Background: APG-1387 is an IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis proteins) antagonist that has strong antitumor activity in multiple xenograft cancer models and acts as a host immune modulator, supporting its exploration for use in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for cancer therapy. Methods: This “3+3” dose escalation and dose expansion study evaluated APG-1387 combined with pembrolizumab in patients with refractory or intolerant advanced solid tumors (NCT03386526). APG-1387 was administered IV once weekly with pembrolizumab 200 mg on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. Study aims were to assess safety/tolerability, recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and efficacy. Results: As of December 25, 2019, total 28 patients had been treated in 3 dose cohorts of APG-1387: 20 mg (n = 4), 30 mg (n = 3), and 45 mg (n = 21, 18 in dose expansion). The median line of prior systemic cancer therapies was 3.0 (1-12). No dose-limiting toxicity was observed. The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs; ≥10%) were fatigue (28.6%), arthralgia (14.3%), headache (14.3%), and tumor pain (10.7%). One patient in the 45-mg cohort had grade 2 Bell’s Palsy. G3⁺ TRAEs were autoimmune colitis, hypoxia, increased lipase, mucosal inflammation, pneumonitis, and tumor pain in 1 patient each (3.6%). Treatment-related SAEs were 1 G3 autoimmune colitis, 1 G2 myocarditis, and 1 G3 pneumonitis. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/RP2D for APG-1387 was 45 mg. Among 25 efficacy-evaluable patients, 1 with ER⁺, HER2^‒ breast cancer receiving APG-1387 30 mg after failing 5 lines of therapy (PD-1 treatment-naïve, microsatellite stable) achieved confirmed PR (-79.2%) for 6 cycles but discontinued due to pneumonitis; another patient with PD-L1^‒ non‒small-cell lung cancer treated at 45 mg had confirmed PR (-65.0%) for 6 cycles (ongoing). Other 11 patients had SD for 2-11 cycles. The disease control rate was 52%. Preliminary PK data showed a dose-proportional increase in APG-1387 exposure from 20 mg to 45 mg. Preliminary PD data showed that APG-1387 induced rapid degradation of cellular IAP1 and X-linked IAP in peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples; Increased serum release of interleukins (IL-12, IL-10) and monocyte chemotactic protein 4 was dose and time dependent. Conclusions: APG-1387 combined with pembrolizumab is well tolerated. Encouraging antitumor effects were observed in patients with several tumor types. The ongoing study will further evaluate the efficacy of this combination. Clinical trial information: NCT03386526.