Testing immune cells to fight a rare brain tumor in children and young adults

Plain-English translation of NCT07501156 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated March 2026 · Translation generated June 2026 · How we translate trials

Phase 1/2 — A combined trial that checks safety and dosing while also starting to look at whether the treatment works.

What is this trial?

This trial is testing H3K27M-specific Engineered Immune Effectors ()—immune cells that are trained in the laboratory to recognize and attack a specific genetic mutation found in diffuse midline gliomas and diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas. These are very aggressive brain tumors, especially common in children, that currently have very poor outcomes. The goal is to see whether this personalized immune cell treatment is safe and whether it can help patients whose tumors have come back or stopped responding to standard treatment.

Diffuse midline gliomas and diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas are devastating brain cancers in children with almost no survivors beyond five years. Standard treatments like radiation and chemotherapy don't change the outcome for most patients. This trial exists because researchers discovered that almost all of these tumors share a unique genetic mutation, which offers a new target for the immune system to attack—something that could offer hope where current treatments have failed.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you are at least 2 years old and no older than 70 years old
you have been diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma with the H3K27M mutation confirmed by testing
your tumor has come back or stopped responding to standard treatment (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy)
you are in good enough overall health to participate, with a life expectancy of at least 3 months
your blood counts, liver function, and kidney function are at acceptable levels based on blood tests
you are able to understand the study and willing to follow the doctor's instructions and use birth control if you could become pregnant

You likely don't qualify if…

you are HIV positive or have an uncontrolled tuberculosis infection
you have an autoimmune disease or a history of allergies to immune cell products
you are currently taking long-term steroids or immunosuppressive medications
you had a Gliadel implant (a type of brain implant) within the last 4 weeks or are currently in another immune cell therapy trial
you are pregnant or unwilling to use birth control during and for 3 months after the study

What participation looks like

If you qualify, doctors will collect your blood through a procedure called leukapheresis to gather immune cells. These cells will be sent to a laboratory where they are stimulated and trained to recognize the H3K27M mutation in your tumor cells. After the cells are prepared and expanded over several weeks, you will receive an infusion of these engineered immune cells back into your body. You will be monitored closely for safety and to see how well the treatment works, with follow-up visits and tests to track your response.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Jun 4, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(1 site)

China

Shenzhen Geno-immune Medical Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong