Engineered immune cells take on kidney disease in early trial
NCT ID NCT07241468
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study tests a new treatment called anti-CD19/BCMA universal CAR T cells (KN3601) for people with relapsed or refractory immune-mediated kidney disease. The therapy involves collecting a patient's immune cells, engineering them to target and destroy harmful B cells, and infusing them back after a short chemotherapy course. The goal is to see if it is safe and can control the disease. About 36 adults aged 18-70 will participate.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Anti-CD19/BCMA universal CAR T cells (KN3601)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new treatment option for people with hard-to-treat immune-mediated kidney disease, potentially controlling the disease without long-term medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early (Phase 1) and small trial (36 people). CAR T therapy carries risks like severe immune reactions and infections. It may not work for all patients or may cause serious side effects.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age: ≥ 18 years old and ≤ 70 years old, male or female; 2. 2 B cell CD19 positive expression in peripheral blood detected by flow cytometry; 3. The functions of critical organs meet the following requirements: 1. Neutrophil count ≥ 1 x 10\^9/L, Hemoglobin ≥60g/L, platelets ≥ 50×109/L, 2. Liver function: ALT ≤ 3 x ULN,AST≤3 x ULN, TBIL≤1.5 x ULN, 3. Coagulation function: International standardized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.5x ULN, prothrombin time (PT) ≤1.5 x ULN, 4. Cardiac function: good hemodynamic stability, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥55%. 4. Female subjects of childbearing potential and male subjects whose partner is a female of childbearing potential are required to use medically approved contraception or abstain from sex for at least 6 months during and at least 6 months after the end of the study treatment period; female subjects of childbearing potential have had a negative serum HCG test within 7 days prior to study enrollment and are not lactating; 5. Voluntarily participate in this clinical study, sign an informed consent form, have good compliance, and cooperate with follow-up. Specific inclusion criteria: High-risk or relapsed/refractory primary membranous nephropathy 6. Primary membranous nephropathy diagnosed pathologically by renal biopsy; 7. Meets the clinical criteria for high-risk or recurrent/refractory membranous nephropathy, defined as: Subjects at risk who meet any of the following criteria: a) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, CKD-EPI equation) \<60 mL/min/1.73m², and/or urine protein \>8g/day persisting for more than 6 months;b) normal GFR, urinary protein \>3.5 g/d, treated with ACEI/ARB for 6 months, urinary protein reduction \<50%, and serum albumin \<25 g/l or aPLA2R \>50 RU/mL; Refractory membranous nephropathy subjects are defined as those who have shown poor response or resistance to previous immunosuppressive treatments (including corticosteroids and/or cytotoxic drugs, immunosuppressants and/or biologics), defined as persistent proteinuria ≥3.5g/day with a reduction of \<50% compared to baseline; Recurrent membranous nephropathy is defined as a relapse (24-hour urinary protein ≥3.5 g) in subjects who have achieved complete or partial remission following treatment; 8. Subjects with relapsed/refractory MN and eGFR ≥ 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 during the screening period; 9. Primary IgA nephropathy pathologically confirmed by renal biopsy; 10. Subjects have medical records showing they have been on stable and maximally tolerated doses of either ACEI or ARB, as per local SOC and applicable guidelines, for at least 3 months preceding screening; 11. Subjects have been treated with hormones and/or cytotoxic drugs, immunosuppressants and/or biological agents (including but not limited to anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies) for more than 6 months, and the 24-hour urine protein is ≥1.0 g; subjects with a rapidly progressive decline in kidney function (eGFR decreases by ≥50% within 3 months); or The subject relapsed after achieving complete remission/partial remission (CR/PR) following treatment (24-hour urine protein ≥1.0 g); 12. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, CKD-EPI formula) ≥30 mL/min/1.73m2 at screening; 13. Meets the 2022 ACR/EULAR diagnostic criteria for ANCA-associated vasculitis, including microscopic polyangiitis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis; 14. ANCA-related antibodies positive (MPO-ANCA or PR3-ANCA positive); 15. Kidney biopsy pathology is consistent with ANCA-associated vasculitis renal damage; 16. Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) ≥15 points (total score 63 points), indicating active vasculitis; 17. At least two abnormalities related to the kidneys in the BVAS score; 18. Subjects meeting the definition of relapsed/refractory: standard treatment is ineffective or disease activity recurs after remission. Definition of conventional treatment: using glucocorticoids (more than 1mg/kg/day) and cyclophosphamide, along with any one of the following immunomodulatory drugs for ≥3 months: antimalarials, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, leflunomide, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, and biologics including rituximab, belimumab, and thalidomide; 19. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, CKD-EPI formula) ≥30 mL/min/1.73m2 at screening Exclusion Criteria: Subjects who meet any of the following common exclusion criteria or disease-specific exclusion criteria will not be eligible for this study Common exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects known to have allergic reactions, hypersensitivity, intolerance, or contraindications to CD19/BCMA universal CAR-T or any drug components that may be used in the study (including fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and tocilizumab), or who have previously experienced severe allergic reactions; 2. The subject has or is suspected of having uncontrolled or treatable fungal, bacterial, viral, or other infections; 3. Subjects with central nervous system disorders caused by autoimmune diseases or non-autoimmune diseases (including epilepsy, psychiatric disorders, organic brain syndrome, cerebrovascular accidents, encephalitis, central nervous system vasculitis); 4. Subjects with more serious heart conditions, such as angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and arrhythmias; 5. Subjects with congenital immunoglobulin deficiency; 6. The subject has other malignant tumours (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer and carcinoma in situ of the cervix, bladder cancer, and breast cancer with disease-free survival of over 5 years); 7. Subjects with end-stage renal failure; 8. Subjects who are positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) and have peripheral blood HBV DNA titres above the detection limit; subjects who are positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and peripheral blood HCV RNA; subjects who are positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies; subjects who test positive for syphilis; 9. Subjects have mental illness and severe cognitive impairment; 10. Subjects who have participated in other clinical trials within 6 months prior to enrolment; 11. Female participants who are pregnant or planning to conceive; 12. Subjects with hypertension and diabetes uncontrolled by medication; 13. Researchers believe that there are other reasons why some subjects cannot be included in this study; Specific exclusion Criteria: Relapsed/Refractory Primary Membranous Nephropathy 14. Secondary membranous nephropathy (e.g., hepatitis B, systemic lupus erythematosus, drug-associated, malignancy-associated, etc.), or in combination with other renal diseases confirmed by renal biopsy; Relapsed/Refractory IgA Nephropathy 15. Exclude secondary IgA nephropathy, including but not limited to: anaphylactic purpura, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, desiccation syndrome, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, rheumatoid arthritis, and mixed connective tissue disease; or in combination with other renal diseases confirmed by renal biopsy; 16. Crescentic nephritis (pathologic diagnosis of \>50% crescentic bodies), micrognathic nephropathy with IgA deposition, and other specific types of pathologic or clinical renal disease; Relapsed/refractory ANCA-associated vasculitis kidney damage 17. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<15 mL/min/1.73 m2; 18. If subjects have alveolar haemorrhage and requires invasive lung ventilation, the expected duration exceeds the screening time.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Changhai Hospital
RECRUITINGShanghai, China
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