Receive engineered immune cells designed to treat blood cancer

Recruiting

What is this trial?

This trial is testing CD19 CAR T cells—immune cells taken from your blood that are engineered in a laboratory to recognize and fight cancer cells. The researchers will remove T cells (a type of immune cell) from your blood, add a special gene that helps them target cancer, grow millions of these cells, and then infuse them back into your body to attack your cancer.

Standard treatments for advanced blood cancers don't work for everyone, and some patients relapse after initial therapy. This treatment aims to give your own immune system a more powerful way to find and destroy cancer cells by using engineered cells that are specifically trained to recognize your particular cancer.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you have been diagnosed with blood cancer (lymphoma or leukemia) that has either returned after treatment, not responded to treatment, or is newly diagnosed but cannot be treated with standard therapy
your cancer cells are positive for a marker called CD19
you are age 75 or younger (adults must be 18 or older for the first patients in the trial)
you have adequate liver, kidney, and heart function as measured by blood tests and oxygen levels
you have a life expectancy of at least 12 weeks

You likely don't qualify if…

you currently have an active infection that requires antibiotics
you have a history of another type of cancer (unless it was successfully treated at least 2 years ago, or was non-melanoma skin cancer)
you are currently taking other experimental medications or have received cancer vaccines in the past 6 weeks
you are not willing to use reliable birth control during the study and for 6 months afterward

What participation looks like

First, you will donate blood so the research team can create your engineered immune cells in the laboratory—this process takes several weeks. You may receive one round of chemotherapy to reduce other T cells in your body so the new cells have room to work. Then you will receive an infusion of the engineered cells into your bloodstream. After treatment, you will have regular clinic visits to monitor your response and watch for side effects. Because this is a new gene therapy, you will be followed for up to 15 years to check for any long-term effects.

Testing immune cells engineered to fight blood cancers

What is this trial?

Do you qualify?

What participation looks like

Trial locations(2 sites)