Engineered immune cells take on lupus in early trial
NCT ID NCT07339332
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study is testing a new type of immunotherapy called universal CAR-T cells in 12 people with moderate to severe lupus that hasn't responded to standard treatments. The cells are designed to target and destroy faulty immune cells driving the disease. The main goals are to check safety and find the right dose, while also seeing if it can improve lupus symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- universal CD19/20 CAR-T cells (CT1195E)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for people with hard-to-treat lupus, potentially reducing disease activity without lifelong medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small trial (12 people) focused on safety. CAR-T therapy can cause severe side effects like cytokine release syndrome, and it is unknown if it will work for lupus or how long effects might last.
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 12 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- 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 65 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: * Voluntary signing of Informed Consent Form (ICF): I fully understand and am informed of this study, and I have signed the Informed Consent Form, expressing my willingness to follow and complete all research procedures; * When signing the ICF, the age should be between 18 and 65 years old (inclusive), with no gender restrictions; * No systemic active infection (such as infectious pneumonia, tuberculosis) within 2 weeks before screening; * Females with fertility (defined as all females who are physiologically capable of becoming pregnant) must agree to use highly effective contraception from at least 28 days before the start of self-cleaning to 1 year after CT1195E infusion, and absolutely prohibit egg donation within 1 year after receiving study treatment during the study period. Their male partners with fertility must agree to use effective barrier contraception from the start of self-cleaning to 1 year after CT1195E infusion, and should not donate semen or sperm during the entire study period; * Females with fertility must have a negative serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) test result at screening and within 48 hours prior to the initiation of chemotherapy. * Meet the EULAR/ACR 2019 classification criteria for SLE, with a disease history of ≥6 months; * Prior to screening, patients must have received treatment with glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants (including cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, methotrexate, cyclosporine, leflunomide) and/or biologics for ≥3 months, with a stable dosage for ≥2 weeks, and the disease must still be in an active state. During screening, oral steroids must meet the following requirements: If treated with hormone therapy alone, prednisone (or equivalent medication) should be ≥7.5 mg/day; When used in combination with immunosuppressants and/or biologics, there is no minimum daily dosage requirement for steroids; * During screening, positive for antinuclear antibody, and/or positive for anti-ds-DNA antibody, and/or positive for anti-Smith antibody; * During the screening period, patients with a SLEDAI-2K score of ≥7, or those with concurrent significant organ dysfunction, such as severe immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, lupus nephritis (histologically diagnosed as active nephritis type III or IV with or without type V); * During screening, involvement of active organs (including kidneys, heart and lungs, musculoskeletal system, blood system, blood vessels, etc.; involvement of skin and mucous membranes alone is not included) is present; * Adequate organ function: 1. Renal function: defined as creatinine clearance rate (Cockcroft-Gault) calculated without hydration assistance ≥ 50 mL/min; 2. Bone marrow function: defined as absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.0×10\^9/L and hemoglobin (Hb) ≥60 g/L. During the 7 days prior to screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, blood transfusions and growth factors must not be used to meet these requirements; 3. Liver function: defined as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels ≤2× upper limit of normal (ULN), and total bilirubin levels ≤2× upper limit of normal (ULN) 4. Coagulation function: defined as an international normalized ratio (INR) or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤1.5×ULN; 5. Lung function: When exposed to indoor air, the blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) is ≥92% (measured by a pulse oximeter); 6. Cardiac function: defined as having a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of ≥50% as assessed by echocardiography (ECHO) within the 8 weeks prior to screening. Exclusion Criteria: * Those who have suffered from severe lupus nephritis within the previous 2 months and require hemodialysis, or have received prednisone ≥100 mg/d or equivalent hormone treatment for ≥14 days; * Those who have undergone plasma exchange, plasma separation, hemodialysis within the previous 30 days, or those who have suffered from lupus crisis within the previous 30 days; * Screen for individuals with a history of ≥ Grade 2 bleeding within the previous 30 days or those requiring long-term anticoagulant therapy; * History of any of the following cardiovascular diseases within 30 days prior to screening: heart failure of NYHA class III or IV, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, uncontrolled or symptomatic atrial arrhythmias, any ventricular arrhythmias, or other clinically significant heart diseases; * Before screening, there were manifestations of the central nervous system caused by lupus, including but not limited to lupus headache, seizures, cognitive impairment, impaired intellectual function, and visual impairment; * Individuals with central nervous system diseases prior to screening include, but are not limited to: cerebrovascular accident, encephalitis, epilepsy, convulsion/seizure, stroke, severe brain injury, dementia, Parkinson's disease, cerebellar disease, central nervous system vasculitis, cognitive dysfunction, brain organic syndrome, or psychosis; * Screen for the absence of systemic active infections within the previous 2 weeks, including but not limited to active tuberculosis; * Previous exposure to CAR-T cell therapy or other gene-modified T cell therapies, or a history of major organ transplantation (such as heart, lung, kidney, liver) or hematopoietic stem cell/bone marrow transplantation; * Allergic or intolerant to diuretics, tocilizumab, or experiencing life-threatening allergic reactions, hypersensitivity reactions, or intolerance to CT1195E formulation or its excipients (including dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)), or having a history of other severe allergies such as anaphylactic shock; * Screen for individuals who have used targeted B-cell drugs such as rituximab within the previous 3 months; * Exclusion criteria: Subjects who have used other biologics such as TACI-Ig and Benlysta within the previous 12 weeks; * Within 2 weeks prior to the infusion of CT1195E, the use of prednisone (or equivalent drugs) at a dosage of ≥10 mg/day is allowed. Physiological substitutes, topical, and inhaled steroids are also permitted; * Received T-cell-affecting immunosuppressants (mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, cyclosporine, azathioprine, leflunomide, tacrolimus) within 2 weeks before infusion of CT1195E; * Have received JAK inhibitors (such as tofacitinib, baricitinib, ruxolitinib, etc.) within 2 weeks before the infusion of CT1195E; * Have received attenuated live vaccine, inactivated vaccine, or RNA vaccine within one month before screening; * Suffered from malignant tumor within 2 years before signing the ICF. The following conditions are excluded: non-melanoma skin cancer that has undergone radical treatment, localized prostate cancer, biopsy-confirmed cervical carcinoma in situ or squamous intraepithelial lesion detected by cervical smear, and completely resected breast carcinoma in situ; * The participant has undergone major surgery within 4 weeks prior to signing the informed consent form, or plans to undergo major surgery during the study period, and the investigator believes that this would pose an unacceptable risk to the study participant; * During screening, there is evidence of HIV, syphilis infection, active hepatitis B virus infection (HBsAg positive and HBV-DNA above the detection limit), or active hepatitis C virus infection (both HCV antibody and HCV-RNA positive); * Those who participated in other clinical studies within the previous three months or are still within the five half-lives after the last dose; * Concurrent major chronic diseases that are not under control and that the investigator believes may increase the risk to study participants; * Subjects with a history or evidence of suicidal thoughts within the previous 6 months, or any suicidal behavior within the previous 12 months, are considered by the researchers to have a significant risk of suicide; * Pregnant or lactating women; * The researcher judges that the study participant has poor compliance, is unable or unwilling to adhere to the requirements of the study protocol, or has other reasons that make them unsuitable for participating in this clinical 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
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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Wuhan Union Hospita
RECRUITINGWuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
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