Vaccines Treatment Options in Maryland

The purpose of this study is to evaluate NicVAX as an aid to smoking cessation for long term abstinence. Read Less

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of chemotherapy and a combination of vaccines to treat metastatic breast cancer (breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast) in patients whose cancer cells have a protein called carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) on their surface. Patients who require surgery or radiation therapy, or both, will receive these treatments as well. Patients 18 years of age and older with previously untreated metastatic breast cancer may be eligible for this study. Newly diagnosed patients may not have received prior chemotherapy. Patients previously diagnosed with local disease may have received chemotherapy or radiation therapy at least 18 months before entering the current study. Patients may have received hormonal therapy for stage IV disease. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, x-rays, heart and lung tests, and a test to determine the presence of CEA on their tumor cells. Participants undergo the following procedures: 1. Central venous line: Under local or general anesthesia, an intravenous catheter (plastic tube) is inserted into a major vein in the chest. It is used to give chemotherapy and other medications and to withdraw blood samples. 2. Apheresis: Before beginning treatment and at various times before and after chemotherapy, patients undergo apheresis to collect white blood cells for later re-infusion at the time of immunizations and to evaluate the body's response to the vaccines. For this procedure, blood is collected through the central venous catheter and circulated through a machine that separates the white cells from the rest of the blood. The white cells are removed and frozen for later use. The rest of the blood is returned to the patient through the catheter. 3. First vaccine: Before starting chemotherapy, patients receive one subcutaneous (under the skin) injection of a vaccine called rV-CEA-Tricom, along with subcutaneous injections of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (Sargramostim), a drug that stimulates the bone marrow to release white blood cells and white cell precursors into the bloodstream. 4. Chemotherapy: * Taxol (paclitaxel)/Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide): Patients receive three to five cycles of Taxol and Cytoxan. Taxol is given as a continuous 72-hour intravenous (intravenous (IV), through a vein) infusion and Cytoxan is given daily for 3 days, intravenously, over 1 hour. Cycles are 21 to 42 (usually 28) days. After each cycle, patients also receive growth colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) (a drug that helps boost white cells. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of MDX-010 (ipilimumab, BMS-734016) (anti-CTLA4) in combination with MDX-1379 (gp100, BMS-734019) in patients with previously treated, unresectable Stage III or IV melanoma. Survival time will be evaluated, as well as patient responses and time to disease progression. Eligible patients are those who in response to a single regimen containing interleukin-2 (IL-2), dacarbazine, and/or temozolomide, have 1) relapsed following an objective response (partial response/complete response \[PR/CR\]); 2) failed to demonstrate an objective response (PR/CR); or 3) could not tolerate such a regimen due to unacceptable toxicity. Patients will be randomized into one of three groups, and will receive one of the following treatments: MDX-010 alone, MDX-1379 alone, or MDX-010 in combination with MDX-1379. Read Less

Study to assess the ability of healthy subjects to build anitbodies to tetanus and pneumococcal vaccines after receiving a single intravenous dose of Abatacept, a drug which is being developed for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and which can affect the immune system. Read Less

RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Colony-stimulating factors such as sargramostim may increase the number of immune cells. Interleukin-2 may stimulate a person's white blood cells to kill cancer cells. Combining vaccine therapy, sargramostim, and interleukin-2 may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Randomized phase II trial to study the effectiveness of vaccine therapy, sargramostim, and interleukin-2 in treating patients who have advanced tumors. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of an influenza vaccine. Influenza is a highly infectious disease that occurs throughout the world in the winter months. Infection with an influenza virus is a major public health threat as it has the ability to spread rapidly and affect large numbers of people. Up to 1359 healthy adults ages 18 to less than 65 years old will participate in this study for up to 24 days. Volunteers will receive an injection of either influenza vaccine with thimerosal, vaccine without thimerosal, or placebo with thimerosal. Volunteers will be asked to document information about any health changes for 21 days following vaccination. Volunteers will return to the clinic on days 5 and 21 after vaccination to share this information with study staff. On day 21, volunteers will have a physical examination. Blood samples will be taken prior to vaccination and at Day 21 post-vaccination. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and immune response to ACE527. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical and laboratory safety associated with the administration of GVAX leukemia vaccine and to determine the feasibility of generation of GVAX leukemia vaccine in subjects with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Read Less