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Genetically Engineered Cells (BAFFR-CAR T Cells) for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and B-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

A Phase 1 Study to Evaluate BAFFR-Targeting CAR T Cells for Patients With Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07758673
Enrollment
16
Registered
2026-08-11
Start date
2027-04-17
Completion date
2028-07-26
Last updated
2026-08-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Recurrent B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Recurrent B Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, Refractory B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Refractory B Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

Brief summary

This phase I trial tests the safety and side effects of B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFFR) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and how well they work in treating patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma that has come back after a period of improvement (relapsed) or that has not responded to previous treatment (refractory). CAR T-cell therapy, such as BAFFR-CAR T cells, is a type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells. T cells are taken from a patient's blood. Then the gene for a special receptor that binds to a certain protein on the patient's cancer cells is added to the T cells in the laboratory. The special receptor is called a CAR. Large numbers of the CAR T cells are grown in the laboratory and given to the patient by infusion for treatment of certain cancers. Giving BAFFR-CAR T cells may be safe, tolerable and/or effective in treating patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL and B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. Assess the safety of administering autologous BAFFR-targeting CAR T cells (BAFFR\[EQ\]BBζ/EGFRt T cells) (also known as \[aka\], BAFFR-CAR T cells). SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the ability of BAFFR-CAR T cells to mediate clinical response in participants with B-ALL. II. Evaluate the level of residual disease in participants who achieve remission after BAFFR-CAR T cell treatment. III. Evaluate the duration of B cell aplasia as a surrogate for BAFFR-CAR T cell activity. IV. Evaluate the rate and severity of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in recipients of prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation \[allo-HCT\]). V. Evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES: I. Measure expansion and persistence of BAFFR-CAR T cells in the peripheral blood (PB), bone marrow (BM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), when available, and explore the correlation with BAFFR-CAR T cell efficacy. II. Measure BAFF-R expression on leukemic cells, as well as other disease markers, before and after BAFFR-CAR T cell treatment and explore association with response and relapse, when feasible. III. Measure cytokine levels in PB and CSF, when available, and explore association with response. OUTLINE: Patients undergo leukapheresis and may receive bridging therapy per treating physician discretion. Patients then receive lymphodepletion therapy with cyclophosphamide intravenously (IV) and fludarabine IV on days -5 to -3 and BAFFR-CAR T cells IV over 10-15 minutes on day 0. Patients also undergo blood sample collection, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, chest x-ray, and positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) or CT throughout the study. Additionally, patients may also undergo liver ultrasonographic elastography at screening at discretion of investigator and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT, CSF specimen collection, and echocardiography (ECHO) or multigated acquisition scan (MUGA) throughout the study After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up within 18-24 hours, at least every 2 days for 14 days, at 14, 21, 28, 60, and 100 days, at 4, 6, 7, and 12 months, then yearly for up to a total of 15 years.

Interventions

PROCEDUREBiospecimen Collection

Undergo blood and CSF specimen collection

PROCEDUREBone Marrow Aspiration

Undergo bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

PROCEDUREBone Marrow Biopsy

Undergo bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

Receive bridging therapy

PROCEDUREChest Radiography

Undergo chest x-ray

PROCEDUREComputed Tomography

Undergo CT or PET/CT

DRUGCyclophosphamide

Given IV

PROCEDUREEchocardiography Test

Undergo ECHO

DRUGFludarabine

Given IV

PROCEDURELeukapheresis

Undergo leukapheresis

PROCEDUREMagnetic Resonance Imaging

Undergo brain MRI

PROCEDUREMultigated Acquisition Scan

Undergo MUGA

PROCEDUREPositron Emission Tomography

Undergo PET/CT

PROCEDUREUltrasonographic Elastography

Undergo liver ultrasonographic elastography

Sponsors

City of Hope Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Documented informed consent of the participant and/or legally authorized representative * Agreement to allow the use of archival tissue from diagnostic tumor biopsies * If unavailable, exceptions may be granted with study principal investigator (PI) approval * Age ≥ 18 years * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) ≤ 2 * Life expectancy ≥ 16 weeks * Histologically confirmed B-ALL or B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma * Relapsed/refractory disease. Minimal residual disease (MRD) relapse is allowed * Evidence of tumor expressing BAFF-R at any level either by flow or immunohistochemistry * Recovered to ≤ grade 1 from the acute toxic effects (except alopecia and peripheral neuropathy) of prior anti-cancer therapy * No known contraindications to leukapheresis, steroids or tocilizumab * Ineligible for or failed prior CD19-targeted immunotherapy (e.g., blinatumomab or CD19-CAR T cells) * For participants who had prior CD19-CAR T cell therapy: * At least 90-days has elapsed since participant received last CD19-CAR T cell therapy AND * Persistence of prior CD19-CAR T cells must be evaluated and found to be \< 5% prior to leukapheresis procedure * Note: Participants who have undergone stem cell transplantation (at least 100 days prior to enrollment) after the last CD19-CAR T cell therapy, are considered eligible and do not need to meet the above criteria * Participants with central nervous system (CNS) involvement by leukemia (CNS2 and asymptomatic CNS3) may be considered eligible after discussions with the study team * Total serum bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN) (unless has Gilbert's disease or related to liver involvement by leukemia, then ≤ 3.0) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ ULN, unless related to liver involvement by ALL, then ≤ 3.0 * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ ULN, unless related to liver involvement by ALL, then ≤ 3.0 * Creatinine clearance of ≥ 40 mL/min per 24-hour urine test or the Cockcroft-Gault formula * Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% * Oxygen (O2) saturation ≥ 92% on room air * Seronegative for HIV quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and active hepatitis B virus (HBV) (surface antigen negative), and syphilis (rapid plasma reagin \[RPR\]) * If positive, hepatitis C ribonucleic acid (RNA) quantitation must be performed OR * If seropositive for HIV, HCV or HBV, nucleic acid quantitation must be performed. The viral load must be undetectable * Meets other institutional and federal requirements for infectious disease titer requirements * Note Infectious disease testing to be performed within 28 days prior to start of protocol therapy * Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP): Negative urine or serum pregnancy test * If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required * QuantiFERON-tuberculosis (TB) Gold or equivalent * Results do not impact patient eligibility; however, the test must be initiated prior to enrollment * Agreement by females and males of childbearing potential to use an effective method of birth control or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through at least 3 months after the last dose of protocol therapy * Childbearing potential defined as not being surgically sterilized (men and women) or have not been free from menses for \> 1 year (women only) * A complete liver evaluation (which includes ultrasound elastography, MRI of the liver and a hepatology consult) may be done if needed based on PI's recommendation

Exclusion criteria

* Autologous/allogeneic stem cell transplant within 100 days at the time of enrollment * Immunosuppressant medications within 1 month prior to protocol enrollment * Concurrent use of systemic steroids or chronic use of immunosuppressant medications. Recent or current use of inhaled steroids is not exclusionary. Physiologic replacement of steroids (prednisone ≤ 7.5 mg /day or equivalent) is allowed * Auto-immune disease or active graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) within 3 months prior to protocol enrollment requiring systemic immunosuppressant therapy * Class III/IV cardiovascular disability according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classification * Subjects with clinically significant arrhythmia or arrhythmias not stable on medical management within 2 weeks of enrollment * Any abnormal liver enzyme levels (as defined by grade 1 elevation from ULN in ALT, AST, and bilirubin levels) at time of enrollment, unless they are abnormal due to liver involvement by leukemia per the treating physician's discretion * Subjects with a known history or prior diagnosis of uncontrolled central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as optic neuritis or other immunologic or inflammatory disease affecting the CNS, including uncontrolled seizure disorder * History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to study agent * Known significant bleeding disorders (e.g., severe von Willebrand's disease) or hemophilia * History of venous occlusive disease (VOD), or GvHD * Subjects with a history of the following GvHD may still be included in the study: * Resolved grade 2 or less steroid-sensitive acute skin GvHD * Grade 1 gastrointestinal (GI)-GvHD developed within 100 days post prior alloHCT * Limited chronic GVHD * History of stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 6 months of enrollment * History of other malignancies, except for malignancy surgically resected (or treated with other modalities) with curative intent, basal cell carcinoma of the skin or localized squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; non-muscle invasive bladder cancer; malignancy treated with curative intent with no known active disease present for ≥ 2 years * Clinically significant uncontrolled illness * Active systemic uncontrolled infection * Known history of immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection * Females only: Pregnant or breastfeeding * Any other condition that would, in the investigator's judgment, contraindicate the subject's participation in the clinical study due to safety concerns with clinical study procedures * Prospective participants who, in the opinion of the investigator, may not be able to comply with all study procedures (including compliance issues related to feasibility/logistics)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Incidence of adverse eventsUp to 28 days after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cellsWill be graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0, American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consensus Criteria on Cytokine Release Syndrome/Neurotoxicity, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) criteria, and Immune Effector Cell-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis-Like Syndrome identification and grading. Will be summarized by organ involved, severity, time of onset, and attribution.
Dose-limiting toxicityFrom the start of CAR T infusion up to 28 daysWill be described individually.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Disease response rateAt 4 weeksWill be defined as complete response (CR) or CR with incomplete blood count recovery or CR with partial hematological recovery. Will be evaluated using European LeukemiaNet criteria. Rates and associated 95% binomial exact confidence limits will be estimated.
Minimal residual disease negative rateAt 4 weeksWill be defined by malignant cells \< 0.01% by flow cytometry or clonoSEQ. Rates and associated 95% binomial exact confidence limits will be estimated.
Duration of B-cell aplasiaUp to 15 yearsWill be measured by serum immunoglobulin G level. Will be summarized by descriptive statistics.
Severity of GVHD in recipients of prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantationWithin 8 weeks after T cell infusionWill be defined per Keystone criteria for acute GVHD and revised National Institutes of Health consensus on grading of chronic GVHD. Competing risk method will be used to estimate.
Progression-free survivalFrom T cell infusion to the first observation of disease relapse/progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first, assessed up to 15 yearsKaplan-Meier product limit method with log-log transformation for the confidence interval will be used to estimate.
Overall survivalFrom T cell infusion to death from any cause, assessed up to 15 yearsKaplan-Meier product limit method with log-log transformation for the confidence interval will be used to estimate.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORIbrahim Aldoss

City of Hope Medical Center

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 12, 2026