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Abdominal CancerPhase 1LPSNCT05751837

Feasibility Study of Intra-Tumoral Lipopolysaccharide Immunotherapy for Intra-Abdominal Tumors

A Phase 1 study testing Lipopolysaccharide in people with Abdominal Cancer and Malignancy, run by Patrick Wagner, MD, FACS at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether a sterile bacteria wall chemical, called lipopolysaccharide (LPS), can be injected safely into abdominal tumors during routine laparoscopic surgery performed as a preliminary procedure in patients who will subsequently undergo a larger planned operation to… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 99 years
Conditions the study is for
Abdominal Cancer, Malignancy
What is being tested?
Lipopolysaccharide
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
12 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
16 Mar 2023to 30 May 2024
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 99 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Males or females age 18 to 99 years
  • Pre-menopausal women less than or equal to18 years of age must have a negative urine/serum pregnancy test prior to standard-of-care surgery and investigational treatment.
  • Participants must have an advanced intra-abdominal tumor, including metastatic or recurrent, biopsy-proven, digestive tract tumors.
  • Participants must have at least two index non-visceral intra-abdominal tumors that are grossly visible, >1cm3 in volume, and amenable to biopsy and injection of investigational drug or control solution at the time of laparoscopy.
  • Participants must be planning or scheduled to undergo a standard-of-care abdominal laparoscopic surgical procedure at AGH or WPH and be potentially eligible for a second, definitive operation to remove the tumor(s) pending the findings during laparoscopy.
  • Must be able to read and understand English and consent for themselves

Who cannot join

  • Pregnant or lactating females
  • Investigational drug use within 30 days prior to enrollment.
  • Immunosuppressive medication including corticosteroids within 30 days prior to enrollment.
  • Active chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks of investigational agent injection.
  • Active infection requiring systemic therapy or causing fever >38.1 degree C or unexplained fever >38.1 degree C within seven days prior to investigational agent injection
  • Laboratory abnormalities, drawn according to standard clinical care in anticipation of upcoming surgery outside the following limits:
Show all 11Show fewer
  • AST/SGOT > 1.5 times the upper limit of normal ALT/SGPT > 1.5 times the upper limit of normal Total bilirubin > 1.5 times the upper limit of normal Creatinine > 1.5 times the upper limit of normal Hemoglobin < 9 gm/dL White blood cell count < 3,000/ mm3 Platelet count < 70,000/mm3 INR >1.5 times the upper limit of normal PTT >1.5 times the upper limit of normal
  • History of allergic reaction to the investigational agent carrier solution.
  • Medical contra-indication or allergic reaction to acetaminophen or NSAIDs.
  • Participants who, in the opinion of the Investigator, may be non-compliant with study schedules or procedures.
  • Adverse events from prior therapy that have not resolved to CTCAE version 5 grade < and equal to1 prior to enrollment

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • Allegheny Health Network Allegheny General Hospital

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15212

  • Allegheny Health Network West Penn Hospital

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15224

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this research study is to determine whether a sterile bacteria wall chemical, called lipopolysaccharide (LPS), can be injected safely into abdominal tumors during routine laparoscopic surgery performed as a preliminary procedure in patients who will subsequently undergo a larger planned operation to remove abdominal tumors. The researchers will biopsy the tumor before injection and then again at the time of the larger operation to assess whether any effect of the treatment can be measured.

Read the detailed description

Immunotherapy for advanced cancers of the abdomen can be quite effective, but not all tumors are responsive to this type of treatment. There is intense interest in new methods to convert non-responsive tumors into responsive tumors. One such method is to inject chemical constituents of micro-organisms into tumors in order to stimulate the immune system to recognize the tumor as foreign and mount an immune response to treatment.

Being tested
Lipopolysaccharide
Medical subject headings
Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • LipopolysaccharideBiological

    Also called LPS; E. coli 0113

    One tumor will be injected with 1 ug LPS (investigational drug) over approximately one minute

Study groups in NCT05751837
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment ArmExperimentalInjection of Lipopolysaccharide into one abdominal tumor
Receives: Biological: Lipopolysaccharide

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability]

    The number, nature and severity of adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v 4.0 will be determined in patients undergoing injection of bacterial-derived immunotherapeutic toll receptor agonist (LPS) instilled via direct injection into intra-abdominal tumors during laparoscopic surgery.

    Measured: 30 Days

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Alteration in Cellular and Soluble Immune Biomarkers in Injected Tumors

    Changes in intra-tumoral leukocyte subgroup densities and soluble immune biomarker concentrations will be assessed in injected tumors and compared against non-injected tumors.

    Measured: 30 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted2 Mar 2023
  2. Study start16 Mar 2023
  3. Primary completion30 May 2024
  4. Study completion30 May 2024

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Single-arm, open label, comparative, phase I safety and feasibility study, with correlative translational studies
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
12 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05751837
Sponsor's protocol ID
2022-263
Acronym
LPS
Status last verified
Jun 2026
First submitted
2 Feb 2023
Last updated
15 Jun 2026
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: No identifiable data will be used for future study without first obtaining IRB approval. The investigator will obtain a data use agreement between the provider (the PI) of the data and any recipient researchers before sharing data.

Publications

  • Lewis C, Dadgar N, Najafi M, Park H, Sherry C, Lucas A, Zaidi A, Xiao K, Omstead A, Donnenberg A, Bartlett DL. Intra-tumoral immunomodulatory therapy for advanced abdominal cancers using lipopolysaccharide: The Regional Immuno-Oncology Trial-1 (RIOT-1) protocol (NCT05751837). Surgical Oncology Insight. 2024 Jun 1;1(2):100042.

  • Shetab Boushehri MA, Lamprecht A. TLR4-Based Immunotherapeutics in Cancer: A Review of the Achievements and Shortcomings. Mol Pharm. 2018 Nov 5;15(11):4777-4800. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00691. Epub 2018 Oct 3.

    PubMed 30226786
  • Oblak A, Jerala R. Toll-like receptor 4 activation in cancer progression and therapy. Clin Dev Immunol. 2011;2011:609579. doi: 10.1155/2011/609579. Epub 2011 Nov 3.

    PubMed 22110526
  • Berendt MJ, North RJ, Kirstein DP. The immunological basis of endotoxin-induced tumor regression. Requirement for a pre-existing state of concomitant anti-tumor immunity. J Exp Med. 1978 Dec 1;148(6):1560-9. doi: 10.1084/jem.148.6.1560.

    PubMed 309922
  • Chicoine MR, Won EK, Zahner MC. Intratumoral injection of lipopolysaccharide causes regression of subcutaneously implanted mouse glioblastoma multiforme. Neurosurgery. 2001 Mar;48(3):607-14; discussion 614-5. doi: 10.1097/00006123-200103000-00032.

    PubMed 11270552
  • Mariani CL, Rajon D, Bova FJ, Streit WJ. Nonspecific immunotherapy with intratumoral lipopolysaccharide and zymosan A but not GM-CSF leads to an effective anti-tumor response in subcutaneous RG-2 gliomas. J Neurooncol. 2007 Dec;85(3):231-40. doi: 10.1007/s11060-007-9415-2. Epub 2007 Jun 14.

    PubMed 17568998
  • Goto S, Sakai S, Kera J, Suma Y, Soma GI, Takeuchi S. Intradermal administration of lipopolysaccharide in treatment of human cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1996 May;42(4):255-61. doi: 10.1007/s002620050279.

    PubMed 8665574
  • Engelhardt R, Mackensen A, Galanos C. Phase I trial of intravenously administered endotoxin (Salmonella abortus equi) in cancer patients. Cancer Res. 1991 May 15;51(10):2524-30.

    PubMed 2021932
  • van Lier D, Geven C, Leijte GP, Pickkers P. Experimental human endotoxemia as a model of systemic inflammation. Biochimie. 2019 Apr;159:99-106. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2018.06.014. Epub 2018 Jun 22.

    PubMed 29936295
  • Fong YM, Marano MA, Moldawer LL, Wei H, Calvano SE, Kenney JS, Allison AC, Cerami A, Shires GT, Lowry SF. The acute splanchnic and peripheral tissue metabolic response to endotoxin in humans. J Clin Invest. 1990 Jun;85(6):1896-904. doi: 10.1172/JCI114651.

    PubMed 2347917
  • Calvano SE, Coyle SM. Experimental human endotoxemia: a model of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome? Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2012 Oct;13(5):293-9. doi: 10.1089/sur.2012.155. Epub 2012 Oct 16.

    PubMed 23072275
  • Vila G, Riedl M, Resl M, van der Lely AJ, Hofland LJ, Clodi M, Luger A. Systemic administration of oxytocin reduces basal and lipopolysaccharide-induced ghrelin levels in healthy men. J Endocrinol. 2009 Oct;203(1):175-9. doi: 10.1677/JOE-09-0227. Epub 2009 Jul 8.

    PubMed 19587265
  • Hudgins LC, Parker TS, Levine DM, Gordon BR, Saal SD, Jiang XC, Seidman CE, Tremaroli JD, Lai J, Rubin AL. A single intravenous dose of endotoxin rapidly alters serum lipoproteins and lipid transfer proteins in normal volunteers. J Lipid Res. 2003 Aug;44(8):1489-98. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M200440-JLR200. Epub 2003 May 16.

    PubMed 12754273
  • Mehta RS, Nishihara R, Cao Y, Song M, Mima K, Qian ZR, Nowak JA, Kosumi K, Hamada T, Masugi Y, Bullman S, Drew DA, Kostic AD, Fung TT, Garrett WS, Huttenhower C, Wu K, Meyerhardt JA, Zhang X, Willett WC, Giovannucci EL, Fuchs CS, Chan AT, Ogino S. Association of Dietary Patterns With Risk of Colorectal Cancer Subtypes Classified by Fusobacterium nucleatum in Tumor Tissue. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Jul 1;3(7):921-927. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.6374.

    PubMed 28125762
  • Kiers D, Leijte GP, Gerretsen J, Zwaag J, Kox M, Pickkers P. Comparison of different lots of endotoxin and evaluation of in vivo potency over time in the experimental human endotoxemia model. Innate Immun. 2019 Jan;25(1):34-45. doi: 10.1177/1753425918819754.

    PubMed 30782041

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Lipopolysaccharide in people with Abdominal Cancer and Malignancy, run by Patrick Wagner, MD, FACS at 2 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 15 Jun 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability] (time frame: 30 Days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05751837, which also lists 20 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Jun 2026.

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