Engineered TB bacteria could offer new hope for bladder cancer patients
NCT ID NCT06800963
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-stage trial is testing a new version of the BCG therapy, made from a genetically modified bacterium, for people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who have not received BCG before. The treatment is given directly into the bladder through a catheter. The study aims to check if the therapy is safe and to get an early look at how well it works. About 40 participants will be enrolled across multiple centers.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Recombinant Mycobacterium (rMBCG), a genetically modified version of the BCG vaccine, given directly into the bladder via a catheter.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a more targeted and potentially safer treatment option for people with early-stage bladder cancer, reducing the need for bladder removal surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early phase 1/2 trial with only 40 participants, so results are preliminary. The new therapy may cause side effects similar to standard BCG, such as bladder irritation or infection, and may not prove more effective than existing treatments.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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
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18 to 85 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: Participants must meet ALL of the following criteria for inclusion in the study: 1. Male or female participants 18 years of age or older. 2. Histologic confirmation of BCG naïve non-muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (mixed histology tumors allowed if urothelial histology is predominant histology) AND either i) histologically confirmed presence of NMIBC CIS (with or without Ta/T1 papillary disease) OR ii) primary or recurrent stage Ta and/or T1 papillary tumors following transurethral resection (TUR). 3. Absence of resectable disease after TURBT procedures (residual CIS acceptable; participants with T1 tumors must undergo repeat resection and biopsy \[inclusive of muscularis propria\] of the T1 tumor site if initial biopsy did not include muscularis propria). 4. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1, or 2. 5. Voluntary written informed consent and agreement to comply with all protocol specified procedures and follow-up evaluations. Exclusion Criteria: Participants with ANY of the following criteria are excluded from participation in the study: 1. Life expectancy \<2 years 2. Any of the following clinical laboratory values at the time of enrollment: 1. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \<800/μL 2. Platelets \< 50,000/μL 3. Liver function abnormalities as indicated by ongoing hepatic enzyme elevation (aspartate aminotransferase \[AST\] or alanine aminotransferase \[ALT\]) \> 2 X upper limit of normal (ULN) 4. Renal insufficiency as indicated by a creatinine level \>3 X ULN 3. History of or evidence of muscle-invasive, locally advanced, metastatic and/or extravesical bladder cancer (inclusive of the prostatic urethra); or any other cancer within the past 5 years that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions are adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer; and adequately treated stage I or II cancer or stable prostate cancer from which the participant is currently in complete remission, and is under active surveillance or hormone control. 4. Symptomatic congestive heart failure (CHF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV heart failure or other clinical signs of severe cardiac dysfunction. 5. Severe/unstable angina pectoris, or myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to study entry. 6. History or evidence of uncontrollable central nervous system disease. 7. Active systemic infection requiring parenteral antibiotic therapy. All prior infections must have resolved following optimal therapy. 8. Concurrent febrile illness, active urinary tract infection, active tuberculosis, a history of hypotension or anaphylactic reactions. 9. Ongoing chronic systemic steroid therapy required (\>10 mg oral prednisone daily or equivalent). 10. Women who are pregnant or nursing. Female participants of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test and must adhere to using a medically acceptable method of birth control prior to screening and agree to continue its use during the study and for 30 days after the last dose of study drug, or be surgically sterilized (eg, hysterectomy or tubal ligation). Women of childbearing potential are defined as any female who has experienced menarche and who is NOT permanently sterile or postmenopausal. Postmenopausal is defined as 12 consecutive months with no menses without an alternative medical cause. Males must agree to use barrier methods of birth control while on study and for 90 days post last dose of study drug. 11. Participants currently receiving investigational or commercial anticancer agents or anticancer therapies other than rMBCG and supportive care therapies for active disease. 12. Concurrent use of other investigational agents (not including FDA authorized drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19). 13. Other illness or condition, including laboratory abnormalities, which in the opinion of the Investigator would exclude the participant from participating in this study. This includes, but is not limited to, serious medical conditions or psychiatric illness likely to interfere with participation 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
9 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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Arizona Clinical Trials
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGChandler, Arizona, 85224, United States
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Conrad Pearson Clinic
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGGermantown, Tennessee, 38138, United States
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Emory University
RECRUITINGAtlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
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Golden State Urology
RECRUITINGSacramento, California, 95823, United States
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Michigan Institute of Urology & Solaris Health
RECRUITINGTroy, Michigan, 48084, United States
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MidLantic Urology
RECRUITINGCynwyd, Pennsylvania, 19004, United States
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Potamac Urology Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGAlexandria, Virginia, 22311, United States
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SUNY Upstate Medical University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGSyracuse, New York, 13210, United States
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Urology Associates, P.C.
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37209, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a glowing dye reveal hidden bladder cancer during surgery?
- Can age predict bladder cancer treatment success?
- Could a simple blood or urine test spot bladder cancer earlier?
- Can a Bladder-Instilled biologic keep recurrent bladder cancer at bay?
- Bladder cancer combo trial pulled before it began
- Virus therapy shows promise for tough bladder cancer cases