First-in-human study of WT1 recombinant protein vaccination in elderly patients with AML in remission: a single-center experience.

Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) protein is highly immunogenic and overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), consequently ranked as a promising target for novel immunotherapeutic strategies. Here we report our experience of a phase I/II clinical trial (NCT01051063) of a vaccination strategy based on WT1 recombinant protein (WT1-A10) together with vaccine adjuvant AS01 in five elderly AML patients (median age 69 years, range 63-75) receiving a total of 62 vaccinations (median 18, range 3-20) after standard chemotherapy. Clinical benefit was observed in three patients: one patient achieved measurable residual disease clearance during WT1 vaccination therapy, another patient maintained long-term molecular remission over 59 months after the first vaccination cycle.