Clinical Trial Tests New Treatment for Patients with Solid Tumor Cancers

A new Phase I clinical trial (NCT05338658; clinicaltrials.gov) at the University of Minnesota testing a novel immunotherapeutic for the treatment of solid tumors opened November 2025 based on basic science discoveries by two DMI faculty members, Drs. David Masopust and Vaiva Vezys. This investigational new drug stimulates virus-specific T cells in tumors to induce an inflammatory state and cures cancer in pre-clinical experiments. The UMN Masonic Cancer Center and their Cancer Research Translational Initiative aims to accelerate the development of new cancer treatments. This new trial, Peptide Alarm Therapy (PAT), demonstrates how team science and shared infrastructure can accelerate translational impact and the health of Minnesotans.