Testing new immune cell therapy for hard-to-treat blood cancer in young people

This trial is testing CAR T-cell therapy—a treatment that uses your own immune cells (or a donor's cells) that have been specially engineered to recognize and fight leukemia. Researchers have two different versions of this therapy: one targets B-cell leukemia that may have relapsed after previous CAR T treatment, and another targets T-cell leukemia. The goal is to see if these treatments are safe and if they work for patients whose leukemia has stopped responding to standard chemotherapy.

Many children and young adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia have run out of effective treatment options. While CAR T-cell therapy has helped some patients with B-cell leukemia, about one-third to half eventually relapse, and T-cell leukemia has had very limited success with current therapies. This trial aims to test newer versions of the treatment to help patients who have no other curative options available.