Clinical trial Recruiting at 4 sites Phase 2 Interventional Ages 1 Year to 17

Using imlifidase to help highly sensitized children receive kidney transplants

Official title: A Single-arm, Multi-centre Trial to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Imlifidase in Highly Sensitised Children (1-17 Years) Receiving a Kidney Transplant With Positive Crossmatch Against a Living or Deceased Donor Converted to Negative After Imlifidase Treatment

Run by Hansa Biopharma AB · NCT05753930 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is testing if a new treatment called imlifidase can help highly sensitized children with kidney failure get a transplant by changing their blood type compatibility.

Quick facts

PhasePhase 2
Study typeInterventional
Ages1 Year to 17 Years
SexAll
Enrollment10 (estimated)
SponsorHansa Biopharma AB
Industry-sponsored
Locations7 sites (Helsinki and 6 other locations)
StatusRecruiting
StartedJune 2, 2023
Main results expectedFebruary 28, 2027
Study endsAugust 31, 2031
Registry record updatedNovember 10, 2026
Trial IDNCT05753930 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates are highly sensitized pediatric patients aged 1-17 years with a panel reactive antibody (PRA) of 80% or higher and end-stage renal disease.

Probably not a fit

Patients who do not have a positive crossmatch or those who have not previously undergone unsuccessful desensitization may not benefit from this study.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This clinical trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of imlifidase in highly sensitized pediatric patients aged 1 to 17 years with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Participants who have previously struggled with desensitization will receive imlifidase to convert their positive crossmatch status to negative, allowing for potential kidney transplantation from either living or deceased donors. The trial includes a 6-month interventional period followed by long-term follow-up for up to 5 years to monitor kidney function and any signs of rejection. Patients will be closely monitored throughout the process to ensure their safety and the effectiveness of the treatment.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could enable highly sensitized children to receive kidney transplants that were previously deemed impossible.

How similar studies have gone: Other studies have shown promising results with similar desensitization approaches, but this specific application of imlifidase in pediatric patients is relatively novel.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Signed Informed Consent obtained from patient/parent/legal guardian/independent witness (depending on patient's age) before any trial-related procedures
2. Highly sensitised patient with panel reactive antibodies (PRA) ≥80%
3. Male or female patient between the age of 1 to 17 years (up to the day before the 18th birthday) at the time of screening
4. Patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and waiting for a renal transplant from a living or deceased donor
5. Patient must be transplantable (including size mismatch) at the time of obtaining informed consent for trial participation
6. Patients who have previously undergone desensitisation unsuccessfully with plasmapheresis/IVIg/anti-CD20 or have an anti-HLA antibody status deemed too difficult to make a successful desensitisation (judgement based on physicians' previous experience with similar patients)
7. Positive crossmatch (XM) test determined by flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) and/or complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch (CDCXM) tests against the donor. For the DD patients, if physical XM tests are not practically possible due to lack of time, patients may be included on a virtual crossmatch (vXM) predictive of a positive XM test.
8. Willingness and ability to comply with the protocol as judged by the investigator

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Previous treatment with imlifidase
2. IVIg treatment within 28 days prior to imlifidase treatment
3. Desensitisation treatment(s) within 1 month prior to the current transplantation
4. Hypersensitivity to the active substance (imlifidase) or to any of the excipients and to other immunosuppressive drugs specified in the protocol
5. Ongoing serious infections
6. Present, or history of, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), or known familial history of TTP
7. At the time of transplantation: severe other condition requiring treatment and close monitoring e.g. cardiac failure ≥ grade 4 (New York Heart Association), unstable coronary disease, active peripheral vascular disease, proven hypercoagulable conditions/events or oxygen dependent respiratory disease
8. Malignancy within 3 years prior to transplantation
9. ABO blood group incompatible transplantations (A2 and A2B kidneys will not be accepted for B recipients)
10. Any other reason that, in the view of the investigator, precludes transplantation
11. Breast feeding or pregnancy, if applicable
12. Woman of fertile age and sexually active without adequate contraceptive measures to avoid pregnancy during the interventional trial period (i.e. up to 6 months after transplantation)
13. Suspicion of Covid-19 infection or positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test
14. Positive serology for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
15. Clinical signs of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), or Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection
16. Donor with positive serology for HIV, HBV, HCV or CMV to a patient with negative serology (mismatch serology). Mismatch serology for EBV in accordance with center specific standard procedures for transplantation of EBV negative recipients and at investigator's discretion.
17. Clinically relevant active infection(s) as judged by the investigator
18. Tuberculosis or history of tuberculosis
19. Use of other investigational agents within 5 terminal elimination half-lives prior to the transplantation
20. Contemporaneous participation in medical device studies
21. Known mental incapacity or language barriers precluding patients'/parents'/legal guardians' adequate understanding of the informed consent information and the trial activities
22. Inability by the judgement of the investigator to participate in the trial for any other reason

Where it's running

  • Robert Debre University Hospital
    Paris, France
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Unviersitari Vall d'Hebron, Nefrología Pediátrica
    Barcelona, Spain
    Recruiting
  • Karolinska University Hospital
    Huddinge, Stockholm County, Sweden
    Recruiting
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
    London, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
  • HUS, Helsinki University Hospital
    Helsinki, Finland
    Withdrawn
  • Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu
    Rome, Italy
    Not yet recruiting
Show 1 more location
  • Hospital Sant Joan De Deu Barcelona
    Barcelona, Spain
    Not yet recruiting

Study contacts

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.