MRA Meet-Up Series Summary: Does the Time-of-Day You Receive Immunotherapy Matter? Exploring the TIME Trial

On September 18^th, MRA hosted an installment of our patient-focused Meet Up webinar series called “Does the Time-of-Day You Receive Immunotherapy Matter? Exploring the TIME Trial.” The discussion centered around the trial which explores whether receiving combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab earlier in the day affects treatment outcomes for people with advanced melanoma.

The webinar featured Dr. Omid Hamid, Chief of Translational Research and Immuno-Oncology at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute; Dr. Ryan Sullivan, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a clinician-investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital; Dr. Zachary Buchwald, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Assistant Director of Basic Sciences and Shared Resources at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University School of Medicine; and Dr. Michael Lowe, Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and disease team lead and chair of the Melanoma Working Group at Winship Cancer Institute.

The TIME Trial is evaluating whether treatment timing could improve:

• Response to therapy
• Progression-free survival
• Overall survival 

The session kicked off with an overview of the trial and patient eligibility. As explained by Dr. Buchwald, the trial was randomized into three different groups of patients in which they received their immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma during specific hours of the day. The clinical trial also accounted for various factors such as socioeconomic status, a patient’s distance from a cancer center that provides different types of immunotherapies, and their disease and functional status.  

Innovation is about more than new treatments. Dr. Sullivan spoke on the interest he and his other colleagues have in the subject of chronotherapy, explaining how this may very well be a lever that patients can exercise to positively impact their treatment.  

“If there are changes we can make that have [measurable] impact as sometimes studied by adding a second or a third drug, I think it’s incumbent upon us to determine whether that’s true. That’s why we got so excited about this,” Dr. Sullivan said. 

This webinar also highlighted:

• Questions the TIME trial is designed to answer 
• The relevance of immunotherapy vs chemotherapy within the context of the trial 
• What researchers hope to learn about the role time-of-day treatment plays in making a difference for patients with advanced melanoma 
• Questions from the audience about diverse demographic participation and potential differences of outcomes amongst men, women, and a person’s age

This installment offered an insightful opportunity for patients, caregivers and the melanoma community at large ato better understand the TIME Trial research. 

Watch the full recording:

To learn more about Time-of-Day Specified Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma, The TIME Trial see this page at ClinicalTrials.gov.