CV301 + pembrolizumab

CV301 + pembrolizumab is a combination immunotherapy regimen under investigation for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). CV301 is a poxviral-based therapeutic cancer vaccine that uses a prime-boost strategy with Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) as the priming vector and fowlpox virus (FPV) as the booster. The viral vectors encode two tumor-associated antigens, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and mucin 1 (MUC-1), along with three costimulatory molecules—B7.1, ICAM-1, and LFA-3—collectively known as TRICOM. Pembrolizumab is an anti-programmed death 1 receptor (PD-1) monoclonal antibody checkpoint inhibitor that blocks PD-1-mediated immune suppression. The rationale for combining these agents is to enhance tumor-directed immune responses by priming T cells against CEA/MUC-1-expressing tumors with CV301 while simultaneously relieving inhibitory signaling in T cells via PD-1 blockade by pembrolizumab[2][3][6]. This combination has been evaluated in phase 1b clinical trials for safety and preliminary efficacy in patients with advanced NSCLC[4][6].