Armored immune cells take on liver cancer in early trial
NCT ID NCT05155189
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study tests a new treatment called C-CAR031 for people with advanced liver cancer that has not responded to standard therapies. C-CAR031 uses a patient's own immune cells, modified to better target and attack cancer cells. The trial will enroll 72 participants to evaluate safety and whether the treatment can shrink tumors.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- C-CAR031 (armored CAR-T cells targeting GPC3)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for advanced liver cancer that has stopped responding to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 trial with only 72 participants, so safety and effectiveness are not yet proven. CAR-T therapy can cause severe side effects like cytokine release syndrome.
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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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 72 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2022
- Expected to finish
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May 2041
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 75 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.Voluntary participation and able to sign the informed consent form * 2\. Aged 18 to 75 years at screening * 3\. Patients with histologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who meet the following requirements: a. Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage B or C (BCLC B/C) b. Child-Pugh score ≤ 6 c. GPC3 is possibly expressed in tumor tissues * 4\. Patients with relapsed / progressive disease after at least one prior standard systemic therapy for HCC, or ineligible to accept/unable to tolerate the systemic therapies. Standard systemic therapies may include targeted drugs (such as Sorafenib, Lenvatinib, Donafenib, Apatinib), immune checkpoint inhibitors (such as Atezolizumab, Pembrolizumab, Camrelizumab, Sintilimab, Nivolumab, Toripalimab, Tislelizumab) or chemotherapeutic drugs (such as Oxaliplatin and 5-Fu). Subjects in theC-CAR031 plus Lenvatinib group must meet the following criteria: (1)have not received prior Lenvatinib therapy; (2) Progression or intolerance to one prior line of systemic therapy containing both immune checkpoint inhibitors and VEGF/VEGFR- targeted agents. Subjects in the C-CAR031 combination with Regorafenib group must meet the following criteria: (1)have not received prior Regorafenib therapy; (2) Progression or intolerance to one prior line of systemic therapy containing both immune checkpoint inhibitors and VEGF/VEGFR- targeted agents. Subjects in theC-CAR031 plus Durvalumab group must meet the following criteria:(1) Progression or intolerance to one prior line of systemic therapy containing both immune checkpoint inhibitors and VEGF/VEGFR-targeted agents; (2) no prior immune-related toxicity leading to permanent discontinuation of immunotherapy;(3) no history of ≥ Grade 3 immune-related adverse events (irAEs), or any grade immune-related neurological/ocular AEs. (Note: Subjects with ≤ Grade 2 endocrine AEs may enroll if asymptomatic on stable replacement therapy, excluding those: a. requiring non-corticosteroid immunosuppressants, b. experiencing AE recurrence upon immunotherapy rechallenge, c. or using corticosteroids at \>10 mg/day prednisone or equivalent.) (4) All AEs associated with prior immunotherapy must have resolved or returned to pre-treatment levels prior to screening; (5) Body weight more than 30 kg. * 5\. At least one measurable target lesion (as per RECIST v1.1) * 6\. WHO/ECOG performance status (PS) score of 0 or 1 point * 7\. Expected survival ≥ 12 weeks * 8\. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by echocardiography ≥ 45% * 9\. No active pulmonary infection; no known history of pneumonitis requiring steroids; absence of acute onset or progressive pneumonitis at baseline. * 10\. Laboratory tests: a. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.0 × 109/L b. Lymphocyte count ≥ 0.4 × 109/L c. Platelet count ≥ 60 × 109/L d. Hemoglobin ≥ 80 g/L e. Total bilirubin (TBIL) ≤ 2 × upper limit of normal (ULN) f. AST and ALT ≤ 5 × ULN g. Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN h. Prothrombin time (PT): prolonged PT ≤ 4 s * 11\. Patients without history of HBV infection, or with HBV DNA \< 2000 IU/mL (or 10000 copies/mL) at screening who agree to receive anti-virus therapies throughout the study according to the guidelines * 12\. Negative serum or urine pregnancy test results for females of child-bearing age at screening; In addition, they should agree to take effective contraceptive measures throughout the study * 13\. Patients who agree to abstain from drinking throughout the study Exclusion Criteria: * 1\. History of severe allergic or hypersensitivity to DMSO. Subjects with known allergies to the active components of Lenvatinib, Regorafenib, or Durvalumab will be excluded from respective combination treatment groups. * 2\. History of liver transplantation * 3\. History of prior cell therapy * 4\. Tumor volume \> 50% of the liver. * 5\. portal stem vein tumor thrombus * 6\. Moderate to severe ascites. * 7\. Metastases to bones or central nervous system (CNS), or involved CNS diseasesincluding hepatic encephalopathy, epilepsy, cerebrovascular accidents, etc. * 8\. Receipt of radiotherapy within 6 weeks prior to apheresis * 9\. Receipt of Local therapy (such as surgery, ablation, and intervention) within 4 weeks prior to apheresis or presence of unhealed wounds before apheresis * 10\. Receipt of systemic treatment and failure to meet the minimum requirements for wash-out periods before apheresis: a. Immune checkpointinhibitors: 2 weeks; b. Small molecule target therapy: \< 7 days; c. Systemic anti-tumor therapies using experimental anticancer drugs or other Chinese herbal medicines and Chinese patent medicines with unclear mechanisms: 2 weeks; d. Steroids (except inhaled steroids) or other immunomodulators (including interleukins, interferons, and thymosins) of systemic therapeutic dose: 2 weeks; e. Any unresolved toxicity ≥ NCI CTCAE Grade 2 from prior anticancer therapy, except alopecia, vitiligo, and laboratory abnormalities explicitly permitted by the inclusion criteria. * 11\. Other history of primary cancers, excluding:a. Nonmelanoma skin cancer cured by resection (such as basal cell carcinoma) b. Cured carcinoma in situ (such as cervical cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer) * 12\. Active hepatitis C virus infection (HCV RNA positive) * 13\. Syphilis infection * 14\. History of active/immunodeficient diseases (including but not limited to HIV, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, Graves' disease, and hypophysitis; excluding: vitiligo or alopecia, hypothyroidism in patients with stable medical conditions after hormone replacement therapy, any chronic skin conditions that need no systemic treatment, and other diseases judged by the investigator to be of no clinical significance) * 15\. Persistent and active infections (excluding prophylactic anti-infectives) * 16\. Uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia, and symptomatic congestive heart failure * 17\. Dementia or mental state changes supported by obvious clinical evidence * 18\. Cardiac insufficiency: class III or IV, according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classifications * 19\. Unstable heart or lung diseases * 20\. Obvious bleeding risks or tendencies * 21\. Females who are pregnant or breastfeeding or expect to be pregnant or breastfeeding during the study * 22\. Other diseases that may add further risks to the subject or interfere with the study results as judged by the investigators * 23\. For combination with Lenvatinib, Regorafenib or Durvalumab, the following will be excluded: a. History of renal disease or nephrotic syndrome; b. Refractory nausea and vomiting, chronic gastrointestinal disease, inability to swallow formulation, or previous intestinal resection that precludes adequate absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion of Lenvatinib or Regorafenib; c. History of ≥ Grade 3 bleeding disorder, vasculitis, or significant gastrointestinal bleeding episodes within 28 days prior to screening; d. History of arterial thromboembolic events (ATEs), including myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, or transient ischemic attack within 6 months prior to screening; e. Serious or non-healing wound, active gastrointestinal ulcer, or bone fracture within 28 days prior to screening; f. Use of full-dose anticoagulants or thrombolytics for non-prophylactic purposes within 10 days prior to screening; g. History of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or any other clinically significant thromboembolism within 3 months prior to screening; h. Presence of symptomatic or uncontrolled hypertension. * 24\. Uncontrolled intermittent severe chronic gastrointestinal disorders associated with diarrhea (excluded from the durvalumab treatment group).
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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
2 sites. 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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The first affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou University
RECRUITINGZhengzhou, China
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the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University
RECRUITINGHangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
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- New antibody pair takes aim at advanced liver cancer in major trial