CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed leukemia and lymphoma

CD19-directed CAR-T Cell Therapy for Refractory or Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: a Multicenter Phase I/II Trial.

This study is testing a new CAR-T cell therapy to see if it can help people with hard-to-treat leukemia and lymphoma feel better.

Quick facts

• Phase: Phase1; Phase2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 81 (estimated)
• Ages: 3 Years to 70 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: University of Sao Paulo (Academic / other)
• Drugs / interventions: Blinatumomab, CAR-T, chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine
• Locations: 5 sites (Campinas, São Paulo and 4 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT06101381 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This clinical trial evaluates the safety and efficacy of a novel CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy in patients with refractory or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The study involves a multicentric, single-arm approach where patients will undergo lymphocyte apheresis for CAR-T cell production, followed by lymphodepleting chemotherapy before receiving an intravenous infusion of the CAR-T cells. Participants will be monitored for treatment efficacy and toxicity over a five-year period.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 18 to 70 with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma or acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Not a fit: Patients with other types of leukemia or lymphoma, or those who have not undergone prior systemic therapy, may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this therapy could provide a new treatment option for patients with difficult-to-treat forms of leukemia and lymphoma.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies using CAR-T cell therapy have shown promising results, indicating that this approach has potential for success.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

For non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (B-NHL):

* Provision of signed Informed Consent form;
* Age between 18 and 70 years;
* Performance status according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group \< 2;
* Relapsed or refractory B-NHL of the following types (confirmed by biopsy):

  * Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, NOS);
  * High-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBCL);
  * Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma/high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL-2 rearrangement;
  * Follicular lymphoma (FL) grade 3B; or
  * Transformed follicular lymphoma (tFL)
* Refractory or relapsed to two or more lines of systemic therapy, with at least one scheme containing an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and anthracycline, as defined below:

  * Refractoriness: partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), or progressive disease (PD) as the best response to the last treatment, assessed by PET-CT, according to the Lugano criteria and confirmed by a new biopsy.
  * Relapsed disease: disease reappearance after obtaining a complete response to the last treatment, assessed by PET-CT, according to the Lugano criteria and confirmed by a new biopsy.
* Have performed, or be ineligible for, autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (ASCT). Ineligibility is defined by:

  * Lack of at least partial response after salvage chemotherapy; or
  * Failure to mobilize and/or collect hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC), as defined by the investigator.
* Measurable disease, defined as:

  * Nodal lesions \>15 mm in the long axis, regardless of the length of the short axis, and/or
  * Extranodal lesions (outside lymph node or nodal mass, but including liver and spleen) \>10 mm in long axis, regardless of the length of the short axis.
* Adequate organ function:

Renal function defined as:

* estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 40 mL/min/1.73 m2

Hepatic function defined as:

* Alanine Transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate Transaminase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN; and
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN, except for patients with Gilbert syndrome.

Hematologic Function (regardless of transfusions for 14 days) defined as:

* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>500/uL
* Platelets ≥ 50,000/uL
* Hemoglobin \>7.0 g/dl

  * In women of childbearing potential, willingness to use effective means of birth control for 1 year after CAR-T cell infusion.
  * In male participants, willingness to use a barrier birth control method for 1 year after CAR-T cell infusion
  * Able to comply with inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, laboratory monitoring, and required clinic visits for the duration of study participation.

For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL):

* Provision of signed Informed Consent form;
* Age ≥ 3 and \< 25 years;
* Performance status \< 2, according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group for patients ≥ 16 years old, or ≥ 50%, according to the Lansky performance status for patients younger than 16 years old;
* Relapsed or refractory CD19 positive B-ALL, with documentation of CD19 disease expression within 3 months of screening visit.
* Relapsed or refractory disease as defined below;

  * Failure to obtain hematologic complete remission (bone marrow with \< 5% lymphoblasts by morphologic assessment) after 2 distinct chemotherapy lines; or
  * Relapsed or refractoriness after at least 1 previous chemotherapy regimen and ineligibility for allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HSCT) due to lack of available donor (including alternative donors), comorbidity, have previously undergone or refused HSCT; or
  * Relapsed disease ≥ 6 months after HSCT; or
  * Relapsed or refractoriness after ≥ TKi for Philadelphia-positive B-ALL.
* Bone marrow with ≥ 5% lymphoblasts by morphologic assessment within 30 days from screening
* Adequate organ function:

Renal function defined as:

* Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 40 mL/min/1.73 m2

Hepatic function defined as:

* Alanine Transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate Transaminase (AST) ≤ 5 × ULN; and
* Total bilirubin ≤ 2 × ULN, except for patients with Gilbert syndrome.

  * In women of childbearing potential, willingness to use effective means of birth control for 1 year after CAR-T cell infusion.
  * In male participants, willingness to use a barrier birth control method for 1 year after CAR-T cell infusion
  * Able to comply with outpatient treatment, laboratory monitoring, and required clinic visits for the duration of study participation. duration of the parent study and the long-term follow-up observational study

Exclusion Criteria:

For non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (B-NHL):

* Previous or concurrent cancer distinct from B-NHL within 2 years before screening, except for the following:

  * Curatively treated nonmelanomatous skin cancer;
  * Curatively treated cervical carcinoma in situ;
  * Localized breast cancer treated with curative intent with no evidence of active disease; or
  * Localized prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance or anti-androgenic therapy, without evidence of metastatic disease.
* Syndromes and/or genetic diseases with impact on the hematopoietic system, including Down's syndrome, Fanconi anemia, telomeropathies, Li Fraumeni, Blackfan-Diamond anemia, or congenital immunodeficiencies;
* History of previous CAR-T therapy;
* History of previous solid organ transplantation;
* Active central nervous system (CNS) involvement by disease, detected by image or cytology/immunophenotyping of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF);
* Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL);
* Primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma (PMBCL);
* Evidence of uncontrolled systemic infection (viral, bacterial, or fungal) which requires IV antibiotics, within 2 weeks before the screening visit;
* Known HIV infection;
* Known HTLV I and II infection;
* History of previous tuberculosis;
* Positive Chagas disease serology;
* Hepatitis B or hepatitis C testing indicating active/ongoing infection, as defined as:

  * HBV: Patients with positive HBsAg are excluded. Patients with positive anti-HBc and negative HBsAg require hepatitis B PCR evaluation before randomization. Patients who are hepatitis B PCR-positive will be excluded.
  * HCV: Patients with positive hepatitis C antibody may be enrolled with a negative result for hepatitis C RNA before study inclusion. Patients who are hepatitis C RNA-positive will be excluded.
* History of a symptomatic CNS disease (or which required treatment within the past year), such as stroke, epilepsy, CNS vasculitis, or neurodegenerative disease;
* Significant cardiovascular disease defined as ≥ grade 3 New York Heart Association functional classification system of heart failure, history of myocardial infarction, uncontrolled or symptomatic arrhythmias, or unstable angina within the past 6 months before the screening;
* Chronic lung disease, with hypoxemia (Oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry \> 93% on room air), or uncontrolled within 4 weeks before the screening visit
* History of an autoimmune disease (including, but not limited to, myasthenia gravis, myositis, autoimmune hepatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, vascular thrombosis associated with antiphospholipid syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis, Sjögren's syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, vasculitis, or glomerulonephritis) with end-organ damage or requiring systemic immunosuppression/systemic disease-modifying agents in the 2 years preceding the screening visit;

  * Participants with hypothyroidism receiving a stable dose of thyroid replacement hormone may be eligible.
  * Participants with controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus who are on an insulin regimen are eligible for the study.
* History of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism within 6 months before the screening visit, or need to use systemic anticoagulation at the time of screening for any other reason;
* Major surgery within 4 weeks of the screening visit;
* History or suspicion of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH);
* Vaccination with a live or attenuated virus vaccine within one month before the screening visit;
* Patients with known hypersensitivity, including anaphylaxis, to any component of the investigational treatment;
* Pregnancy, lactation, or plan to get pregnant during the study or within 12 months after CAR-T cell infusion;
* In women of childbearing potential a negative serologic pregnancy test must be obtained 7 days before CAR-T cell infusion;
* Women of childbearing potential, and all male participants, must be willing to observe barrier and highly effective birth control methods (outlined in the study protocol) for 12 months following CAR-T cell infusion;
* Presence of any other medical condition that in the investigator's opinion may interfere with the safety or effectiveness evaluation of the study;
* Life expectancy less than 12 weeks, by investigator assessment.

For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL)::

* Previous or concurrent cancer distinct from B-NHL within 2 years before screening, except for the following:

  * Curatively treated nonmelanomatous skin cancer;
  * Curatively treated cervical carcinoma in situ;
  * Localized breast cancer treated with curative intent with no evidence of active disease; or
  * Localized prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance or anti-androgenic therapy, without evidence of metastatic disease.
* Syndromes and/or genetic diseases with impact on the hematopoietic system, including Down's syndrome, Fanconi anemia, telomeropathies, Li Fraumeni, Blackfan-Diamond anemia, or congenital immunodeficiencies;
* Isolated extramedullary disease;
* Active central nervous system (CNS) involvement by disease (CNS-3 according to NCCN guideline), detected by cytology/immunophenotyping of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within 30 days from screening visit.

  * Patients with CNS-1 and CNS-2 within 30 days from screening visit may be enrolled;
* Burkitt's Leukemia/Lymphoma
* Active acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), or controlled with immunosuppressants in the previous 12 weeks before the screening visit;
* Failure to obtain hematologic complete remission (bone marrow with \< 5% lymphoblasts by morphologic assessment) after an anti-CD19 antibody-containing treatment (e.g. Blinatumomab);
* History of previous CAR-T therapy;
* History of previous solid organ transplantation;
* Evidence of uncontrolled systemic infection (viral, bacterial, or fungal) which requires IV antibiotics, within 2 weeks before the screening visit;
* Known HIV infection;
* Known HTLV I and II infection;
* History of previous tuberculosis;
* Positive Chagas' disease serology;
* Hepatitis B or hepatitis C testing indicating active/ongoing infection, as defined as:

  * HBV: Patients with positive HBsAg are excluded. Patients with positive anti-HBc and negative HBsAg require hepatitis B PCR evaluation before randomization. Patients who are hepatitis B PCR-positive will be excluded.
  * HCV: Patients with positive hepatitis C antibody may be enrolled with a negative result for hepatitis C RNA before study inclusion. Patients who are hepatitis C RNA-positive will be excluded.
* History of a symptomatic CNS disease (or which required treatment within the past year), such as stroke, epilepsy, CNS vasculitis, or neurodegenerative disease;
* Significant cardiovascular disease defined as ≥ grade 3 New York Heart Association functional classification system of heart failure, history of myocardial infarction, uncontrolled or symptomatic arrhythmias, or unstable angina within the past 6 months before the screening;
* Chronic lung disease, with hypoxemia (Oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry \> 93% on room air), or uncontrolled within 4 weeks before the screening visit
* History of an autoimmune disease (including, but not limited to, myasthenia gravis, myositis, autoimmune hepatitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, vascular thrombosis associated with antiphospholipid syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis, Sjögren's syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, vasculitis, or glomerulonephritis) with end-organ damage or requiring systemic immunosuppression/systemic disease-modifying agents in the 2 years preceding the screening visit;

  * Participants with hypothyroidism receiving a stable dose of thyroid replacement hormone may be eligible.
  * Participants with controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus who are on an insulin regimen are eligible for the study.
* History of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism within 6 months before the screening visit, or need to use systemic anticoagulation at the time of screening for any other reason;
* Major surgery within 4 weeks of the screening visit;
* History or suspicion of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH);
* Vaccination with a live or attenuated virus vaccine within one month before the screening visit;
* Patients with known hypersensitivity, including anaphylaxis, to any component of the investigational treatment;
* Pregnancy, lactation, or plan to get pregnant during the study or within 12 months after CAR-T cell infusion;
* In women of childbearing potential a negative serologic pregnancy test must be obtained 7 days before CAR-T cell infusion;
* Women of childbearing potential, and all male participants, must be willing to observe barrier and highly effective birth control methods (outlined in the study protocol) for 12 months following CAR-T cell infusion;
* Presence of any other medical condition that in the investigator's opinion may interfere with the safety or effectiveness evaluation of the study;
* Life expectancy less than 12 weeks, by investigator assessment.

Where this trial is running

Campinas, São Paulo and 4 other locations

• Hospital de Clínicas da UNICAMP — Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil (Recruiting)
• Ribeirao Preto School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo — Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil (Recruiting)
• Hospital Sírio-Libanês — São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (Recruiting)
• Hospital das Clinicas de São Paulo — São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (Recruiting)
• A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo — São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Diego V Cle, MD, PhD, MBA — Ribeirao Preto School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo
• Study coordinator: Diego V Cle, MD, PhD, MBA

Conditions Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Cell therapy; Chimeric antigen receptor T cell; CAR-T cell; CD19; Lymphoma; Acute Leukemia