This Phase 1 clinical trial is investigating a new type of immunotherapy called RP2 for people with advanced solid tumours, including metastatic uveal melanoma. RP2 is an engineered herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) designed to infect and destroy cancer cells while also stimulating the body’s immune system to recognise and attack the tumour. The treatment has also been modified to deliver immune-activating proteins directly into the tumour environment.
The study is testing RP2 both on its own and in combination with nivolumab, an immunotherapy drug already used to treat several cancers. RP2 is given by direct injection into accessible tumours, while nivolumab is administered through an intravenous drip (IV infusion). Researchers are assessing the safety and tolerability of the treatment, as well as how well it helps shrink or control tumours in patients with advanced cancers that have continued to progress despite previous treatment.
Researchers are particularly interested in whether RP2 can help “turn on” the immune system in cancers that do not normally respond well to immunotherapy alone. Early results from related RP1 and RP2 studies in melanoma and other cancers have shown encouraging anti-tumour activity in some patients.
At the present time, active study locations for this trial are listed in the United Kingdom and Spain. The trial has included UK recruitment sites, making it one of the few investigational immunotherapy studies for metastatic uveal melanoma with UK involvement.