Vaccines Treatment Options in Minnesota

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

The purpose of this study is to find out whether these powerful combinations of anti-HIV drugs are safe and effective for use in patients in the early stages of HIV infection and to find out how patients' immune systems react to HIV and anti-HIV drugs. Doctors generally treat patients in the early stages of HIV infection with the same anti-HIV drugs taken by patients who have had HIV for a long time. These drugs lower the level of HIV in the blood. However, doctors do not know whether patients who take anti-HIV drugs in the early stages of HIV infection actually live longer or have fewer AIDS-related diseases. This study will help doctors answer these questions. In the main study, doctors will look at how 2 different anti-HIV drug combinations affect the immune system. In the 2 substudies, doctors will look at how the body reacts to the hepatitis B vaccine and the tetanus vaccine. These substudies may help doctors learn how HIV-infected patients respond to new infections. Read Less