Multivirus-specific T Cells for the Treatment of Virus Infections After Stem Cell Transplant (NCT02108522) | Clinical Trial Compass
CompletedNot Applicable
Multivirus-specific T Cells for the Treatment of Virus Infections After Stem Cell Transplant
United States82 participantsStarted 2014-06
Plain-language summary
Patients enrolled on this study will have received a stem cell transplant. After a transplant, while the immune system grows back the patient is at risk for infection. Some viruses can stay in the body for life and if the immune system is weakened, like after a transplant, they can cause life threatening infections.
Patients enrolled on this study will have had an infection with one or more of the following viruses - Epstein Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), BK virus, JC virus, adenovirus or HHV6 (Human Herpes Virus 6).
Investigators want to see if they can use a kind of white blood cell called T cells to treat infections of these viruses after a transplant. Investigators have observed in other studies that treatment with specially trained T cells has been successful when the cells are made from the transplant donor. However as it takes 1-2 months to make the cells, that approach is not practical when a patient already has an infection.
Investigators have now generated multivirus-specific T cells (VSTs) from the blood of healthy donors and created a bank of these cells. Investigators have previously successfully used frozen multivirus-specific T cells from healthy donors to treat virus infections after bone marrow transplant and now have improved the production method to make it safer and target more viruses.
In this study, investigators want to find out if they can use these banked VSTs to fight infections caused by the viruses mentioned above.
Who can participate
Sex
ALL
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Inclusion criteria
. Prior myeloablative or non-myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant using either bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells or single or double cord blood.
. Treatment of the following persistent or relapsed infections despite standard therapy;
. CMV: Treatment of persistent or relapsed CMV disease or infection after standard therapy. For CMV infection, standard therapy is defined as antiviral therapy with ganciclovir, foscarnet or cidofovir.
. Adenovirus: Treatment of persistent adenovirus infection or disease despite standard therapy. Standard therapy is defined as antiviral therapy with cidofovir or an alternative antiviral agent if patient will not tolerate cidofovir therapy because of poor renal function.
. EBV: For treatment of persistent EBV infection despite standard therapy. For EBV infection, standard therapy is defined as rituximab given at 375mg/m2 in patients for 1-4 doses with a CD20+ve tumor.
. BK virus: Treatment of persistent BK virus infection or BK virus disease despite antiviral treatment with cidofovir or leflunomide. No clear standard treatment is defined. Cidofovir has been administered in low doses as well as high doses to HSCT patients with BK infections but no randomized trials are available proving its clinical efficacy. In small trials leflunomide had activity against BK virus, therefore we will consider this agent an acceptable alternative to cidofovir, given the absence of a clear first line option.
Questions worth asking your doctor
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
Questions for the trial coordinator
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
What they're measuring
1
Number of Patients Where a Suitable VST Line Could be Found
Timeframe: within 24 hours of receiving recipient HLA information
2
Number of Patients With Acute GvHD Grades III-IV
Timeframe: 42 days
3
Number of Patients With Grades 3-5 Non-hematologic Adverse Events Related to the T Cell Product
. HHV6: Treatment of persistent HHV6 infection or disease despite antiviral treatment with ganciclovir, cidofovir and foscarnet. No clear standard treatment is defined. Ganciclovir, cidofovir and foscarnet all have variable in vitro activity against HHV-6, and may have a role in treating HHV-6-associated disease - therefore antiviral treatment with one or more of these agents will we acceptable initial therapy.
. JC virus: Treatment of progressive or persistent JC virus infection or disease without suitable alternative treatment option. Pepmixes specific for antigens on adenovirus, EBV, CMV, HHV6 and BK virus are used to generate our multivirus-specific VSTs. No pepmix specific for the rare JC virus is used for generation of these CTLs, however given the high homology (\>90%) between JC and BK and the fact that BK virus-specific T cells targeting VP1 and Large T (as targeted in our multivirus VSTs) have been administered to treat JCV-PML, resulting in viral clearance from the cerebrospinal fluid it is likely that our VSTs are efficacious against JC virus. Given the current lack of treatment options for JC virus infection or reactivation after HSCT and the risk of progression to JML, which is almost uniformly fatal, and the apparent activity of BK virus-directed T cells against JC virus infected cells, we propose including patients with progressive or persistent JC virus on this study, unless a suitable alternative therapy is available.
Exclusion criteria
. Patients receiving ATG, Campath or other immunosuppressive T cell monoclonal antibodies within 28 days of screening for enrollment.
. Patients with other uncontrolled infections. For bacterial infections, patients must be receiving definitive therapy and have no signs of progressing infection for 72 hours prior to enrollment. For fungal infections patients must be receiving definitive systemic anti-fungal therapy and have no signs of progressing infection for 1 week prior to enrollment.
. Patients who are less than 28 days removed from their allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant or who have received donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) within 28 days.