Phase 2 Clinical Trial of VGT-309 for Intraoperative Molecular Imaging During Pulmonary Resection

Advances in intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI) may improve surgical outcomes when resecting tumors in the lung. A single-center trial was conducted using VGT-309, a cathepsin-targeted near-infrared imaging agent that causes lung nodules to fluoresce during surgical resection. The end point of this phase 2 study was to evaluate the frequency that IMI with VGT-309 resulted in a clinically significant event (CSE): localization of pulmonary nodules, discovery of unsuspected additional cancers, or identification of positive margins.

Patients undergoing surgical resection for known or suspected cancer in the lung received VGT-309 (0.32 mg/kg) preoperatively. During the surgical procedure, localization and resection of the nodules were performed using standard surgical techniques. Near-infrared imaging was then used to localize nodules, seek occult lesions, and assess resection margins. Efficacy was measured by the frequency of CSEs.

Of the 40 patients who underwent pulmonary resection with VGT-309, 17 (42.5%) had at least 1 CSE. Near-infrared imaging identified lesions not found by standard surgical methods in 16 patients, additional cancers not found by preoperative imaging in 1 patient, and margins within 5 mm of the closest staple line in 2 patients. VGT-309 performance was tested across a broad range of tumor types and commercial near-infrared imaging systems. VGT-309 appeared safe, well-tolerated, with no infusion reactions, and no drug-related serious adverse events.

This phase 2 study demonstrated the utility of IMI with VGT-309 in localizing pulmonary nodules, recognizing synchronous lesions, and identifying positive margins. A multi-institutional study will further evaluate the efficacy of VGT-309.