Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for Safety of a Single Administration of AAV2hAQP1, an Adeno-Associated Viral Vector Encoding Human Aquaporin-1 to One Parotid Salivary Gland in People With Irradiation-Induced Parotid Salivary Hypofunction

Study Description

Brief Summary: Background: - Radiation can cause the parotid salivary glands to make less saliva (dry mouth). This can cause problems like infections and tooth decay. Researchers hope a new drug can help people with dry mouth caused by radiation. Objectives: - To examine the safety of AAV2hAQP1 gene therapy. To see if the drug increases saliva in people whose parotid glands have had radiation. Eligibility: - People at least 18 years of age with a history of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Design: Participants will be screened in 2 visits with: * medical history * physical exam * scans of the head, neck, and chest * intravenous administration of glycopyrrolate to stop saliva * saliva collections * sialogram which is a procedure in which a substance is injected in the parotid gland and X-rays are taken. * non-drug infusion * a small piece of skin being taken 3-5-day hospital stay: Participants will receive the gene infusion. The AAV2hAQP1 will be in a solution in a syringe. It will be slowly pushed into the parotid gland through the parotid duct, an opening in the mouth near the second upper molar tooth. 10 outpatient visits over 3 years. These may include: * repeats of selected screening tests, including saliva collection * blood and urine tests * oral and dental examinations * head and neck exams, including the use of a thin scope to see the back of the throat * questionnaires * a small piece of parotid tissue being taken by either a small scope through the parotid duct or by a small needle guided by ultrasound * scans of the head and neck. For some, contrast will be injected in a vein * completion of a diary about how the participant feels between visits * swabs of teeth and gums to assess the microbiome of the mouth

Detailed Description: The treatment of most head and neck cancer patients includes ionizing radiation (IR). Salivary glands in the IR field suffer irreversible damage. There is no conventional treatment available to correct this condition. Our research group has been developing an adeno-associated virus vector based on the hypothesis that this vector is capable of safely transferring the human aquaporin-1 (hAQP1) cDNA gene to parotid glands of adult patients with IR-induced salivary hypofunction, resulting in an elevated salivary output. Human AQP1 is a plasma membrane protein that facilitates water movement across lipid bilayers. Minipig studies have shown that the AAV2hAQP1 strategy for restoring salivary flow to IR-damaged salivary glands is effective without untoward effects after salivary gland delivery. As a proof of concept that AQP1 would restore saliva flow in a human population, we recently completed a phase 1 clinical trial (06-D-0206) using an Adenovirus-based vector encoding AQP1 to a single previously irradiated parotid gland in eleven patients using an open label, single dose, dose-escalation design. All patients tolerated vector delivery and study procedures well and positive objective and subjective responses were seen in five patients, all at doses \<5.8 times10(9) vp/gland. At higher doses the patients possibly initiated an immune response to the vector and no improvement in gland function was observed. These findings have encouraged us to pursue studies with AAV2 based vectors, which have demonstrated lower immunogenicity and more stable expression compared with adenoviral vectors. The purpose of this clinical protocol is to test the safety of AAV2hAQP1, with some measures of efficacy, in adult patients with established IR-induced parotid gland hypofunction. The targeted tissue site for the AAV2hAQP1 vector in the proposed study is a single parotid gland. In this Phase 1 dose-escalation study, safety will be evaluated using conventional clinical and immunological parameters. The primary outcome measure for biological efficacy will be parotid gland salivary output.

Keywords

Eligibility

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Eligible Ages: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT

Sex: ALL

Healthy Volunteers: No

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