Engineered immune cells take aim at tough lymphomas in first human test
NCT ID NCT03602157
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase trial tests a new type of immunotherapy for people with Hodgkin lymphoma or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that has returned or not responded to standard treatments. The therapy uses the patient's own T cells, which are genetically modified to recognize and attack cancer cells carrying the CD30 protein. Some of these cells are also engineered to produce CCR4, a protein that helps guide them to the tumor. The main goal is to find a safe dose and understand side effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Genetically modified T cells (CAR T-cells) targeting CD30, with or without added CCR4 protein
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a new treatment option for patients with hard-to-treat lymphomas that have not responded to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early Phase 1 trial with only 43 participants, focused on safety and dosing. It is too soon to know if the treatment will work, and there are risks of side effects like cytokine release syndrome or nerve toxicity.
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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43 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2018
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2039
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 years and older
- 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 * Unless otherwise noted, subjects must meet all of the following criteria to participate in this study: * Written informed consent and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information. Subjects or their Legally Authorized Representative must sign a consent to undergo cell procurement. Written informed consent to enroll in the CAR T-cell therapy trial must be obtained prior to lymphodepletion. * Adults ≥18 years of age. * Subjects must have one of the following diagnoses by WHO criteria: * Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma * Mycosis fungoides * Sezary syndrome * Primary cutaneous CD30 positive T cell lymphoproliferative disorder including lymphomatoid papulosis or primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma * B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between DLBCL and classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (Grey Zone Lymphoma) * Diagnosis of recurrent lymphoma in subjects who have failed ≥2 prior treatment regimens. * These prior treatment regimens must include brentuximab vedotin. * If the subject has Hodgkin Lymphoma, the subject must have either failed autologous transplant or must not be eligible for autologous transplant. * If the subject has grey zone lymphoma, the subject must have failed an anthracycline containing regimen unless the subject was not previously a candidate for anthracycline * Subjects relapsed after autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplant are eligible for this study. * CD30+ disease (result can be pending at the time of cell procurement, but must be confirmed prior to treatment with ATLCAR.CD30.CCR4 and ATLCAR.CD30 cells); NOTE: CD30+ disease requires documented CD30 expression by immunohistochemistry based on the institutional hematopathology standard. * Karnofsky score of \> 60% * For Subjects in the Expansion Cohort: Willing to undergo biopsy following the cell infusion. A biopsy may be required (i.e., considered mandatory) in subjects receiving both cellular products if the Investigator determines the tumor site is easily accessible (e.g., palpable tumor). If the Investigator feels that the biopsy would be difficult to obtain or poses a high degree of risk to the subject, it may be deferred. * Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must be willing to use 2 methods of birth control or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study, and for 6 months after the study is concluded. WOCBP are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for \> 1 year. The two birth control methods can be composed of: two barrier methods or a barrier method plus a hormonal method to prevent pregnancy. WOCBP subjects will also be instructed to tell their male partners to use a condom. Exclusion Criteria * Subjects meeting any of the following exclusion criteria will not be able to participate in this study: * Pregnant or lactating. * Tumor in a location where enlargement could cause airway obstruction. * Current use of systemic corticosteroids at doses ≥10mg prednisone daily or its equivalent; those receiving \<10mg daily may be enrolled at discretion of the Investigator. * Active infection with HIV, HTLV, HCV (can be pending at the time of cell procurement; only those samples confirming lack of active infection will be used to generate transduced cells) defined as not being well controlled on therapy. Subjects are required to have negative HIV antibody, negative HTLV1 and 2 antibody, and negative HCV antibody or viral load. * Active infection with HBV. Subjects are required to have a negative Hepatitis B surface Antigen. In addition, subjects must either have core antibody negative HBV (results can be pending at the time of cell procurement) OR if a subject is Hepatitis B core antibody positive they must have their Hepatitis B viral load checked. These subjects will be excluded if their viral load is positive at baseline. Subjects who are core antibody positive and viral load negative at baseline will be considered eligible. * Has a known additional malignancy that is active and/or progressive requiring treatment; exceptions include basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical or bladder cancer, or other cancer for which the subject has been disease-free for at least three years. * A history of intolerance to fludarabine. Subjects with an intolerance to bendamustine may be allowed to enroll at the discretion of the clinical investigator if he/she thinks that the subject is a candidate for lymphodepletion with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine. * Subject is not a good candidate for treatment with ATLCAR.CD30.CCR4 with and without ATLCAR.CD30 per Investigator's discretion. Eligibility criteria to be met prior to procurement Evidence of adequate organ function as defined by: The following is required prior to procurement: * Hgb ≥ 8.0g/dL (transfusion independent for 2 weeks prior to enrollment) * Bilirubin ≤1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN). Subjects with Gilbert's syndrome may be treated despite a total bilirubin level \>1.5 mg/dL if their conjugated bilirubin is \<1.5× ULN * AST ≤ 3 times ULN * Serum creatinine ≤1.5 times ULN or Creatinine Clearance (CrCl) \>60mL/min per Cockcroft and Gault * Pulse oximetry of \>90% on room air * Imaging results from within 120 days prior to procurement to assess presence of active disease (no tumor imaging is required prior to procurement for participants with active cutaneous lymphoma). * Negative serum pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to procurement or documentation that the subject is post-menopausal. Post-menopausal status must be confirmed with documentation of absence of menses for \> 1 year, or documentation of surgical menopause involving bilateral oophorectomy. * Subject has no clinical indication of rapidly progressing disease in opinion of treating physician. * Subject has adequate cardiac function, defined as: * No ECG evidence of acute ischemia * No ECG evidence of active, clinically significant conduction system abnormalities * Prior to study entry, any ECG abnormality at screening not felt to put the subject at risk has to be documented by the Investigator as not medically significant * No uncontrolled angina or severe ventricular arrhythmias * No clinically significant pericardial disease * No history of myocardial infarction within the last 6 months prior to infusion * No Class 3 or higher New York Heart Association Congestive Heart Failure Eligibility criteria to be met prior to lymphodepletion * Presence of active disease. Imaging results from within 7 days prior to lymphodepletion to confirm presence of active disease. Subjects who have received bridging chemotherapy must have imaging performed at least 3 weeks after most recent therapy (imaging does not need to be repeated if it is within 7 days prior to lymphodepletion). Evidence of adequate organ function as defined by: The following are required prior to lymphodepletion: * Adequate bone marrow function (ANC\>1000 cells/mm3 and platelets \>75,000/mm3). Subjects cannot have received platelet transfusion within 7 days of lymphodepletion. * Bilirubin ≤1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN). Subjects with Gilbert's syndrome may be enrolled despite a total bilirubin level \>1.5 mg/dL if their conjugated bilirubin is \<1.5× ULN) * AST ≤ 3 times ULN * Serum creatinine ≤1.5 times ULN or Creatinine Clearance (CrCl) \>60mL/min per Cockcroft and Gault * Pulse oximetry of \> 90% on room air * Negative serum pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to lymphodepletion or documentation that the subject is post-menopausal. Post-menopausal status must be confirmed with documentation of absence of menses for \> 1 year or documentation of surgical menopause involving bilateral oophorectomy. * Subjects must have autologous transduced activated T-cells that meet the Certificate of Analysis (CofA) acceptance criteria. * Has not received any investigational agents or received any tumor vaccines within the previous six weeks prior to lymphodepletion. * Has not received anti-CD30 antibody-based therapy within the previous 4 weeks prior to lymphodepletion. * Has not received chemotherapy or radiation therapy within the previous 3 weeks prior to lymphodepletion. Subjects cannot be on strong inhibitors of CYP1A2 (e.g., fluvoxamine, ciprofloxacin) as these may increase plasma concentrations of bendamustine, and decrease plasma concentrations of its metabolites. See http://medicine.iupui.edu/clinpharm/ddis/ for an updated list of strong inhibitors of CYP1A2. (This applies to subjects who receive bendamustine for lymphodepletion (required) up through 72 hours after the last dose of bendamustine). * Subjects who are HBV core antibody positive and HBV viral load negative prior to lymphodepletion must have initiated anti-HBV prophylaxis prior to lymphodepletion. * Subject has no clinical indication of rapidly progressing disease in the opinion of the treating physician. * Subject is a good candidate for treatment with ATLCAR.CD30.CCR4 with and without ATLCAR.CD30 per the investigator's discretion. Eligibility criteria to be met prior to cell infusion after lymphodepletion * No evidence of uncontrolled infection or sepsis. Evidence of adequate organ function as defined by: 1. Bilirubin ≤2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) unless attributed to Gilbert's syndrome 2. AST ≤5 times ULN 3. ALT ≤5 times ULN 4. Serum creatinine ≤3 times ULN 5. Pulse oximetry of \>90% on room air * Subject has no clinical indication of rapidly progressing disease in the opinion of the treating physician. * Subject is a good candidate for treatment with ATLCAR.CD30.CCR4 with and without ATLCAR.CD30 per the investigator's discretion.
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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
-
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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