A new clinical trial of an immune therapy for fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is now recruiting subjects at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. The study asks if individuals can mount an effective immune response against FLC by specifically targeting the unique chimeric protein (resulting from a DNAJB1-PRKACA gene fusion) believed to drive the growth of almost all such tumors. Trial subjects will be given an experimental vaccine (the first patient in the trial received this vaccine on April 21st) containing a peptide (small segment of a protein) that corresponds to the junction region linking the two parts of the chimeric protein. They will simultaneously receive two FDA-approved drugs, Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab), that may enhance the immune response against FLC by overcoming “checkpoint” systems that can limit the immune system’s ability to fight a cancer.

Enrollment in this trial is open to FLC patients 12 years old and older. The study’s principal investigator is Dr. Mark Yarchoan. Details and contact information can be found at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT-04248569