Combination Immunotherapy Targeting Melanoma

Prior treatment

• Untreated central nervous system (CNS) metastasis: Patients with previous CNS tumor involvement that has been treated and is stable for at least 4 weeks following completion of therapy are eligible.
• Previous treatment with other genetically engineered CAR T cells.
• Patients who require systemic corticosteroid or other immunosuppressive therapy.

Other illness

• Existing severe illness (e.g. significant cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic diseases, etc.) or major organ dysfunction, with the exception of grade 3 hematologic toxicity.
• Active HIV, Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection or uncontrolled infection.

Other

• Evidence of tumor potentially causing airway obstruction.
• Inability to comply with protocol requirements.
• Insufficient availability of T cells.

• Patients with melanoma have received standard first-line therapy and have been diagnosed with non-resectable, metastatic, progressive or recurrent conditions.
• The expression of melanoma specific antigens is immunohistochemically stained and verified.
• Body weight greater than or equal to 40 kg.
• Age: ≥18 year and ≤ 75 years of age at the time of enrollment.
• Life expectancy: at least 8 weeks.
• Prior Therapy:
  • There is no limit to the number of prior treatment regimens. Any grade 3 or 4 non-hematologic toxicity of any previous therapy must be resolved to grade 2 or less.
  • Participants must not have received hematopoietic growth factors for at least 1 week prior to mononuclear cells collection.
  • At least 7 days must have elapsed since the completion of therapy with any biologic agent, targeted agent, tyrosine kinase inhibitor or metronomic non-myelosuppressive regimen.
  • At least 4 weeks must have elapsed since prior therapy that includes a monoclonal antibody.
  • At least 1 week must has elapsed since any radiation therapy at the time of study entry.
• Karnofsky/jansky score of 70% or greater.
• Cardiac function: Left ventricular ejection fraction greater than or equal to 40/55 percent.
• Pulse Ox greater than or equal to 90% on room air.
• Liver function: defined as alanine transaminase (ALT) \<3x upper limit of normal (ULN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \<3x ULN; serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase \<2x ULN.
• Renal function: Patients must have serum creatinine less than 3 times ULN.
• Marrow function: White blood cell count ≥1000/ul, Absolute neutrophil count ≥500/ul, Absolute lymphocyte count ≥500/ul, Platelet count ≥25,000/ul (not achieved by transfusion).
• Patients with known bone marrow metastatic disease will be eligible for study as long as they meet hematologic function criteria, and the marrow disease not evaluable for hematologic toxicity.
• For all patients enrolled in this study, the patients or their legal guardians must sign an informed consent and assent.