Experimental immune therapy aims to tackle HPV cancers before standard care
NCT ID NCT05639972
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a single infusion of a patient's own genetically engineered immune cells (E7 TCR-T cells) can shrink or eliminate HPV-related cancers before the patient receives standard treatment like chemo-radiation or surgery. The trial enrolls 15 adults with advanced HPV-positive cancers of the cervix, throat, anus, or other sites. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible and safe, and whether it improves tumor response and survival rates.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- E7 TCR-T cells (a type of immune cell therapy) plus aldesleukin (a drug to boost immune response)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this approach could shrink or eliminate HPV-related tumors before standard therapy, potentially improving long-term survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early (Phase 1/2) feasibility study with only 15 participants. The treatment may cause serious side effects from the conditioning chemo or aldesleukin, and it may not shrink tumors effectively.
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 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
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: Subjects must meet all the following criteria to participate in this study. 1. Histologically confirmed carcinoma of a primary tumor site and stage indicated in Table 3 of the protocol. 2. Tumor with HPV16 genotype as determined by testing performed in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified laboratory. 3. HLA-A\*02:01 allele determined by testing performed in a CLIA certified laboratory. Participants may be enrolled based on low resolution typing (i.e., HLA-A\*02) but the HLA-A\*02:01 allele type must be confirmed prior to apheresis. 4. Measurable disease per RECIST Criteria Version 1.1 or PERCIST. 5. Age ≥ 18 years. 6. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 at screening. 7. Negative pregnancy test for women under 55 and all women who have had a menstrual period in the last 12 months. A pregnancy test is not required for women who have had a bilateral oophorectomy or hysterectomy. 8. Men and women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (i.e., intrauterine device, hormonal barrier method of birth control, abstinence, tubal ligation, or vasectomy) prior to study entry and for four months after treatment. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. 9. Seronegative for HIV antibody, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and hepatitis C antibody. If a hepatitis C antibody test is positive, then testing for antigen by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) must be negative. 10. Participants must have organ and marrow function as defined below: 1. Leukocytes \> 3,000/mcL 2. Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mcL 3. Platelets \> 100,000/mcL 4. Hemoglobin \> 9.0 g/dL 5. Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits except in participants with Gilbert's Syndrome who must have a total bilirubin \< 3.0 mg/dL. 6. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (SGOT)/ alanine transaminase (ALT) (SGPT) \< 2.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) 7. Calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) \>50 mL/min/1.73 m2 for participants with creatinine levels above institutional normal (by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation). 8. International normalized ratio (INR) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) ≤1.5 X ULN unless the subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy. Subjects on anticoagulant therapy must have a PT or aPTT within therapeutic range and no history of severe hemorrhage. 11. Participants must be able to understand and be willing to sign the written informed consent document. 12. Participants must agree to participate in Rutgers protocol 192103 (Pro2021002307) for gene therapy long term follow up and in Rutgers protocol 192002 (Pro2021000281) for biospecimen studies. Note: Patients may have undergone minor surgical procedures with the past three weeks, as long as all toxicities have recovered to Grade 1 or less. Exclusion Criteria: Subjects who meet any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: 1. Have received prior systemic therapy or definitive chemoradiation for the cancer that is being treated on this protocol. Palliative radiation therapy for symptom management, such as to control tumor-induced bleeding, is permitted. 2. Current treatment with another investigational agent. 3. History of severe allergic reactions to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to agents used in this study. 4. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness such as active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations at the time of treatment that would limit compliance with study requirements. 5. Subjects with HLA-A\*02:01 damaging mutation or allele loss detected by research or clinical sequencing will not be eligible. 6. Documented LVEF of less than or equal to 45% tested. The following participants will undergo cardiac evaluations: 1. Clinically significant atrial and/or ventricular arrhythmias including but not limited to: atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, second or third degree heart block or 2. Age ≥ 50 years old 7. Participants with baseline screening pulse oxygen level of ≤ 92% on room air will not be eligible. If the underlying cause of hypoxia improves, they may be reevaluated. 8. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with E7 TCR T cells, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with E7 TCR T cells. These potential risks may also apply to other agents used in this study. 9. Participants with a systemic immunodeficiency including acquired deficiency such as HIV or primary immunodeficiency such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease are ineligible. The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Participants who have decreased immune competence may be less responsive to the treatment. 10. Participants on immunosuppressive drugs including corticosteroids unless meeting criteria outlined in Section 6.1 (Prohibited Medications). 11. Participants with potentially severe autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, autoimmune pancreatitis, or systemic lupus erythematosus are not eligible. Patients with less severe autoimmune diseases such as hypothyroidism, vitiligo, and other minor autoimmune disorders are eligible. 12. Participants with prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment is unlikely to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessments of the investigational regimen are eligible for this trial. Examples include, but are not limited to: 1. Carcinoma in situ 2. Cutaneous skin cancers requiring only local excision 3. Low grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer 4. Low grade prostate cancer 13. Subjects who received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to enrollment are not eligible. 14. Determination by the Principal Investigator that participation is not in the best interest of the research subject or may jeopardize the safety of the subject or integrity of the clinical trial data.
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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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RWJBarnabas Health - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
RECRUITINGNew Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, United States
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Rutgers Cancer Institute
RECRUITINGNew Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, United States
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