Immune booster: personalized NK cells aim to wipe out blood cancer after transplant

NCT ID NCT02727803

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This phase 2 trial tests whether giving patients their own personalized natural killer (NK) cells after chemotherapy and a cord blood transplant can help kill any remaining cancer cells. The study includes 100 people with various blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Researchers hope this approach will improve how long patients stay cancer-free and reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Natural killer (NK) cells from cord blood, along with anti-thymocyte globulin and busulfan chemotherapy
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could improve progression-free survival for patients with hard-to-treat blood cancers by using the patient's own immune cells to target remaining cancer cells after transplant.
What could go wrong
This is a mid-stage trial with only 100 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. There are risks from chemotherapy and transplant, including infection and graft-versus-host disease.

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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.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • M D Anderson Cancer Center

    RECRUITING

    Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

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