Clinical trialNCT05947500Active, not recruitingPhase 2Interventional

Testing the Combination of Two Anticancer Drugs M1774 (Tuvusertib) and Avelumab to Evaluate Their Safety and Effectiveness in Treating Merkel Cell Skin Cancer, MATRiX Trial

SponsorNational Cancer Institute (NCI)Enrollment50Clinical Stage III Cutaneous Merkel Cell Carcinoma AJCC v8Clinical Stage IV Cutaneous Merkel Cell Carcinoma AJCC v8Locally Advanced Merkel Cell CarcinomaMetastatic Merkel Cell CarcinomaRefractory Merkel Cell CarcinomaUnresectable Merkel Cell Carcinoma

View the registry record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Summary

The lay summary the sponsor registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.

This phase II trial compares tuvusertib in combination with avelumab to tuvusertib alone to determine whether the combination therapy will lengthen the time before the cancer starts getting worse in patients with Merkel cell cancer that has not responded to previous treatment (refractory). Tuvusertib is a drug that inhibits an enzyme called ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR) kinase, which is an enzyme that plays a role in repair of damaged deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as well as tumor cell replication and survival. It may lead to tumor cell death by inhibiting ATR kinase activity. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as avelumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving tuvusertib in combination with avelumab may lengthen the time before Merkel cell cancer starts getting worse compared to giving avelumab alone.

clinicaltrials.gov ↗

Investigators

The overall officials registered on this study. Names that resolve to a findmyKOL profile link to it; the rest are shown as registered.

Paul Nghiem
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Principal Investigator
clinicaltrials.gov ↗

A profile link is shown only when the registered name resolves to a person record with a confident, namesake-checked match; ambiguous names stay unlinked.

Sites

51 registered facilities, with the per-site recruitment status where the registry publishes one. ClinicalTrials.gov does not publish per-site enrollment counts.

Canada

University Health Network-Princess Margaret Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

United States

Uci Health - Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care
Irvine, California, United States
Uc San Diego Moores Cancer Center
La Jolla, California, United States
Keck Medicine of Usc Koreatown
Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles General Medical Center
Los Angeles, California, United States
Usc / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Los Angeles, California, United States
Usc Norris Oncology/hematology-Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California, United States
Uc Irvine Health/chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Orange, California, United States
Stanford Cancer Institute Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California, United States
Uchealth University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
Um Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Aventura
Aventura, Florida, United States
Um Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Coral Gables
Coral Gables, Florida, United States
Um Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach, Florida, United States
Um Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Kendall
Miami, Florida, United States
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-Sylvester Cancer Center
Miami, Florida, United States
Um Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Plantation
Plantation, Florida, United States
Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, Florida, United States
Moffitt Cancer Center - Mckinley Campus
Tampa, Florida, United States
Emory University Hospital/winship Cancer Institute
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Memorial Hospital East
Shiloh, Illinois, United States
Haysmed
Hays, Kansas, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Lawrence, Kansas, United States
the University of Kansas Cancer Center - Olathe
Olathe, Kansas, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center-Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas, United States
University of Kansas Hospital-Indian Creek Campus
Overland Park, Kansas, United States
Salina Regional Health Center
Salina, Kansas, United States
University of Kansas Health System Saint Francis Campus
Topeka, Kansas, United States
University of Kansas Hospital-Westwood Cancer Center
Westwood, Kansas, United States
Johns Hopkins University/sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Siteman Cancer Center at Saint Peters Hospital
City of Saint Peters, Missouri, United States
Siteman Cancer Center at West County Hospital
Creve Coeur, Missouri, United States
University Health Truman Medical Center
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center - North
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center - Lee'S Summit
Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States
Siteman Cancer Center at Christian Hospital
St Louis, Missouri, United States

11 more sites on the registry record.ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Site investigator names are published by ClinicalTrials.gov only while a study recruits, so completed studies list sites without them.

Drugs studied

The drug and biological interventions registered on this study, normalized to their RxNorm ingredient where possible.

Avelumab →Tuvusertib

Linked drugs open the directory filtered to KOLs working with them.clinicaltrials.gov ↗

Registration & key dates

Registry attributes as recorded on the ClinicalTrials.gov study record.

Start: 21 May 2024
Primary completion: 1 Jan 2028
Completion: 1 Jan 2028
Last update posted: 31 Jul 2026
Registered enrollment: 50
Registry id: NCT05947500

clinicaltrials.gov ↗

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, via the CTTI AACT database, data as of 24 Aug 2026. Registry facts are shown as registered by the study sponsor; findmyKOL does not interpret them.