Imprime PGG

Shoot!!  I am so sorry you are dealing with one more round!  I do not know of anyone on this trial or med….but I did find this, which if you have not seen it might be helpful:

PLoS One. 2016 Nov 3;11(11):e0165909. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165909. eCollection 2016.
Imprime PGG-Mediated Anti-Cancer Immune Activation Requires Immune Complex Formation.
Chan AS1, Jonas AB1, Qiu X1, Ottoson NR1, Walsh RM1, Gorden KB1, Harrison B1, Maimonis PJ1, Leonardo SM1, Ertelt KE1, Danielson ME1, Michel KS1, Nelson M1, Graff JR1, Patchen ML1, Bose N1.
Author information
Abstract
Imprime PGG (Imprime), an intravenously-administered, soluble β-glucan, has shown compelling efficacy in multiple phase 2 clinical trials with tumor targeting or anti-angiogenic antibodies. Mechanistically, Imprime acts as pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) directly activating innate immune effector cells, triggering a coordinated anti-cancer immune response. Herein, using whole blood from healthy human subjects, we show that Imprime-induced anti-cancer functionality is dependent on immune complex formation with naturally-occurring, anti-β glucan antibodies (ABA). The formation of Imprime-ABA complexes activates complement, primarily via the classical complement pathway, and is opsonized by iC3b. Immune complex binding depends upon Complement Receptor 3 and Fcg Receptor IIa, eliciting phenotypic activation of, and enhanced chemokine production by, neutrophils and monocytes, enabling these effector cells to kill antibody-opsonized tumor cells via the generation of reactive oxygen species and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. Importantly, these innate immune cell changes were not evident in subjects with low ABA levels but could be rescued with exogenous ABA supplementation. Together, these data indicate that pre-existing ABA are essential for Imprime-mediated anti-cancer immune activation and suggest that pre-treatment ABA levels may provide a plausible patient selection biomarker to delineate patients most likely to benefit from Imprime-based therapy.

There is also this trial that Brian just mentioned:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03131908?term=GSK2636771&cond=stage+iv+melanoma&cntry1=NA%3AUS&rank=1  

There is also this:  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02575404?term=recruiting&cond=stage+iv+melanoma&cntry1=NA%3AUS&draw=7&rank=55  

I don't know a great deal about this one.  But I found this:  galectin inhibitor GR-MD-02

A carbohydrate-based galectin inhibitor, with potential antineoplastic activity. Galectin inhibitor GR-MD-02 binds to the carbohydrate-binding domain of galectins, especially galectin-3, and may result in an induction of apoptosis mediated through activation of both mitochondria and caspases. This may reduce tumor growth in galectin-overexpressing tumor cells. Galectins, often overexpressed on tumor cells, play a key role in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, tumor angiogenesis and evasion of immune responses. Check for active clinical trials using this agent. (NCI Thesaurus)

Don't know if any of that helps you at all.  Hang in there.  Will be wishing you well!!! celeste

Hi braunerk, sorry to hear that you have progressed. My thinking is if you are looking for clinical trials and are willing to travel, then M D Anderson (Dr. Michael Davies), the Angeles Clinic (Dr. Omid Hamid), UCLA (Dr. Antoni Ribas), New York ( Dr. Jeffrey Weber, Dr. Michael Postow), Chicago ( Dr. Jason Luke), Boston ( Dr. Keith T Flaherty). I would take a look at IDO inhibitors + Pembro and other new combinations with pd-1 . Here is a link to IDO inhibitors discussion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K45iZd9Tr5Y  Best Wishes!!!Ed 

Have you looked at TIL or immunocore or glembatumumab or novel radiation modalities + ipi? It's sooo hard to know what's *best*, obviously, but my instinct if I were in your shoes would be to get away from PD-1 for a bit: coming back to it in the future might get that real full systemic response from PD-1 where your body says "wow, this is new!" (for better or worse). Your body needs to get jolted into action sometimes, not just tinkered with, IMHO ( I had some setbacks with this approach, but no big regrets so far). it's so hard to make these decisions, and PD-1 is such a stellar approach, but if you're relatively stable, it usually means the PD-1 has already slowed things down (what it does best), that effect lingers on for a while after stopping PD1 treatment. I wish you he best of luck – try calling cancer commons or MRF if you'd like some neutral input from a specialist. Dr Hamid might be worth a consult as he's working with some novel agents where you don't feel like you're going back to the PD-1 + (novel agent) well repeatedly. It depends a lot on how you're feeling physically, and what kind of side effects you're ok with. There's also some chemo+ pembro + IDO trials that may restart the PD-1 havoc (the good kind of havoc, one hopes). This is so difficult, and I know a lot of people don't want to give advice for fear it won't work out and they'll feel responsible, but that's my basic game plan (if you're u can call it that) if or when standard therapies stop working for me (I have a similar tumor profile). Wishing you all the best.

Yes I have been doing this trial in Santa Monica,Ca.On week 7 did first set of scans last week .FYI I have simular history since 2009.keytruda fone for 2.5 yrs. then 2 – 1in. C punks rt. on my kidney. so operate +remove but chose this trial as recommended by Dr. Scan showed 1 punk neucrotic other swollen. Dr says 12 week scan more likely to show true effects. FYI you need to pass a bio-marker to qualify fot his trial= aba of 20 or above. The highest in my group of 5 was a 90 then i came along witha record breaking 273!!! so I got all excited. Well I was hoping for a home run on first scans but got a single. maybe next time ??? side effects only first few weeks = lower back ache leg and feet joint pain. Bummer = go every week takes ave. 4 hours + some days alot more with all the trial lab work etc. so Rummor is they hope to develop a maintence program some day ?????? PS A woman in my trial started beginning of this yearand she had triple neg. breast cancer with tumors all over.Her aba qualifer was a 90. All of her tumors are gone and stayed gone thats why Im here. Ilike to call it Full Blown PD1. keep me posted, Game on