CClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT03632941Updated Jun 4, 2026Results posted

A Study to Evaluate Concurrent VRP-HER2 Vaccination and Pembrolizumab for Patients With Breast Cancer

A Phase 2 interventional study of VRP-HER2 and Pembrolizumab in Breast Cancer and HER2+ Breast Cancer, sponsored by Herbert Lyerly. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-04.

Sponsored by Herbert Lyerly · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Enrollment issue
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
8
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

In this phase II study, participants will receive the VRP-HER2 immunizations plus pembrolizumab. Subjects will be randomized into 3 arms. They will undergo a biopsy of their tumor and peripheral blood draw for immune cell analyses and be assigned to the applicable arm of the study. Arm A will consist of the the VRP-HER2 immunizations; Arm B will consist of pembrolizumab; Arm C will consist of the VRP-HER2 immunizations plus pembrolizumab.

Read the detailed description

The primary objective of this phase II study is to determine whether pembrolizumab increases the tumor infiltrating and peripheral blood immune response to the VRP-HER2 vaccine. The investigators hypothesize that HER2 specific T cell responses and anti-tumor immunity induced with HER2 vaccination will be augmented by concurrent anti-PD-1 antibody therapy.

The investigators will additionally determine whether the administration of pembrolizumab is safe in patients with recurrent or metastatic HER2+ cancers who are receiving the anti-HER2 vaccine VRP-HER2.

Participants will be randomized 1:1:1 into 3 arms (n=12 per arm). Subjects with metastatic HER2 overexpressing breast cancer receiving trastuzumab and pertuzumab will continue these antibodies. They will undergo a biopsy of their tumor and peripheral blood draw for immune cell analyses and be assigned to the applicable arm of the study. Arm A will consist of the the VRP-HER2 immunizations; Arm B will consist of pembrolizumab; Arm C will consist of the VRP-HER2 immunizations plus pembrolizumab. Tumor biopsies and peripheral blood draws will be performed following the course of immunizations.

02

Conditions studied

  • Breast Cancer
  • HER2+ Breast Cancer

Keywords

  • Cancer
  • Immunotherapy
  • PD-1 Antibody
  • HER2
  • T cell
03

In context

Breast Neoplasms

12,544 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 2,892 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 8 is below the median of 72 across 9,303 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Herbert Lyerly is the lead sponsor of 4 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

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

  • Have undergone treatment with trastuzumab plus pertuzumab for at least 3 weeks prior to initiation on this study.
  • Be willing and able to provide written informed consent/assent for the trial.
  • Resolution of all toxic side effects of prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgical procedures to NCI CTCAE (version 4.03) Grade ≤ 1 (with the exception of grade 2 alopecia, grade 2 neuropathy and grade 2 fatigue);
  • Be >=18 years of age on day of signing informed consent.
  • Have measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1.
  • Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion.. Subjects for whom newly-obtained samples cannot be provided may submit an archived specimen only upon agreement from the Sponsor.
  • Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the ECOG Performance Scale.
  • Normal cardiac function defined as either a MUGA or ECHO with LVEF in normal institutional range.
  • Demonstrate adequate organ function as defined below:

System Laboratory Value Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1,500 /mcL Platelets ≥100,000 / mcL Hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL or ≥5.6 mmol/L without transfusion or EPO dependency

Serum creatinine OR Measured or calculated creatinine clearance

  • 1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) OR ≥60 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels > 1.5 X institutional ULN

Serum total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 X ULN OR Direct bilirubin ≤ ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN AST (SGOT) and ALT (SGPT) ≤ 2.5 X ULN OR≤ 5 X ULN for subjects with liver metastases Albumin >2.5 mg/dL International Normalized Ratio (INR) or Prothrombin Time (PT)

  • 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants

Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) ≤1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants

  • Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required.
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception.

Note: Abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject.

  • Male subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use an adequate method of contraception.
  • Ability to return to Duke University Medical Center for adequate follow-up as required by this protocol.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients in this study, may not receive cytotoxic chemotherapy, anti-estrogen therapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy in the 3 weeks before the first infusion of Pembrolizumab, during the injection period for VRP-HER2 and infusion period for Pembrolizumab or for at least 2 weeks after booster immunization with VRP-HER2 (Arm 1) or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent.
  • Patients may have received prior radiation including for brain metastases.
  • Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least 3 months prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment.
  • Is currently participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment.
  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. Prior history of autoimmune thyroiditis or vitiligo is permitted.
  • Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus Tuberculosis)
  • Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients.
  • Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier.
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer.
  • Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years.
  • Has history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or active, non-infectious pneumonitis.
  • Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy or systemic use of antimicrobials within 72 hours prior to the first study treatment
  • Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator.
  • Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial.
  • Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment.
  • Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent.
  • Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients.
  • Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies).
  • Has known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBsAg reactive) or Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA is detected).
  • Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
8 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    VRP-HER2 Vaccine

    VRP-HER2 Vaccine 4 x 10EE8 IU given as a single injection every 2 weeks for 3 injections total (Cycle 1: Day 1 and Day 15 Cycle 2: Day 8)

    Biological: VRP-HER2

  • Active comparator
    Pembrolizumab

    5 administrations of Pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for 5 total IV infusions (Day 1 of each 3 week cycle x 5 cycles)

    Biological: Pembrolizumab

  • Experimental
    VRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab

    VRP-HER2 Vaccine 4 x 10EE8 IU given as a single injection every 2 weeks for 3 injections total (Cycle 1: Day 1 and Day 15 Cycle 2: Day 8)+ 5 administrations of Pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for 5 total IV infusions (Day 1 of each 3 week cycle x 5 cycles)

    Biological: VRP-HER2 · Biological: Pembrolizumab

Interventions

  • BiologicalVRP-HER2

    VRP (alphavirus-like replicon particles) containing self amplifying replicon RNA for HER2

    Also known as: AVX901

  • BiologicalPembrolizumab

    A humanized antibody specific for the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor.

    Also known as: Keytruda

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With a Positive T Cell Response Based on ELISpot Results

    The enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assay is a quantitative method that measures the frequency of cytokine secretion in a single cell.

    Time frame: up to approximately 15 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With a Severe Adverse Event as Assessed by CTCAE v5.0

    Adverse events are graded on a scale from 1 to 5. Grade 1 adverse events are mild and generally not bothersome. Grade 2 events are bothersome and may interfere with doing some activities but are not dangerous. Grade 3 events are serious and interfere with a person's ability to do basic things like eat or get dressed. Grade 3 events may also require medical intervention. Grade 4 events are usually severe enough to require hospitalization. Grade 5 events are fatal. Reported here is the number of participants with a grade 3 adverse event.

    Time frame: up to approximately 15 weeks

Other outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With Stable Disease as Overall Response Based on RECIST 1.1 Criteria

    RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) defines Stable Disease as neither partial response (\>30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) or progressive disease (\<20% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions).

    Time frame: up to approximately 15 weeks

07

Results

Posted Dec 11, 2024

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneVRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab
Started125
Completed125
Not completed000

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Participants With a Positive T Cell Response Based on ELISpot Results

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assay is a quantitative method that measures the frequency of cytokine secretion in a single cell.

Time frame:
up to approximately 15 weeks
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With a Positive T Cell Response Based on ELISpot Results
ParticipantsVRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab
Number of Participants With a Positive T Cell Response Based on ELISpot Results113
SecondaryNumber of Participants With a Severe Adverse Event as Assessed by CTCAE v5.0

Adverse events are graded on a scale from 1 to 5. Grade 1 adverse events are mild and generally not bothersome. Grade 2 events are bothersome and may interfere with doing some activities but are not dangerous. Grade 3 events are serious and interfere with a person's ability to do basic things like eat or get dressed. Grade 3 events may also require medical intervention. Grade 4 events are usually severe enough to require hospitalization. Grade 5 events are fatal. Reported here is the number of participants with a grade 3 adverse event.

Time frame:
up to approximately 15 weeks
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With a Severe Adverse Event as Assessed by CTCAE v5.0
ParticipantsVRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab
Number of Participants With a Severe Adverse Event as Assessed by CTCAE v5.0001
Other pre-specifiedNumber of Participants With Stable Disease as Overall Response Based on RECIST 1.1 Criteria

RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) defines Stable Disease as neither partial response (\>30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) or progressive disease (\<20% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions).

Time frame:
up to approximately 15 weeks
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Stable Disease as Overall Response Based on RECIST 1.1 Criteria
ParticipantsVRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab
Number of Participants With Stable Disease as Overall Response Based on RECIST 1.1 Criteria114

Adverse events

Collected over Up to approximately 15 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
VRP-HER2 Vaccine0/1 (0%)0/1 (0%)1/1 (100%)
Pembrolizumab0/2 (0%)0/2 (0%)2/2 (100%)
VRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab1/5 (20%)1/5 (20%)4/5 (80%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventVRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders0/10/21/5
HyponatremiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders0/10/21/5
DehydrationMetabolism and nutrition disorders0/10/21/5
Creatinine increasedInvestigations0/10/21/5
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 14
Most frequent other events
EventVRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + Pembrolizumab
Plantar WartsSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/10/20/5
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders0/10/23/5
Localized edemaGeneral disorders0/11/20/5
ArthralgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders0/11/20/5
Edema faceGeneral disorders0/11/20/5
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders0/10/22/5
Exacerbation of Psoriasis- bilateral handsSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders0/10/21/5
Hot flashesVascular disorders0/10/21/5
InsomniaPsychiatric disorders0/10/21/5
MyalgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders0/10/21/5

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)VRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + PembrolizumabTotal
Mean36.0 ± NA52.0 ± 12.763.8 ± 9.557.4 ± 13.3
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)VRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + PembrolizumabTotal
Female1258
Male0000
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)VRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + PembrolizumabTotal
Hispanic or Latino0000
Not Hispanic or Latino1258
Unknown or Not Reported0000
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)VRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + PembrolizumabTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native0000
Asian0000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0000
Black or African American0022
White1236
More than one race0000
Unknown or Not Reported0000
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(Participants)VRP-HER2 VaccinePembrolizumabVRP-HER2 Vaccine + PembrolizumabTotal
United States1258
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Duke University
    Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Crosby EJ, Acharya CR, Haddad AF, Rabiola CA, Lei G, Wei JP, Yang XY, Wang T, Liu CX, Wagner KU, Muller WJ, Chodosh LA, Broadwater G, Hyslop T, Shepherd JH, Hollern DP, He X, Perou CM, Chai S, Ashby BK, Vincent BG, Snyder JC, Force J, Morse MA, Lyerly HK, Hartman ZC. Stimulation of Oncogene-Specific Tumor-Infiltrating T Cells through Combined Vaccine and alphaPD-1 Enable Sustained Antitumor Responses against Established HER2 Breast Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Sep 1;26(17):4670-4681. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-0389. Epub 2020 Jul 30. PubMed 32732224 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Aug 6, 2020

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 4, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03632941
Lead sponsor
Herbert Lyerly
Collaborators
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Responsible party
Herbert Lyerly (Principal Investigator, Duke University) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Aug 16, 2018
Start date
Mar 1, 2019
Primary completion
Sep 3, 2023
Completion
Jun 26, 2024
Results posted
Dec 11, 2024
Last update
Jun 4, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is terminated, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion