Phase I/II Clinical Trial Combining hTERT Tumor Vaccine & Autologous T Cells in Patients With Advanced Myeloma

This protocol proposes to combine two different investigational products to test the hypothesis that autologous T cell therapy can augment the potency of a putative tumor vaccine post- stem cell transplant, and lead to a myeloma-directed T-cell mediated "graft vs. myeloma" effect in patients with advance myeloma. The hope is that this combination therapy approach will result in a more rapid recovery of acquired immunity and consequently increased cure rates and better clinical outcomes. The two investigational products to be evaluated in this Phase I/II study include: 1. hTERT Vaccine (the putative tumor vaccine)- a multi-peptide vaccine consisting of 3 peptides against the catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT D988Y, I540, and R572Y), 1 survivin peptide (Sur1M2- an antiapoptotic protein), and 1 CMV (cytopeptide (N495). 2. T cell therapy- T-cells isolated from the patient and activated/expanded ex vivo by antiCD3/28 beads. This is a two-site study at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland to recruit a total of fifty-six study patients. The key eligibility criteria are patients who have systemic or multifocal myeloma requiring autologous stem cell transplantation. After enrollment, patients will be divided into two arms (A and B) according to their HLA A2 status (A = HLA A2 +, B = HLA A2-). Patients in ARM A will be initially immunized with the hTERT vaccine along with a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV); patients in ARM B will be initially immunized and given boosters of PCV only. All patients will undergo T-cell harvest, stem cell mobilization and collection, high-dose chemotherapy, autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), and an infusion of expanded T cells at day 2 after ASCT. Patients in ARM A will then receive three hTERT/PCV vaccine boosters at day 14, 42, and 90 after ASCT.