Safety and Efficacy Study of INGN 241 Gene Therapy in Patients With In Transit Melanoma

INGN 241 is an adenoviral vector carrying the MDA-7 cDNA. MDA-7 is a novel tumor suppressor molecule with cytokine properties, recently designated as IL-24. Over expression of MDA-7 in melanoma cells in vitro has been shown to inhibit cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis. Loss of MDA-7 expression in human melanomas has been shown to correlate with invasion and metastasis. The INGN 241 gene transfer construct has been previously used in human subjects in an ongoing open label Phase I study using intratumoral administration, and has been well tolerated to date. The primary objectives of the present study are to determine if INGN 241, injected into a melanoma in transit lesion, can induce apoptosis in regional uninjected lesions and initiate systemic immune activation. Secondary objectives include examination of specific immunity and of clinical response and toxicity.