A Phase I Study of GNKG168 in Patient With Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-CLL)

This is an open-label, dose escalation study designed to characterize the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of GNKG168 in patients with B-CLL that has relapsed or is refractory to all prior standard therapy, or for which no standard therapy exists. As secondary objectives, baseline TLR-9 intracellular staining of B-CLL cells, and in vitro assays to assess the potential of B-CLL cells to undergo apoptosis in conjunction with GNKG168 therapy will be examined. Baseline characteristics of B-CLL will be examined including interphase genetics, FISH CLL, IgVH mutational status, expression of ZAP70, β2-microglobulin and the expression of the prognostic marker CD38 in peripheral blood cells (at baseline and during treatment) and baseline immune SNPs (FcγRIIIa, FcγRIIa, TNF-α, IFN-γ, CD40 and others). As pharmacodynamics parameters, the expression of B-cell and T-cell activation markers (including IL-21 receptor upregulation), NK cell markers, and cytokines will be investigated. This clinical trial will also assess the ability of B CLL patients treated with GNKG168 to elicit anti pneumococcal antibodies in response to adjuvant vaccination with the Prevnar™ vaccine.