Microlyvaq™ is a first-line, non-randomized, two-arm clinical trial in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In both arms, patients receive a personalized multi-epitope vaccine (Microlyvaq™) on top of standard-of-care chemo-immunotherapy, with treatment tailored by histology: Arm 1 - Squamous NSCLC: Microlyvaq™ + carboplatin AUC 5 + paclitaxel 175 mg/m² + pembrolizumab Arm 2 - Non-squamous NSCLC: Microlyvaq™ + carboplatin AUC 5 + pemetrexed 500 mg/m² + pembrolizumab Because this is a non-randomized study, patients are assigned to arms based on tumor histology (squamous vs non-squamous), not by random allocation. The core problem it addresses is that even with pembrolizumab plus histology-appropriate chemotherapy, many patients either never respond or respond briefly and then progress. Tumors evade by exhausting T cells, excluding them from the tumor bed, evolving antigen loss, and maintaining suppressive myeloid and stromal niches. Microlyvaq™ is designed to overcome these resistance modes by actively installing new, durable, polyfunctional anti-tumor immunity rather than relying only on pre-existing T cells. Here's how it works. Each patient's tumor is sequenced (whole exome and RNA-seq) to identify both well-known lung cancer-associated antigens (e.g. NY-ESO-1, SOX2, p53, MAGE-A4, BRAF, BMI1, FXR1, HuD, HuC, CAGE) and private neoantigens created by that tumor's specific mutations, fusions, and splice variants. From this large antigen pool, machine learning models score each candidate epitope for that specific patient. The models consider predicted HLA class I and II presentation, how efficiently the antigen will actually be processed and displayed, whether it's expressed in tumor but not healthy tissue, how essential it is to most malignant cells (to avoid easy escape), and whether it is likely to drive functional, non-exhausted T-cell responses. This is not a generic ranking; it is individualized per patient. The most promising epitopes then undergo a quantum molecular coupling evaluation. Instead of simply asking whether a peptide binds a given HLA, Microlyvaq™ modeling simulates the peptide-MHC complex as a physical system and approximates solutions to Ĥψ = Eψ to estimate whether the peptide will form a stable, low-energy, presentation-competent conformation that a realistic T-cell receptor can dock to without high energetic penalty. Epitopes that look good in simple binding screens but are predicted to be unstable, transient, or geometrically inaccessible to TCRs are excluded. The remaining epitope set is engineered to: (1) recruit potent CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells that can kill tumor cells, and (2) recruit CD4⁺ Th1 helper T cells that produce IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 to sustain and support those killers. The vaccine is therefore intentionally multi-epitope, Th1-biased, and patient-specific. Each personalized Microlyvaq™ lot is manufactured under GMP and given as a prime-boost series in sync with pembrolizumab and the appropriate chemotherapy backbone for the patient's histologic arm (carboplatin/paclitaxel for squamous; carboplatin/pemetrexed for non-squamous). Timing is deliberate: chemotherapy induces immunogenic tumor cell death and antigen release and transiently "opens up" the tumor microenvironment, while pembrolizumab lifts PD-1-mediated brakes on emerging T cells. Microlyvaq™ is dosed into that vulnerable window to expand vaccine-encoded clones just as new antigen is exposed and suppression is partially relieved. The goal is to generate rapid tumor shrinkage, then sustained immune pressure on residual disease, plus epitope spreading - where the immune system begins to recognize additional tumor targets beyond those in the vaccine, making escape more difficult. The trial itself is structured as a seamless, adaptive, non-randomized Phase I/IIa study, with two predefined histology-based arms (squamous vs non-squamous) rather than randomized treatment allocations. The primary early endpoint is objective response rate (RECIST v1.1). Key secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, duration of response, and overall survival. In addition, the study incorporates real-time translational signals as decision points, including: 1. polyfunctional Th1 and CD8⁺ responses to vaccine epitopes by ELISpot/ICS, 2. durable expansion and persistence of vaccine-linked TCR clonotypes in blood and, when feasible, in tumor, 3. rapid decline in circulating tumor DNA as an early molecular marker of tumor clearance, 4. improved tumor infiltration by CD8⁺ and Th1 cells, and 5. remodeling of the tumor microenvironment away from suppressive myeloid states. If a given histology arm shows strong clinical responses plus these immune/molecular signals, that arm can seamlessly expand into survival-powered confirmation. If it does not, predefined futility rules allow that arm to stop, all within this non-randomized, adaptive framework.
This is an early Phase I, non-randomized, open-label, histology-stratified, two-arm interventional study evaluating Microlyvaq™, a personalized multi-epitope peptide vaccine, in combination with first-line pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy in adults with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients are assigned to treatment arm according to tumor histology only (no randomization): * Arm 1 (Squamous NSCLC): Microlyvaq™ + carboplatin AUC 5 + paclitaxel 175 mg/m² + pembrolizumab. * Arm 2 (Non-squamous NSCLC): Microlyvaq™ + carboplatin AUC 5 + pemetrexed 500 mg/m² + pembrolizumab, with standard folate, vitamin B12, and corticosteroid premedication. Rationale and Unmet Need Pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy is a standard first-line option in metastatic NSCLC and improves survival compared with chemotherapy alone. However, many patients never respond, and responders often experience early progression. Current biomarkers (e.g., PD-L1 expression or tumor mutational burden) do not reliably predict durable benefit. Major causes of failure include incomplete or exhausted tumor-reactive T-cell repertoires, stromal and vascular barriers to T-cell infiltration, immunosuppressive myeloid and cytokine milieus, metabolic constraints in the tumor microenvironment, and antigenic escape under immune pressure. Releasing PD-1-mediated inhibition, even together with chemotherapy-induced antigen release, often does not generate a sustained, diversified, polyfunctional anti-tumor immune response. Microlyvaq™ is designed to introduce into each patient a de novo, computationally defined set of tumor-directed T-cell specificities that are tailored to the individual tumor mutational and antigenic landscape, aligned with the patient's HLA genotype, and biased toward clonally important, difficult-to-lose lesions to reduce antigen-loss escape. The vaccine is administered in a prime-boost schedule intentionally synchronized with pembrolizumab and the histology-appropriate chemotherapy backbone. The overarching early Phase I hypothesis is that a personalized multi-epitope vaccine can be safely integrated with standard chemo-immunotherapy, will induce measurable polyfunctional T-cell responses and favorable biomarker changes, and may provide preliminary signals of deeper and more durable clinical responses than would be expected with chemo-immunotherapy alone, thereby justifying later-phase studies. Microlyvaq™ Platform (Tumor Profiling and Epitope Selection) For each participant, tumor material is analyzed using next-generation sequencing and HLA typing to generate a patient-specific pool of candidate antigens, including private neoantigens (from non-synonymous mutations, indels, fusions or splice variants) and selected tumor-associated antigens that are overexpressed in NSCLC. An AI/machine-learning-based immunogenetic scoring system evaluates each candidate epitope with respect to predicted HLA binding, processing and presentation, tumor specificity, clonality, and likelihood of immune escape. Quantum-inspired structural modeling is then used to further prioritize peptides predicted to form stable peptide-MHC complexes that are accessible to T-cell receptors. From this process, a finite panel of class I and class II peptides is selected to compose the personalized Microlyvaq™ lot for that patient. The epitope selection algorithm is "context-aware" of the planned chemotherapy backbone (carboplatin/paclitaxel in Arm 1 vs carboplatin/pemetrexed in Arm 2), recognizing that these regimens differentially shape patterns of tumor cell death, vascular and stromal remodeling, and transient changes in lymphoid and myeloid compartments. Panels are therefore optimized with respect to both the patient's tumor biology and the expected treatment-induced immune milieu. Manufacturing and Administration Microlyvaq™ is manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions. Selected peptides are synthesized, purified, and blended into a multi-epitope peptide formulation, with standard identity, purity, sterility, and endotoxin testing and verification of chain-of-identity and chain-of-custody. Feasibility endpoints include the proportion of enrolled patients in whom a Microlyvaq™ lot can be successfully generated and released within a clinically relevant time window from biopsy to first vaccination, as well as logistical performance across manufacturing, storage, shipping, and on-site handling. The vaccine is administered by subcutaneous or intradermal injection (final route defined in the protocol) in a prime-boost schedule coordinated with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy (e.g., a prime in Cycle 1 followed by boosts in subsequent cycles and, where appropriate, during pembrolizumab maintenance). Standard premedication and post-dose observation are used to monitor for local and systemic reactions. Study Objectives and Assessments Because this is an early Phase I non-randomized trial, the primary focus is on safety, tolerability, and feasibility of integrating Microlyvaq™ into standard first-line regimens for squamous and non-squamous NSCLC. Treatment-emergent adverse events, serious adverse events, and immune-related adverse events will be collected and graded using standard criteria. Feasibility measures include adherence to the planned vaccination schedule and the ability to deliver individualized vaccine lots on time. Key secondary and exploratory objectives include evaluation of vaccine-induced CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses against vaccine-encoded epitopes, T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire dynamics (clonal expansion and persistence of vaccine-linked clonotypes), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) kinetics, and changes in the tumor microenvironment in patients who consent to on-treatment biopsies. Preliminary anti-tumor activity (e.g., overall response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival and overall survival per RECIST v1.1) will be described separately in each arm; the study is not powered for formal inter-arm comparisons. Patient Population and Treatment Eligible patients are adults with advanced (stage IIIB/IIIC) or metastatic (stage IV) NSCLC who are candidates for first-line pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy according to local standards, have ECOG performance status 0-1, adequate organ function, and sufficient tumor tissue for sequencing and HLA typing. Patients with squamous histology are assigned to Arm 1; those with non-squamous histology (e.g., adenocarcinoma or large-cell) are assigned to Arm 2. Key exclusions include prior PD-1/PD-L1/CTLA-4 blockade in the metastatic setting, uncontrolled CNS metastases, and clinically significant active autoimmune disease. Full eligibility criteria are specified elsewhere in the protocol. Safety Monitoring and Oversight Patients will undergo regular clinical evaluations, laboratory testing, and radiologic assessments. Dosing of Microlyvaq™, pembrolizumab, and chemotherapy may be withheld, modified, or discontinued according to protocol-defined criteria in the event of toxicity. Immune-related toxicities will be managed in accordance with contemporary guidelines for checkpoint inhibitors, with additional guidance for suspected vaccine-related events. An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) will periodically review accumulating safety, feasibility, and emerging efficacy/biomarker data and may recommend modification, temporary suspension, or early termination of one or both histology-defined arms if warranted. Sample Size and Design Summary The initial safety cohort will enroll 12 patients who will be evaluable for toxicity. If no Microlyvaq™-related adverse event of \> Grade 2 is observed in more than 3 patients and no Grade 4 Microlyvaq™-related toxicity is observed in any patient, enrollment may expand to a total of 30 patients across both non-randomized arms. Data from this early Phase I study are intended to support the feasibility, safety, and biological activity of Microlyvaq™ and to guide the design of subsequent Phase Ib/II trials in squamous and non-squamous NSCLC.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
90
1\. Investigational Intervention 1.1 Microlyvaq™ (Personalized Multi-Epitope Immunotherapeutic) A patient-specific, algorithmically composed, GMP-manufactured multi-epitope immunotherapy. Each subject's Microlyvaq™ lot is built using: Whole exome sequencing (WES), RNA-seq of that subject's tumor, Matched normal DNA (when available), High-resolution HLA typing, AI/ML epitope immunogenicity ranking (tumor specificity, clonality, escape risk, Th1 bias), Quantum molecular coupling / stability modeling of peptide-HLA-TCR energetics. The final product intentionally contains: Class I-restricted epitopes (for CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells), Class II-restricted epitopes (for CD4⁺ Th1 helper support and durability), All screened for manufacturability, sterility, and safety (GMP, QP release). Formulation / administration Multi-peptide (or peptide-adjuvant co-formulation) given intradermally/subcutaneously (route finalized in pharmacy manual). Co-administered with a Th1-skewing immunostimulator
Biogenea Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece
Overall Survival (OS): AI epitope ranking, quantum energetics, TCR repertoire engineering, ctDNA collapse, spatial immune remodeling - is in service of extending OS safely. Subjects alive at cut-off are censored at last known alive.
Overall survival is the time from first dose of study treatment to death from any cause. Survival will be summarized with Kaplan-Meier curves; between-arm comparisons will use a stratified Cox model to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). If non-proportional hazards are detected, restricted mean survival time (RMST) will be used. Stratification factors may include PD-L1 proportion score (TPS), smoking status, actionable driver status (EGFR/ALK/ROS1/ERBB2/KRAS-G12C), and geographic region. Subsequent anti-cancer therapy after progression will not reset survival time (treatment-policy strategy). Patients lost to follow-up will be censored at the last date known alive. Overall survival will be evaluated in two non-randomized histology cohorts: Arm 1 (squamous NSCLC): Microlyvaq™ + carboplatin + paclitaxel + pembrolizumab; Arm 2 (non-squamous NSCLC): Microlyvaq™ + carboplatin + pemetrexed + pembrolizumab (with folate/B12 and steroid support).
Time frame: Survival status assessed approximately every 12 weeks during long-term follow-up, through study completion, up to approximately 36 months.
Objective Response Rate (ORR; Confirmed CR+PR): The Microlyvaq™ vaccine is delivered into a "window of susceptibility": right when chemotherapy has induced immunogenic cell death and pembrolizumab has lifted PD-1 brakes on on exhausted T cells.
* ORR (%) with 95% CI in the Full Analysis Set (all randomized with measurable disease at baseline). * Between-arm comparison via stratified CMH or logistic regression adjusting for prespecified strata. * Missing confirmatory scan defaults to "non-responder" in the primary analysis to avoid false inflation. In Microlyvaq™, ORR is not just "does tumor shrink." It's "does our AI / ML / quantum-informed control signal actually force the tumor-immune system into the kill state we predicted, on schedule."• Each Microlyvaq™ lot is not a fixed commercial SKU. It's a computationally composed payload of \~17-25 epitopes, each picked for that exact patient by AI/ML plus quantum energy modeling to maximize productive peptide-HLA display, stable TCR engagement geometry, and resistance to tumor immune escape. In Microlyvaq™, ORR is not just "does tumor shrink." It's "does our AI / ML / quantum-informed signal actually force the tumor-immune system into the kill state we predicted, on schedule"
Time frame: Confirmation window: Response must be confirmed 8 weeks after first CR/PR call, so typically ~Week 14 for first responders.Update cadence: Every imaging timepoint: 6 weeks through Week 24, then 12 weeks thereafter.
Progression-Free Survival (PFS): Time from randomization to first of either: 1. RECIST v1.1 progression (investigator), or 2. Death from any cause. Sensitivity analysis uses blinded ERC progression calls.
* Kaplan-Meier curves, stratified log-rank test, and stratified Cox HR with 95% CI. * Handling of new therapy before documented PD: in the primary analysis, switching early to another systemic therapy is treated as if progression occurred at the last adequate tumor assessment; sensitivity analysis censors at switch and relies on ERC adjudication. If PFS meaningfully improves and aligns with immune readouts (ctDNA suppression, sustained TCR clones, maintained intratumoral CD8⁺/Th1 infiltration), that's strong mechanistic validation. PFS measures whether the new immune repertoire we engineered (Th1-supported, polyfunctional, persistent TCR clonotypes) is actually able to hold the tumor in a suppressed state under real-world stress - metabolic starvation, stromal exclusion, myeloid suppression, spatial heterogeneity - once the initial cytotoxic wave is over.
Time frame: Time Frame: From baseline (scan within 28 days before Day 1) through study completion, with tumor assessments every 6 weeks through Week 24, then every 12 weeks thereafter (up to approximately 24 months).
Duration of Response (DoR) for confirmed responders (CR/PR)
Duration of response (DoR) is defined, for participants with confirmed complete or partial response (CR/PR), as the time from first documented response to RECIST v1.1 progression or death; participants without an event are censored at the last adequate tumor assessment. DoR will be summarized using Kaplan-Meier curves in responders, with median DoR and 95% confidence intervals, and sensitivity analyses using independent ERC review and alternative censoring at the start of new anti-cancer therapy. Exploratory analyses may overlay ctDNA kinetics during DoR to show molecular durability alongside radiologic durability, as a readout of persistence of vaccine-induced T-cell responses and the underlying epitope-selection strategy.
Time frame: From end of on-treatment follow-up, survival status assessed approximately every 12 weeks through study completion, up to approximately 36 months.
Disease Control Rate (DCR): CR + PR + durable stable disease (SD ≥6 weeks at the first scheduled post-baseline scan).
Disease Control Rate (DCR): Proportion of patients with complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) lasting ≥ 6 weeks at or beyond the first scheduled post-baseline tumor assessment, per RECIST v1.1. In metastatic NSCLC, DCR captures not only overt tumor shrinkage but also durable "immune-mediated stalemate," where Microlyvaq™ may convert immune-cold, myeloid-rich lesions into inflamed, T-cell-infiltrated tumors that stop progressing but do not fully regress. Analysis: Proportion (with 95% confidence interval) in the full analysis set with measurable disease; between-arm comparisons using logistic regression and/or Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) methods stratified by prespecified factors.
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Time frame: From the first post-baseline tumor assessment (approximately Week 6) through confirmation of disease control, with tumor assessments every 6 weeks through Week 24, then every 12 weeks thereafter through study completion (up to approximately 24
Time to Response (TTR):Among responders, time from randomization to first confirmed CR/PR.
The Microlyvaq™ prime/boost schedule is phase-matched to chemo/pembro timing windows when antigen release, checkpoint relief, and vascular access are maximized. If we got the timing right, responses shouldn't be mysteriously delayed; they should start to appear in those synchronized windows. A long lag with late "catch-up" responses might signal mis-phasing of u(t). * Median TTR and distribution descriptions across arms. * Non-parametric comparisons with caveats about responder-only bias.
Time frame: First evaluable: First scan with CR/PR (~Week 6).Confirmation anchor: Responses are only counted once confirmed 4-8 weeks later (so confirmed TTR for early responders ~Week 10-14).
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs)
Incidence, severity, and relationship to study treatment will be summarized by arm for all treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), including Grade ≥3 TEAEs and TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation. By-arm incidence tables and exposure-adjusted incidence rates will be presented. A narrative review will be provided for any severe systemic inflammatory TEAEs temporally associated with Microlyvaq™.
Time frame: From first dose of any study drug through 30 days after the last dose of any study drug (up to approximately 12 months, depending on treatment duration).
Time to Sustained Deterioration in LC13 Lung Symptoms (Dyspnea, Cough, Chest Pain)
Time from baseline to the first ≥10-point worsening from baseline in prespecified EORTC QLQ-LC13 lung symptom items (dyspnea, cough, chest pain) that is confirmed (i.e., persists) at the next scheduled assessment; death before the next assessment is counted as deterioration in the primary analysis. This endpoint evaluates whether treatment delays clinically meaningful worsening of lung symptoms (patients breathing better, coughing less, and having less chest pain). Time to deterioration will be analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods with stratified Cox hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals; mixed models for repeated measures (MMRM) will be used to describe mean symptom changes over time as supportive analyses.
Time frame: From baseline (Day 1) until the first sustained deterioration in LC13 score or death, whichever occurs first, assessed up to approximately 24 months.