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RecruitingNCT04429542Updated Oct 6, 2026

Study of Safety and Tolerability of BCA101 Monotherapy and in Combination Therapy in Patients With EGFR-driven Advanced Solid Tumors

A Phase 1 interventional study of BCA101 and Pembrolizumab in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Anal Canal and Colorectal Cancer, sponsored by Bicara Therapeutics. Recruiting at 21 sites in 3 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-06.

Sponsored by Bicara Therapeutics · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 2020; still recruiting 6 years 4 months later.
Updated Oct 6, 2026Primary completion movedStudy completion moved+2 moreGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
473
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The investigational drug to be studied in this protocol, BCA101, is a first-in-class compound that targets both EGFR with TGFβ. Based on preclinical data, this bifunctional antibody may exert synergistic activity in patients with EGFR-driven tumors.

Read the detailed description

This is a Phase 1/1b, open-label study, which consists of dose escalation parts (Part A) followed by expansion cohorts (Part B) for both single agent BCA101 and combination BCA101 plus pembrolizumab.

The study population in dose escalation (Part A) of single agent BCA101 consists of subjects with EGFR-driven advanced solid tumors refractory to standard of care or for whom no standard of care is available. Dose escalation (Part A) of combination BCA101 and pembrolizumab consists of subjects with either Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (HNSCC) or Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal (SCCAC) whose tumors are refractory to standard of care or for whom no standard of care is available.

Once the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) / recommended dose (RD) of single agent BCA101 is determined, the study will continue with expansion cohorts (Part B) with select tumor types. Expansion cohorts for single agent BCA101 will include cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Planned expansion cohorts for the combination of BCA101 and pembrolizumab include: 1) HNSCC and 2) SCCAC.

02

Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Anal Canal
  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung
  • EGFR Amplification
  • Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
  • Pancreas Cancer
  • Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

Keywords

  • TGFβ
  • EGFR
  • pembrolizumab
  • ficerafusp alfa
03

In context

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

1,680 studies on the registry are indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; 539 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 473 is above the median of 49 across 1,432 interventional studies indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck.

Browse Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck studies →

Lead sponsor

Bicara Therapeutics is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; 3 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

  • Patient must have measurable disease amendable to biopsy and be willing to undergo both a pre-treatment and on-treatment biopsy, as well as provide archival tumor if available from the primary tumor (a paraffin embedded tumor tissue block sufficient to obtain at least 10 sections of 4 to 5 micrometer thickness).
  • Patient must have a performance status of ≤1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Scale.
  • Patients must have evaluable or measurable disease (computed tomography [CT]/magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] scans performed within 21 days before the screening visit are acceptable) demonstrating measurable disease, i.e., at least 1 unidimensional measurable lesion as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) and Immune Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST).
  • Tumor eligibility:

PART B (Cohort expansion):

  1. Single agent BCA101 - patients with the following tumor type will be eligible:

    • Expansion Cohort 1: Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC) - i. patients must have received (or been intolerant to or ineligible for) prior anti-PD-1 therapy in the metastatic or locally advanced setting.

    ii. No prior history of treatment with anti-EGFR antibodies in the unresectable/metastatic setting (prior treatment with radiotherapy in the adjuvant setting is allowed).

  2. Combination BCA101 and pembrolizumab - patients with the following tumor types will be eligible:

    • Expansion Cohort 2: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), metastatic or unresectable, recurrent with a Combined Positive Score (CPS) equal to or greater than 1, as determined by an CLIA-approved laboratory test. Primary tumor locations of oropharynx, oral cavity, hypopharynx, or larynx. Participants may not have a primary tumor site of nasopharynx (any histology).

    i. Patients must have no prior systemic therapy administered in the recurrent or metastatic setting (with the exception of systemic therapy completed >6 months prior if given as part of multimodal treatment for locally advanced disease) or prior history of immune checkpoint inhibitors with the exception of neoadjuvant therapy (>6 months prior to study drug initiation). No prior history of anti-EGFR antibodies (with the exception of radiosensitizing agents and multimodal treatment for locally advanced disease).

    ii. Patients must provide tissue for PD-L1 biomarker analysis from a core or excisional biopsy (fine needle aspirate is not sufficient): A newly obtained biopsy (within 90 days prior to start of study treatment) is preferred but an archival sample is acceptable.

    iii. Patients must have results from testing of human papillomavirus (HPV) status for oropharyngeal cancer

    • Expansion Cohort 3: Squamous Carcinoma of the Anal Canal (SCAC), locally advanced/unresectable or metastatic.

      i. Patients must have received (or been intolerant to or ineligible for) at least 1 prior line of chemotherapy and received no more than 2 prior lines of systemic treatments for treatment of unresectable and/or metastatic disease. No prior history of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

    • Expansion Cohort 5: Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (SqNSCLC) i. Patients must have a histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of stage IV (AJCC 8th edition) squamous NSCLC. Patients with mixed histology (e.g., adenosquamous) are not allowed.

    ii. Patients must have progressed on one prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting.

    iii. No prior history of treatment with anti-EGFR antibodies in the metastatic setting.

    • Expansion Cohort 6: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), metastatic or unresectable, recurrent with a Combined Positive Score (CPS) less than 1, as determined by PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx.
  3. Randomized to either ficerafusp alfa alone or in combination with pembrolizumab • Expansion Cohort 9: Colorectal cancer (CRC) i. Patients must have received at least 2 and no more than 3 prior lines of systemic therapy including two standard treatment regimens.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • For Part A: Exposure to anti-EGFR antibodies within 4 weeks of the first dose of study drug.
  • Prior treatment with any anti-TGFβ therapy.
  • Prior history of Grade ≥ 2 intolerance or hypersensitivity reaction to cetuximab or other anti-EGFR therapy or other murine proteins or prior discontinuation of therapy in the setting of toxicity related to treatment.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • Any condition requiring systemic treatment with either corticosteroids (>10 mg daily of prednisone or equivalent) or other immunosuppressive medication within 14 days prior to the first dose of study drug, with the exception of topical, intranasal, intrabronchial, or ocular steroids.
  • Known history of a hematologic malignancy (or solid tumor other than the ones indicated for this study), unless the patient has undergone potentially curative therapy with no evidence of that disease for 2 years. Does not include tumors with a negligible risk of metastasis or death (e.g. adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma, stage 1 prostate cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or carcinoma in situ of the breast). Subjects enrolling in the CSCC cohort may have chronic lymphocytic leukemia as long as the patient is not on active treatment.
  • Known cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are excluded if patients have a CD4+ T-cell (CD4+) count \<250 cells/uL. To ensure that effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) is tolerated and that toxicities are not confused with investigational drug toxicities, trial participants should be on established ART for at least four weeks and have an HIV viral load less than 400 copies/mL prior to enrollment.
  • Patients with chronic HBV infection with active disease who meet the criteria for anti-HBV therapy and are not on a suppressive antiviral therapy prior to initiation of study treatment
  • Patients with a known history of hepatitis C who have not completed curative antiviral treatment or have a HCV viral load above the limit of quantification
05

Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    BCA101 Monotherapy

    Route: IV Infusion Frequency: QW Current Dose: 1500mg

    Drug: BCA101

  • Experimental
    BCA101 + pembrolizumab

    Route: IV Infusion Frequency: Q3W Dose: 200mg

    Drug: BCA101 · Drug: Pembrolizumab

Interventions

  • DrugBCA101

    EGFR/TGFβ fusion monoclonal antibody

    Also known as: Ficerafusp alfa

  • DrugPembrolizumab

    anti-PD-1

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Safety of BCA101 alone and BCA101 in combination with pembrolizumab: Incidence and severity of AEs and SAEs

    Incidence and severity of AEs and SAEs

    Time frame: 24 months

  2. Tolerability of BCA101 alone and BCA101 in combination with pembrolizumab: Incidence and severity of AEs and SAEs

    Incidence and severity of AEs and SAEs

    Time frame: 24 months

  3. Incidence of Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLTs)

    Incidence of DLTs during the first cycle of treatment with BCA101 monotherapy or the combination of BCA101 and pembrolizumab.

    Time frame: 21 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. Objective Response Rate

    Determine objective response rate in each part of the study, per RECIST v1.1 and iRECIST

    Time frame: 24 months

  2. Clinical Benefit Rate

    Determine clinical benefit rate in each part of the study, per RECIST v1.1 and iRECIST

    Time frame: 24 months

  3. Progression free survival

    Determine PFS in each part of the study, per RECIST v1.1 and iRECIST

    Time frame: 24 months

  4. Duration of Response

    Determine duration of response in each part of the study, per RECIST v1.1 and iRECIST

    Time frame: 24 months

  5. Overall Survival

    Determine survival rates in each part of the study.

    Time frame: 24 months

  6. AUC of BCA101 and pembrolizumab

    AUC

    Time frame: 24 months

  7. Cmax of BCA101 and pembrolizumab

    Cmax

    Time frame: 24 months

  8. Tmax of BCA101 and pembrolizumab

    Tmax

    Time frame: 24 months

  9. Concentration vs time profile of BCA101 and pembrolizumab

    Ctrough

    Time frame: 24 months

  10. Half-life of BCA101 and pembrolizumab

    Half-life

    Time frame: 24 months

  11. Immunogenicity of BCA101 and pembrolizumab

    Incidence and titer of anti-drug-antibodies

    Time frame: 24 months

07

Study locations

21 of 21 sites recruiting
  • Moores Cancer Center UC San Diego Health
    La Jolla, California 92093, United States
    • Moores UCSD Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office · Contact · d1ghosh@health.ucsd.edu · 858-822-5354
    • Assuntina Sacco, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Keck School of Medicine of USC
    Los Angeles, California 90033, United States
    • Clinical Trials Office · Contact · 323-442-1900
    • Gino In, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • UCLA
    Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
    • UCLA Clinical Trials Office · Contact · 310-794-8783
    • Deborah Wong, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • University of California, Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Sacramento, California 95817, United States
    • Clinical Trials Office · Contact · 916-703-9184
    • Andrew Birkeland, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc
    Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
    • Clinical Trials Office · Contact · 813-945-3563
    • Christine Chung, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Dana Farber/Partners Cancer Care Inc
    Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
    • DFCI Clinical Trials Hotline · Contact · 877-338-7425
    • Michael Dennis, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering
    New York, New York 10017, United States
    • · Contact · 646-608-3759
    • Eric Sherman, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
    New York, New York 10032, United States
    Recruiting
  • Levine Cancer Institute
    Charlotte, North Carolina 28204, United States
    • · Contact · 980-442-3213
    • Daniel Carrizosa, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Cleveland Clinic
    Cleveland, Ohio 44195, United States
    Recruiting
  • UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232, United States
    • Clinical Trials Office · Contact · brodeurs@upmc.edu · 412-755-2930
    • Dan Zanberg, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Rhode Island Hospital
    Providence, Rhode Island 02903, United States
    • Brown Health Clinical Trials Office · Contact · 401-444-5113
    • Ariel Birnbaum, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Cancer Center
    Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
    Recruiting
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
    • Vanderbilt Clinical Research Center · Contact · 615-322-2312
    • Jennifer Choe, MD, PhD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
    Recruiting
  • Chris O'Brien Lifehouse
    Camperdown, New South Wales 2050, Australia
    • · Contact · (02) 8514 0000
    • Jenny Lee, MBBS, FRACP · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Calvary Mater Newcastle
    Waratah, New South Wales 2298, Australia
    • · Contact · +61 2 40143590
    • Fiona Day · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Austin Hospital
    Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
    • · Contact · +61394965000
    • Alesha Thai, MBBS, FRACP, PhD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
    Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
    • · Contact · +61 3 8559 5000
    • Danny Rischin, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
    Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada
    • · Contact · 18007110500
    • Phillippe Bedard, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • · Contact · (514) 890-8000
    • Antoine Desilets, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Hanna GJ, Zandberg DP, Wong DJ, Sherman E, Sacco AG, Yilmaz E, Hernando-Calvo A, Reiners RD, Bohr D, Salazar RL, O'Connell BC, Raben D, Schulten J, Chung CH, Kaczmar J. Ficerafusp Alfa (BCA101) With Pembrolizumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Two-Year Results of an Expansion Cohort of a Phase I/Ib Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2026 Jun 20;44(18):1697-1708. doi: 10.1200/JCO-25-02027. Epub 2026 May 8. PubMed 42102329 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Sites
1 site added
Show site
  • Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) · Montreal, Canada
Oct 6, 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026→Oct 31, 2027
Oct 6, 2026
Study completion
Jun 1, 2027→Mar 30, 2028
Oct 6, 2026
Enrollment
292→473
Oct 6, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 6, 2026
    1 site added
    Show site
    • Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) · Montreal, Canada
    Primary completion Dec 31, 2026→Oct 31, 2027
    Study completion Jun 1, 2027→Mar 30, 2028
    Enrollment 292→473
    + 3 other changes: verification date, oversight details and contact details

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04429542
Lead sponsor
Bicara Therapeutics
Collaborators
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 12, 2020
Start date
Jun 1, 2020
Primary completion
Oct 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 30, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 6, 2026

Study contacts

David Bohr
Contact
info@bicara.com
6178000335

Oversight

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

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