Thymus cells may teach a new heart to be left alone
NCT ID NCT04924491
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Children who receive a heart transplant need powerful drugs to stop their immune system from attacking the new organ. Researchers are testing a different approach: they collect regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell that dampens rejection, from thymus tissue that is normally discarded during heart surgery. The cells are grown in the lab and given back to the child. This early-phase trial in children under two aims to see whether the cell infusion is safe and whether it helps the body accept the donor heart.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- autologous regulatory T cells (thyTreg) grown from the child's own thymus tissue
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a way to calm the immune system after a child's heart transplant and reduce the need for lifelong anti-rejection drugs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage trial in children under two, so safety and benefit are far from proven. Growing enough cells from each child's thymus may not always be possible, and the immune system could still reject the new heart.
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
-
Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
-
About 11 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2020
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
Up to 2 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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. Patient under two years of age, who meets all the necessary requirements to undergo a heart transplant. 2. Patients without contraindication to immunosuppressive drugs. 3. Parents and/or guardians must be willing and able to understand the purpose and risks of the study and must sign the informed consent document Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with DiGeorge Syndrome, since their thymic function is affected. 2. Human immunodeficiency virus positive serology 3. Epstein-Barr virus active infection 4. Patients hyperimmunized with cytotoxic anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies 5. Patients with a history of previous malignancy 6. Patients who have participated in other intervention studies in the last month. 7. Patients who have received induction therapy with Basiliximab or Thymoglobulin. 8. Patients who have previously been thymectomized or transplanted. 9. Patients who have been diagnosed with severe autoimmune disease (celiac disease, autoimmune hypothyroidism, autoimmune diabetes) 10. Patients who will receive an asystole heart
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Heart transplantation are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon
RECRUITINGMadrid, Madrid, 28007, Spain
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a new care pathway speed up advanced heart failure decisions?
- Can a transition program keep young heart transplant patients on track?
- New study aims to spot heart transplant rejection without a biopsy
- Simple saltwater solution may shield kidneys after heart transplant
- Blood test may replace painful heart biopsies for transplant patients
- Heart transplant study aims to uncover hidden blood flow clues