CA-4948 Added To Standard Chemotherapy To Treat Metastatic Or Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer

Study Overview

CA-4948 Added to Standard Chemotherapy to Treat Metastatic or Unresectable Pancreatic Cancer

This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, and best dose of emavusertib (CA-4948) in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in treating patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) or cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). CA-4948 is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of abnormal proteins called interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) that signal cells to multiply. This may help keep cancer cells from growing. The usual approach for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is treatment with chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. Gemcitabine is a chemotherapy drug that blocks the cells from making DNA and may kill cancer cells. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called anti-microtubule agents. It stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Nab-paclitaxel is an albumin-stabilized nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel which may have fewer side effects and work better than other forms of paclitaxel. Giving CA-4948 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel may shrink or stabilize metastatic or unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To assess dose limiting toxicities and determine the recommended phase 2 dose of emavusertib (CA--4948) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To observe and record anti-tumor activity. II. To evaluate the safety and tolerability of the combination of CA-4948 and chemotherapy. III. To determine preliminary signals of efficacy, as measured by objective response rate (ORR), CA-4948 response, progression free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES: I. To evaluate pharmacodynamic effect of CA-4948 in combination with chemotherapy. II. To evaluate pharmacokinetics of CA-4948 in combination with chemotherapy. III. To explore biomarkers and genomic alterations associated with treatment response. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of CA-4948 in combination with fixed-dose gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel followed by a dose-expansion study. Patients receive CA-4948 orally (PO), gemcitabine intravenously (IV), and nab-paclitaxel IV on study. Patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, and/or x-ray imaging throughout the trial. Patients also undergo tumor biopsies and blood sample collection during screening and on study.

Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Stage III Pancreatic Cancer AJCC v8
Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer AJCC v8
Unresectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

PROCEDURE: Biopsy Procedure
PROCEDURE: Biospecimen Collection
PROCEDURE: Computed Tomography
BIOLOGICAL: Emavusertib
DRUG: Gemcitabine Hydrochloride
PROCEDURE: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
DRUG: Nab-paclitaxel
PROCEDURE: Positron Emission Tomography
PROCEDURE: X-Ray Imaging

NCI-2022-08984
NCI-2022-08984 (REGISTRY Identifier) (REGISTRY: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))
10522 (OTHER Identifier) (OTHER: Yale University Cancer Center LAO)
10522 (OTHER Identifier) (OTHER: CTEP)
UM1CA186689 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates	Results Reporting Dates	Study Record Updates
First Submitted 2023-01-13	Results First Submitted N/A	Last Update Submitted that met QC Criteria 2025-09-02
First Submitted that Met QC Criteria 2023-01-13	Results First Submitted that Met QC Criteria N/A	Last Update Posted (ESTIMATED) 2025-09-03
First Posted (ESTIMATED) 2023-01-17	Results First Posted N/A	Last Verified 2025-05

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

Design Details

Primary Purpose:
Treatment

Allocation:
Na

Interventional Model:
Single Group

Masking:
None

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group/Arm	Intervention/Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Treatment (CA-4948, gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel) Patients receive CA-4948 orally (PO), gemcitabine intravenously (IV), and nab-paclitaxel IV on study. Patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, and/or x-ray imaging throughou	PROCEDURE: Biopsy Procedure Undergo a tumor biopsy PROCEDURE: Biospecimen Collection Undergo blood sample collection PROCEDURE: Computed Tomography Undergo a CT scan BIOLOGICAL: Emavusertib Given PO DRUG: Gemcitabine Hydrochloride Given IV PROCEDURE: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Undergo MRI DRUG: Nab-paclitaxel Given IV PROCEDURE: Positron Emission Tomography Undergo a PET scan PROCEDURE: X-Ray Imaging Undergo an x-ray

Participant Group/Arm

Intervention/Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL: Treatment (CA-4948, gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel)

Patients receive CA-4948 orally (PO), gemcitabine intravenously (IV), and nab-paclitaxel IV on study. Patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, and/or x-ray imaging throughou

PROCEDURE: Biopsy Procedure

Undergo a tumor biopsy

PROCEDURE: Biospecimen Collection

Undergo blood sample collection

PROCEDURE: Computed Tomography

Undergo a CT scan

BIOLOGICAL: Emavusertib

Given PO

DRUG: Gemcitabine Hydrochloride

Given IV

PROCEDURE: Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Undergo MRI

DRUG: Nab-paclitaxel

Given IV

PROCEDURE: Positron Emission Tomography

Undergo a PET scan

PROCEDURE: X-Ray Imaging

Undergo an x-ray

Primary Outcome Measures	Measure Description	Time Frame
Dose limiting toxicity rate	Done to determine the maximum tolerated dose for the combination of CA-4948 and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy backbone. Data analysis of the study will be descriptive in nature. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the sample, toxicity by severity, as well as loss to follow-up will be summarized using descriptive statistics. Safety endpoints will be listed for each dose level.	Up to 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures	Measure Description	Time Frame
Incidence of adverse events	Tabulations of adverse events will be produced by severity and by relationship to study drug.	Up to 1 year
Overall response rate (ORR)	For efficacy data in the expansion cohort, ORR and its 95% confidence interval will be calculated.	Up to 1 year
Progression-free survival (PFS)	Will be described using Kaplan-Meier product limit methods.	From start of study treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first, assessed up to 1 year
Overall survival (OS)	Will be described using Kaplan-Meier product limit methods.	Up to 1 year

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person’s general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:
ALL

Sexes Eligible for Study:
18 Years

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the pancreas that is metastatic or unresectable and for which standard curative or palliative measures do not exist or are no longer effective
Patients must have had disease progression on or after fluorouracil (5-FU)-based therapy for metastatic or unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). If received gemcitabine-based regimen as adjuvant therapy, then gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel (if used) should be >12 months from study enrollment. Prior use of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel for metastatic or unresectable disease is not allowed
Age >= 18 years. Because no dosing or adverse event data are currently available on the use of CA-4948 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients < 18 years of age, children are excluded from this study
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =< 2 (Karnofsky >= 60%)
Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mcL
Platelets >= 100,000/mcL
Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 3 x institutional ULN
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >= 60 mL/min (based on the calculated Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI] glomerular filtration rate estimation)
Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevation at the screening < grade 2 (creatine phosphokinase [CPK] =< 2.5 ULN)
Patients on a cholesterol lowering statin must be on a stable dose with no dose changes within 3 weeks prior to study start
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load within 6 months are eligible for this trial as long as their anti-retroviral therapy does not have the potential for drug-drug interactions as judged by the treating investigator
For patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated
Patients with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured. For patients with HCV infection who are currently on treatment, they are eligible if they have an undetectable HCV viral load
Patients with treated brain metastases are eligible if follow-up brain imaging after at least 4 weeks following central nervous system (CNS)-directed therapy shows no evidence of progression
Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen are eligible for this trial
Patients with known history or current symptoms of cardiac disease, or history of treatment with cardiotoxic agents, should have a clinical risk assessment of cardiac function using the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. To be eligible for this trial, patients should be class 2B or better
Patients must have lesions amenable to research biopsy for those enrolling to the expansion cohort. The biopsy should be deemed feasible and safe for pre-biopsy lesion assessment criteria
The effects of CA-4948, nab-paclitaxel, and gemcitabine on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason and because gemcitabine is known to be teratogenic, embryotoxic, and fetotoxic in mice and rabbits, women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and 6 months after completion of CA-4948, nab-paclitaxel, and gemcitabine administration. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. Men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and 3 months after completion of CA-4948, nab-paclitaxel, and gemcitabine administration
Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Participants with impaired decision-making capacity who have a legally-authorized representative (LAR) and/or family member available will also be eligible

Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study
Patients who have not recovered from clinically significant adverse events due to prior anti-cancer therapy (i.e., have residual toxicities > grade 1) with the exception of alopecia
History of other malignancy with the exception of 1) malignancies for which all treatment was completed at least 2 years before registration and the patient has no evidence of disease; 2) or known indolent malignancies that do not require treatment and will likely not alter the course of treatment of disease under treatment
History of allogeneic organ or stem cell transplant
Current use or anticipated need for alternative, holistic, naturopathic, or botanical formulations used for the purpose of cancer treatment
Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents
History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to CA-4948 or other agents used in study
Patients receiving any medications or substances that are inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4 are ineligible due to CA-4948 and nab-paclitaxel. Because the lists of these agents are constantly changing, it is important to regularly consult a frequently-updated medical reference. As part of the enrollment/informed consent procedures, the patient will be counseled on the risk of interactions with other agents, and what to do if new medications need to be prescribed or if the patient is considering a new over-the-counter medicine or herbal product
Patients with uncontrolled intercurrent illness
Pregnant women are excluded from this study because gemcitabine is nucleoside analogue with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with gemcitabine, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with gemcitabine. These potential risks may also apply to other agents used in this study
Prolonged Fridericia's correction formula (QTcF) (> 470 in females, > 450 in males) on screening electrocardiogram (ECG)
Gastrointestinal condition which could impair absorption of CA-4948 or inability to ingest CA-4948
Severe obstructive pulmonary disease or interstitial lung disease
History of rhabdomyolysis or elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR: Patrick Grierson, Yale University Cancer Center LAO

Publications

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