Overview
This study is a single-center, open-label clinical trial of single-dose of CAR T-cells in subjects with relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancy.
Description
The study will enroll subjects with relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancy, including lymphoma and leukemia. Subjects will receive a single infusion of CAR T-cells after screening, PBMC collection, and lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Toxicity will be assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE, version 5.0) from the National Cancer Institute. Safety of CAR T-cell therapy will be evaluated through laboratory tests, including 12-lead electrocardiograms, vital sign checks, and physical examination etc. Additionally, blood samples will be collected to study cellular pharmacokinetics and explore the effects of cell therapy on ferritin, C-reactive protein, and relevant cytokines.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for the study:
- Voluntarily participate in the clinical study. The individual or the legal guardian fully understands the study, sign the informed consent form (ICF), and is willing and able to follow and complete all trial procedures.
- Age ≥ 18 years and < 70 years.
- Subjects with refractory or relapsed disease after current standard treatments
(including allogeneic or autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation)
who are not suitable for other treatment options, such as a second stem cell
transplant. The definitions of relapsed/refractory lymphoma include one of the
following situations:
- Relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is defined as one of the following:
- Primary refractory disease.
ii) First relapse if the initial remission is ≤ 12 months.
iii) Relapse or refractory disease after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
iv) Relapse or refractory disease after allogeneic transplantation, provided
that at the time of enrollment, the subject is at least 100 days post-stem cell
transplantation and has not received immunosuppressive drugs for at least 4
weeks prior to enrollment, except for low-dose steroids (≤ 5 mg of prednisone
or equivalent).
b. Subjects with Ph+ B-cell ALL, who are intolerant to or ineligible for
tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment, or who have relapsed/refractory
disease after receiving at least two different TKI treatments, are eligible.
c. Relapsed/refractory B-cell-derived non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin
lymphoma (HL) defined as one of the following:
i) No response to first-line treatment (primary refractory disease, excluding
subjects intolerant to first-line treatment);
- Disease progression (PD) as assessed after first-line treatment.
- Best response of SD after at least 4 cycles of first-line treatment (e.g.,
4 cycles of RCHOP), with SD duration not exceeding 6 months after the last
dose.
ii) No response to second-line or more treatments.
- PD as the best response to the most recent treatment regimen.
- Best efficacy of the last line of treatment as SD after at least 2 cycles,
with the duration of SD not exceeding 6 months after the last dose.
iii) Refractory after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).
- Disease progression or relapse ≤ 12 months post-ASCT (relapsed patients
must have biopsy-proven relapse).
- If salvage treatment is performed after ASCT, the subjects must have no
response to or relapsed after the last line of treatment.
- Relapsed or refractory disease after two or more lines of systemic
therapy.
4. Indications included for enrollment in the cohort of anti-CD19-CAR T-cells:
1. CD19+ ALL patients, with bone marrow smear reports showing tumor cells ≥
5%.
2. CD19+ NHL patients meeting one of the following subtypes:
- Diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL-NOS)
- Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL)
- Transformed follicular lymphoma (TFL), previously treated for
follicular lymphoma and then transformed to refractory DLBCL
- Mantle cell lymphoma
- High-grade B-cell lymphoma
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL)
5. Subtypes of lymphoma included for enrollment in the cohort of anti-CD20/30-CAR
T-cells:
- Previously received anti-CD20/30-CAR T-cell therapy, with CD20 expression
positive at enrollment.
- Lymphoma with dual positive expression of CD20/CD30.
6. Indications included for enrollment in the cohort of anti-CD30-CAR T-cell:
- CD30 positive HL
- CD30 positive T-cell lymphoma
7. ECOG performance status ≤ 2.
8. Expected survival of at least 12 weeks.
9. Adequate venous access (for apheresis) and no other contraindications for blood
cell separation.
10. Laboratory tests during screening must meet the following requirements, and the
subject must not have received cell growth factors (long-acting
colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF/PEG-CSF) require a 2-week interval) and
platelet transfusions within 7 days prior to hematological assessment:
1. Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.0×10^9/L (the condition of ALL patients is
determined by the investigator).
2. Hemoglobin ≥ 60 g/L (without red blood cell transfusion in the last 14
days).
3. Platelets ≥ 50×10^9/L (the condition of ALL patients is determined by the
investigator).
4. Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) ≥ 0.5×10^9/L.
5. Total serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5× the upper limit of normal (ULN).
6. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤
2.5×ULN.
7. Creatinine <1.5×ULN and estimated creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min.
11. Ejection fraction ≥ 45%, with echocardiogram (ECHO) confirming no pericardial
effusion (excluding small or physiological amounts), and electrocardiogram
results with no clinical significance.
12. Baseline oxygen saturation > 92% without supplemental oxygen.
13. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy
test result (women who have undergone surgical sterilization or have been
postmenopausal for at least 2 years are not considered of childbearing
potential).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subjects are not eligible to participate in this study if they meet any of the
following criteria:
- ALL patients with central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, including CNS-2
and CNS-3 that are of clinically significant neurological changes:
- CNS-3 disease is defined as detectable tumor cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample with ≥ 5 WBCs/mm^3, with or without neurological changes.
- CNS-2 disease is defined as detectable tumor cells in the CSF sample with < 5 WBCs/mm^3 and with neurological changes.
- ALL patients with central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, including CNS-2
and CNS-3 that are of clinically significant neurological changes:
Note: Subjects classified as CNS-1 (no detectable tumor cells in CSF) and those
with no clinically significant neurological changes classified as CNS-2 are
eligible to participate in this study.
2. Brain MRI evidence shows central nervous system lymphoma. Active primary
central nervous system DLBL, unless CNS involvement has been effectively
treated (i.e., participants are asymptomatic) and there has been a local
treatment interval of >4 weeks prior to enrollment.
3. Presence of active central nervous system diseases, such as epilepsy,
cerebrovascular ischemia/hemorrhage, dementia, cerebellar diseases, or any
autoimmune diseases with CNS involvement.
4. A history of or concurrent presence of other malignancies.
5. Clinically significant cardiac disease or arrhythmias that cannot be controlled
with medication.
6. Presence or suspicion of fungal, bacterial, viral, or other infections that are
uncontrolled or require intravenous antibiotics for treatment. Uncomplicated
urinary tract infections and uncomplicated bacterial pharyngitis are allowed.
7. Positive for hepatitis B (positive for HBsAg, and/or positive for Hepatitis B
core antibody and HBV DNA >1000 copies/mL) and hepatitis C (positive for HCV
antibodies), syphilis or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
8. Presence of any indwelling or drainage catheters (such as percutaneous
nephrostomy tubes, indwelling Foley catheters, bile drainage tubes, or
pleural/peritoneal/pericardial catheters). The use of specialized central
venous access devices, such as Port-A-Cath® or Hickman® catheters, is allowed.
9. Prior medication:
1. Use of clofarabine or cladribine within 3 months prior to enrollment, or
use of PEG-asparaginase within 3 weeks prior to enrollment.
2. Injection of live vaccines within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
3. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) within 28 days prior to enrollment.
4. Any medications used for the treatment of GVHD (such as calcineurin
inhibitors, methotrexate, mycophenolate, rapamycin, thalidomide) within 4
weeks prior to enrollment, or immunosuppressive antibodies (such as
anti-CD20, anti-tumor necrosis factor, anti-interleukin-6, or
anti-interleukin-6 receptor) used within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
5. Immune stimulation or immunosuppressive therapy (such as interferon-α,
interferon-β, IL-2, etanercept, infliximab, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, or
mycophenolic acid) within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
6. Any systemic immunosuppressive/stimulatory checkpoint molecule therapy
within 4 weeks prior to enrollment (such as ipilimumab, nivolumab,
pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, OX40 agonists, 4-1BB agonists, etc.).
7. Use of systemic cytotoxic drugs within 2 weeks prior to enrollment,
including daily or weekly low-dose maintenance chemotherapy (such as
cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, bendamustine, chlorambucil, methotrexate,
vincristine, etc.).
8. Long-acting growth factors (e.g., pegylated filgrastim) within 14 days
prior to leukapheresis, or short-acting growth factors or mobilizing
agents (e.g., granulocyte colony-stimulating factor/filgrastim,
plerixafor) within 5 days prior to leukapheresis.
9. Radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to enrollment.
10. Use of pharmacological doses of corticosteroids (>5 mg/day of prednisone
or equivalent doses of other corticosteroids) and other immunosuppressive
medications must be avoided within 7 days prior to enrollment.
11. Use of venetoclax (BCL-2 inhibitor) within 4 days prior to leukapheresis.
12. Short-acting targeted therapy (e.g., tyrosine kinase inhibitors) within 72
hours prior to leukapheresis.
13. Idelalisib (oral PI3Kδ inhibitor) within 2 days prior to leukapheresis.
14. Lenalidomide within 1 day prior to leukapheresis.
10. Active graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) ≥ grade 2 on the CIBMTR acute GVHD
grading system or requires systemic steroids at doses greater than
physiological levels.
11. A history of autoimmune diseases (such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid
arthritis, or systemic lupus) resulting in end-organ injury or requiring
systemic immunosuppression/systemic disease-modifying agents within the last 2
years.
12. A history of myocardial infarction, cardiac angioplasty or stenting, unstable
angina, or other clinically significant cardiac diseases within 12 months prior
to enrollment.
13. A history of a concomitant genetic syndrome associated with bone marrow failure
such as Fanconi anemia, Kostmann syndrome, and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome.
14. A history of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism requiring
systemic anticoagulation within 6 months prior to enrollment. Subjects need to
be on preventive anticoagulant medication.
15. A history of other malignancies (except for non-melanoma skin cancer, in situ
breast/cervical cancer, and other malignant tumors that have been effectively
controlled without treatment in the past five years).
16. Use of other investigational products within 30 days prior to screening.
17. Pregnant or breastfeeding women of childbearing age. Chemotherapy poses
potential risks to the fetus or infant. Women who have undergone surgical
sterilization or are postmenopausal for at least 2 years are not considered of
childbearing potential.
18. Male and female subjects unwilling to practice birth control from the time of
consent through 12 months after the completion of lymphodepleting chemotherapy
or CAR T cells infusion (whichever is longer).
19. Any medical activities that may interfere with the safety or efficacy
assessment of the study treatment.
20. In the investigator's judgment, the subject is unlikely to complete all
protocol-required procedures and follow-up visits, or to comply with the
requirements for participating in the study.