Dr Hamid on the Potential for Cancer Vaccines in Melanoma
Source: OncLive, February 2025
Omid Hamid, MD, professor, medicine, Cedars-Sinai; director, Clinical Research and Immunotherapy, director, Cutaneous Oncology and Melanoma, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, provides insight on the potential role of cancer vaccines in the treatment of patients with melanoma.
Currently, multiple developmental paths continue to move vaccines forward s in the oncology space, Hamid begins. Within melanoma specifically, Hamid highlights the investigative vaccine IO102-IO103, which is designed to target IDO- and PD-L1–positive cells. Previous data from a phase 1/2 trial (NCT03047928) showed that the addition of IO102-IO103 to nivolumab (Opdivo) led to complete response in patients with metastatic melanoma, Hamid says. Now, the off-the shelf vaccine is being evaluated in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) vs pembrolizumab alone in the phase 3 IOB-013/KN-D18 trial (NCT05155254) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma.
Hamid also explains that IO102-IO103 is constructed using a platform with other targets, which could allow for additional vaccines directed against different markers.