Experimental CAR-T therapy takes on Hard-to-Treat lupus nephritis
NCT ID NCT06342960
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This early-phase trial is testing a personalized cell therapy called KYV-101 for people with lupus nephritis that hasn't responded to standard treatments. The therapy uses a patient's own immune cells, modified to target and destroy faulty B cells that drive the disease. Only 2 participants are enrolled, and the main goal is to check safety and how the therapy affects the immune system.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- KYV-101 CAR-T cell therapy (a personalized immune cell treatment) plus standard chemotherapy drugs (cyclophosphamide and fludarabine) to prepare the body
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new way to control severe lupus nephritis by resetting the immune system, potentially reducing the need for lifelong medications.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, tiny trial with only 2 participants, so results may not apply to others. CAR-T therapy carries risks like severe immune reactions and infections, and it is not yet known if it can safely control lupus long-term.
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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2 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2022
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
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: 1. Age ≥18 years 2. Clinical diagnosis of SLE according to 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) classification criteria 3. Biopsy-proven proliferative LN Class III or IV according to 2018 International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) criteria 4. Positive anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) (titer ≥1:80 ), anti-dsDNA (≥30 IU/mL on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay \[ELISA\]), or anti-Smith at screening or by documented medical history 5. Up to date on recommended vaccinations, including against coronavirus disease 2019/ severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Covid-19/SARS-Cov-2), per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or institutional guidelines for immune compromised individuals Exclusion Criteria: 1. Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis; history of or currently active severe central nervous system (CNS) lupus, including cerebritis, cerebrovascular accident, and seizures 2. Prior treatment with cellular therapy (CAR-T) or gene therapy product directed at any target 3. History of allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplant 4. Evidence of active hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection 5. Positive serology for HIV 6. Primary immunodeficiency 7. History of splenectomy 8. History of stroke, seizure, dementia, Parkinson's disease, coordination movement disorder, cerebellar diseases, psychosis, paresis, aphasia, and any other neurologic disorder investigator considers would increase the risk for the subject. 9. Impaired cardiac function or clinically significant cardiac disease 10. Previous or concurrent malignancy with the following exceptions: 1. Adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma (adequate wound healing is required prior to screening) 2. In situ carcinoma of the cervix or breast, treated curatively and without evidence of recurrence for at least 3 years prior to screening 3. A primary malignancy which has been completely resected, or treated, and is in complete remission for at least 5 years prior to screening
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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
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Charite- Universitätsklinikum Berlin
Berlin, Germany
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Fraunhofer-Institut für Translationale Medizin und Pharmakologie ITMP
Frankfurt, Germany
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Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
Dresden, Germany
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Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, Germany
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Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
Erlangen, Germany
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Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
Hamburg, Germany
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- 5,000-Patient registry aims to map the Long-Term course of lupus nephritis
- Can a blood test catch lupus flares earlier?
- Can a single CAR-T infusion reset the immune system and stop lupus kidney damage?
- Blood markers may foretell kidney trouble in lupus
- Can bone marrow stem cells calm lupus kidney flares?
- Can a targeted antibody boost kidney remission in lupus?