Engineered immune cells take on rare autoimmune disease in kids
NCT ID NCT06792344
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether a type of immunotherapy called CAR-T cells can safely treat children with severe systemic sclerosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes skin thickening and organ damage. The treatment involves collecting the child's own immune cells, engineering them to target a protein called CD19, and infusing them back. The study will monitor skin improvement and side effects in 12 participants over 6 months.
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 CAR-T cells
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new treatment option for children with severe systemic sclerosis that hasn't responded to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early phase 1 trial with only 12 participants, so safety and effectiveness are not yet proven. CAR-T therapy can cause serious 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 12 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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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5 to 18 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. Gender unlimited, age ≥5 years; 2. Meet the classification criteria for Systemic sclerosis (SSc) as defined by the 2013ACR/EULAR standards; 3. any one of the anti-nuclear antibodies or systemic sclerosis specific antibodies positive; 4. Improved Rodnan skin score (mRSS) ≥15 points (total 51 points); 5. Meet the definition of intractable disease: Glucocorticoids (≥0.5mg/kg/d) and cyclophosphamide, as well as one or more of the following immunomodulators (including antimalarial drugs, azathioprine,motecophanate, methotrexate, leflunomide, tachlimus, cyclosporine, and biologics including rituximab, Beliumab, and titacept, etc.), did not show significant remission of the disease for more than 3 months; Or meet the criteria for rapid disease progression , clinical routine treatment is ineffective, and the benefits outweigh the risks as determined by the investigator and the patient's or guardian's full and informed consent can be considered for inclusion. 6. Major organ functions were basically normal: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥55%, no obvious abnormality in electrocardiogram; eGFR≥30ML/min/1.73m2;AST and ALT≤3.0ULN, total bilirubin ≤2.0×ULN; SpO2≥92%, DLCO≥ 40% of predicted value, FVC≥ 50% of predicted value; 7. The subject of childbearing age has a negative urine pregnancy test result and agrees to take effective contraceptive measures during the test period until 1 year after the infusion; 8. The patient or his/her guardian agrees to participate in the clinical trial and signs an informed consent indicating that he/she understands the purpose and procedure of the clinical trial and is willing to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: (1) Severe pulmonary hypertension (PHA) (mean pulmonary pressure \> 45mmHg) or other severe major organ involvement; (2) have previously received CAR T cell therapy (except those whose safety risks have been ruled out by the investigators); (3) patients with active central nervous system diseases, such as epilepsy, cerebrovascular ischemia/hemorrhage, dementia, cerebellar diseases, etc.; (4) Congenital heart disease or history of acute myocardial infarction within 6 months before screening, or severe arrhythmias (including multi-source frequent supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, etc.); Or combined with a large number of pericardial effusion, serious myocarditis, etc.; Or patients with unstable vital signs who require vasoactive drugs to maintain blood pressure; (5) Active tuberculosis at the time of screening; (6) There are active infections or uncontrollable infections that require systemic treatment at the time of screening; (7) Received solid organ transplantation or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation within 3 months before screening; Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of grade 2 or above was present within 2 weeks prior to screening; (8) Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive and peripheral blood hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA detection greater than the normal range; Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody positive and peripheral blood hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA titer greater than the normal reference value range; Positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies; Treponema pallidum antibody positive; (9) Had received live vaccine within 4 weeks before screening; (10) Positive blood pregnancy test; (11) Patients with known malignant diseases such as tumors before screening; (12) Patients who had participated in other interventional clinical trials within 3 months before enrollment; (13) Situations in which other investigators consider it inappropriate to participate in the study
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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 in 2 countries. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 0571, China
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Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310053, Christmas Island
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can inhaled cell vesicles soothe damaged lungs in autoimmune disease?
- Can a single cell therapy calm multiple autoimmune diseases?
- Can skin biopsies unlock new treatments for scleroderma?
- Could a skin patch ease stomach pain in scleroderma?
- Could a painless microneedle pad ease Raynaud's in scleroderma?
- Can a new pill ease the hardening skin of systemic sclerosis?