The trial will be carried out through the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The company said that prior studies indicate hetIL-15 expands and activates relevant populations of lymphocytes, the white blood cells involved in immune system regulation.
NIH lead scientist for the hetIL-15 project Dr George Pavlakis said: "Data from pre-clinical studies suggests that hetIL-15 may have broad applications for cancer immunotherapy in combination with immune checkpoint blockers and / or Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC).
"Pre-clinical studies of hetIL-15 have demonstrated the protein’s role in the development, survival and proliferation of many lymphocyte cells including natural killer and CD8+ T-cells."
hetIL-15, a recombinantly engineered human protein, stimulates lymphocytes to higher levels to efficiently attack cancerous tumor cells that often go undetected by the body’s immune system.
The trial, which will be directed by Dr Kevin Conlon, Dr Thomas Waldmann and Dr George Pavlakis, will focus on dose escalation to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of hetIL-15 in humans.