mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Participants who require more than 10mg of prednisone or equivalent other steroid therapy should taper their steroid therapy to 10 mg prednisone 1 week prior to planned first interventional drug therapy (lymphodepleting therapy). Participants who are on baseline replacement therapy or prednisone equivalent of ≤10mg daily and require stress doses of steroid therapy will be allowed to receive stress dose steroids during the trial interventions. Participants who require dapsone for pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis during TIL therapy are eligible. * Participants who have a history of severe immediate hypersensitivity reaction to the study agents including cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, or IL-2 or any of their constituents. * Participants with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 45% or New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification \> 1. * Forced expiratory volume (FEV1) ≤ 60% of predicted value and DLCO (corrected) \< 60% of predicted value. Participants who underwent pulmonary function testing within 6 months of screening may omit PFTs if they demonstrate stable cardiopulmonary status. * Participants who, in the opinion of the Investigator, have a medical condition that would subject the patient to prohibitive risk by participation in this study, or who may be unable to safely complete tumor harvest, lymphodepletion regimen, TIL infusion, or aldesleukin administration. * Participants with active infections requiring antibiotics. * Participants with active autoimmune diseases currently requiring systemic treatment with immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids (\>10 mg of prednisone-equivalent daily dosing), immunosuppressive biologic agents, or disease modifying antirheumatic drug agents (DMARDs). * Patients who received prior live cell therapy are excluded, unless express written permission is provided by the clinical PI.

Contact & Investigator

Central Contact

Tina Swartzlander

✉ Tina.Swartzlander@moffitt.org

📞 813-745-5517

Principal Investigator

Lilit Karapetyan, MD

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Moffitt Cancer Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can join the NCT06961357 clinical trial?

This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 18 Years or older, studying Melanoma. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.

What phase is the NCT06961357 trial and what does that mean for participants?

Phase 1 trials are the first stage of human testing. The primary goal is to assess safety and determine appropriate dosage levels. Participants are closely monitored. These trials typically involve a small number of volunteers.

Is NCT06961357 currently recruiting?

Yes, NCT06961357 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at Tina.Swartzlander@moffitt.org for enrollment information.

Where is the NCT06961357 trial being conducted?

This trial is being conducted at Tampa, United States.

Who is sponsoring the NCT06961357 clinical trial?

NCT06961357 is sponsored by H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. The principal investigator is Lilit Karapetyan, MD at Moffitt Cancer Center. The trial plans to enroll 36 participants.

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ClinicalMetric — Independent clinical trial intelligence platform. Not affiliated with NIH, ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. FDA, or any pharmaceutical company, hospital, or clinical research organization. Trial data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Do not make any treatment, enrollment, or health decisions based solely on information found here — always consult a qualified healthcare professional. Full Disclaimer  ·  Last Reviewed: April 2026  ·  Data Methodology