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CompletedNCT02013154P102Updated Aug 3, 2025

A Study of DKN-01 in Combination With Paclitaxel or Pembrolizumab

A Phase 1 interventional study of DKN-01 150 mg and Paclitaxel in Esophageal Neoplasms, Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction and Gastroesophageal Cancer, sponsored by Leap Therapeutics, Inc.. Completed at 10 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-03.

Sponsored by Leap Therapeutics, Inc. · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
151
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

A study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of DKN-01 in combination with weekly paclitaxel or pembrolizumab in participants with relapsed or refractory Esophagogastric Malignancies

Read the detailed description

This is a dose-escalating, open-label study conducted in multiple parts (Part A dose-escalation, Parts B-F expansion cohorts, and a monotherapy substudy). Parts A-E (DKN-01 plus paclitaxel) and the DKN-01 monotherapy substudy includes 28-day cycle treatment cycles; Part F (DKN-01 plus pembrolizumab) includes 21-day treatment cycles. Depending on their cancer type, subjects with histologically confirmed recurrent or refractory esophageal, gastro-esophageal junction tumors, or gastric adenocarcinoma will be enrolled in each study part to receive DKN-01 150 mg or 300 mg in combination with paclitaxel or pembrolizumab. Subjects who are unable to receive paclitaxel or pembrolizumab for any reason are allowed to receive single agent DKN-01 300 mg as part of a monotherapy substudy. Results are reported by treatment group, irrespective of the study part in which the subject was enrolled.

02

Conditions studied

  • Esophageal Neoplasms
  • Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction
  • Gastroesophageal Cancer
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Gastric Adenocarcinoma
03

In context

Esophageal Neoplasms

1,593 studies on the registry are indexed under Esophageal Neoplasms; 460 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 151 is above the median of 58 across 1,170 interventional studies indexed under Esophageal Neoplasms.

Browse Esophageal Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Leap Therapeutics, Inc. is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (40%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

In advanced esophagogastric malignancies:

  • Participants with histologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic esophageal or gastro-esophageal junction squamous cell or adenocarcinoma or gastric adenocarcinoma with Wnt Signaling Alterations
  • Participants must be refractory or intolerant to at least one prior therapy(ies) for metastatic or locally advanced disease

    • If prior therapy consisted of palliative chemoradiation therapy, it will be considered one line of therapy
    • Prior treatment with paclitaxel as part of a definitive therapy regimen is acceptable. Patients who are unable to receive paclitaxel for any reason will be allowed to receive DKN-01 as a single agent.
    • Prior treatment anti- programmed death-1 (PD-1)/ anti-PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibody (mAb) is permitted in patients provided the patient's disease is primary refractory, and the patient is not intolerant of pembrolizumab. Patients who are not eligible to receive pembrolizumab will be allowed to receive single agent DKN-01
  • Tumor tissue for mandatory evaluation
  • Must have one or more tumors measurable on radiographic imaging as defined by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Patients with evaluable but not measurable disease per RECIST criteria may be enrolled with the approval of the medical monitor.
  • Must be ≥18 years of age
  • Performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale. A performance status of 2 on the ECOG scale may be entered upon the review and approval of the medical monitor
  • Disease-free of active second/secondary or prior malignancies for equal to or over 2 years with the exception of currently treated basal cell, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or carcinoma "in-situ" of the cervix or breast
  • Acceptable liver, renal, hematologic and coagulation function
  • For men and women of child-producing potential, the use of effective contraceptive methods during the study and for 6 months following the last dose of study drug

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • New York Heart Association Class III or IV, cardiac disease, myocardial infarction within the past 6 months, unstable arrhythmia
  • Fridericia-corrected QT interval (QTcF) > 470 msec (female) or > 450 (male), or history of congenital long QT syndrome.
  • Active, uncontrolled bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, within 7 days of study entry requiring systemic therapy
  • Known to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive, have hepatitis B surface antigen (HBSAg), or hepatitis C antibodies (HCAb) unless HCV RNA is undetected/negative.
  • Serious nonmalignant disease
  • Pregnant or nursing women
  • History of osteonecrosis of the hip or have evidence of structural bone abnormalities in the proximal femur on MRI scan that are symptomatic and clinically significant.
  • Systemic central nervous system (CNS) malignancy or metastasis.
  • Clinically significant peripheral neuropathy at the time of study entry. Patients with pre-existing peripheral neuropathy will be allowed to receive single agent DKN-01
  • Known osteoblastic bony metastasis
  • History of known or suspected autoimmune disease with the specific exceptions of vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, or psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment.
  • Clinically-significant gastrointestinal disorders, such as perforation, gastrointestinal bleeding, or diverticulitis.
  • Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.
  • Treatment with surgery or chemotherapy within 21 days prior to study entry (42 days for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C)
  • Treatment with low dose chemotherapy concurrent with radiation within 14 days prior to study entry
  • Treatment with radiation therapy within 14 days prior to study entry
  • Treatment with any other investigational agent within 30 days prior to study entry
  • Previously treated with an anti-DKK-1 therapy
  • Participants who have a history of hypersensitivity reactions to TAXOL® or other drugs formulated in Cremophor® EL (polyoxyethylated castor oil). Patients who exhibit these hypersensitivities will be eligible to receive single agent DKN-01.
  • Significant allergy to a pharmaceutical therapy that, in the opinion of the investigator, poses an increased risk to the participant
  • Treatment with corticosteroids (≥ 10 mg per day prednisone or equivalent) or other immune suppressive drugs within the 14 days prior to study entry
  • Active substance abuse
  • Receipt of any live vaccines within 30 days before the first dose of study treatment and while participating in the study
  • History of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis
  • History of interstitial lung disease
  • Intolerance or severe hypersensitivity (≥Grade 3) to pembrolizumab and/or of its excipients
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
151 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    DKN-01 150 mg plus paclitaxel

    DKN-01 150 mg administered on Days 1 and 15 and paclitaxel 80 mg per meter squared of body surface area (mg/m2) administered on Days 1, 8, 15, and 22

    Drug: DKN-01 150 mg · Drug: Paclitaxel

  • Experimental
    DKN-01 300 mg plus paclitaxel

    DKN-01 300 mg administered on Days 1 and 15 and paclitaxel 80 mg per meter squared of body surface area (mg/m2) administered on Days 1, 8, 15, and 22

    Drug: Paclitaxel · Drug: DKN-01 300 mg

  • Experimental
    DKN-01 150 mg plus pembrolizumab

    DKN-01 150 mg administered on Days 1 and 15 and pembrolizumab 200 mg administered on Day 1

    Drug: DKN-01 150 mg · Drug: Pembrolizumab

  • Experimental
    DKN-01 300 mg plus pembrolizumab

    DKN-01 300 mg administered on Days 1 and 15 and pembrolizumab 200 mg administered on Day 1

    Drug: Pembrolizumab · Drug: DKN-01 300 mg

  • Experimental
    DKN-01 300 mg monotherapy

    DKN-01 300 mg administered on Days 1 and 15

    Drug: DKN-01 300 mg

Interventions

  • DrugDKN-01 150 mg

    Administered by IV infusion

  • DrugPaclitaxel

    Administered by IV infusion

    Also known as: Taxol

  • DrugPembrolizumab

    Administered by IV infusion

    Also known as: Keytruda

  • DrugDKN-01 300 mg

    Administered by IV infusion

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of subjects with dose limiting toxicities in each treatment arm

    Time frame: Baseline to End of Cycle 1 (each cycle is 28 days, except each cycle is 21 days when DKN-01 is administered with pembrolizumab)

  2. Number of subjects with treatment emergent adverse events related to study treatment (DKN-01 as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel or pembrolizumab)

    Time frame: Baseline until 30 days after last dose of study drug

Secondary outcomes

  1. Objective Response Rate (ORR)

    Time frame: Baseline to study completion (approximately 3 months)

  2. Duration of Response (DoR)

    Time frame: Baseline to study completion (approximately 3 months)

  3. Overall Survival (OS)

    Time frame: Baseline to study completion (approximately 3 months)

  4. Progression Free Survival (PFS)

    Time frame: Baseline to study completion (approximately 3 months)

07

Study locations

10 sites
  • Cedars Sinai Medical Care Foundation
    Los Angeles, California 90025, United States
  • Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale - New Haven
    New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
  • Northwestern University
    Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
    Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
    Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
  • Duke University
    Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
  • Tennessee Oncology / Sarah Cannon Research Institute
    Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
  • Vanderbilt University / VICC
    Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
  • Mary Crowley Cancer Center
    Dallas, Texas 75251, United States
  • CTRC @ The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
    San Antonio, Texas 78229, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 3, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02013154
Lead sponsor
Leap Therapeutics, Inc.
Collaborators
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 17, 2013
Start date
May 5, 2014
Primary completion
Jul 19, 2019
Completion
Jan 11, 2021
Last update
Aug 3, 2025

Study contacts

Cyndi Sirard, MD
study director · Leap Therapeutics, Inc.

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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