Cord blood CAR-T: a new hope for adults with B-Cell leukemia?
NCT ID NCT07256353
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This early-stage trial is testing a new treatment for adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) using immune cells from donated umbilical cord blood that are engineered to attack cancer cells (UCAR-T). The study will enroll 50 participants to check safety, find the best dose, and see if the treatment can clear leukemia from the bone marrow. Participants will receive the UCAR-T cells by IV and be closely monitored for side effects and response for up to a year.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- allogeneic umbilical cord blood-derived CAR-T cells (UCAR-T)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a safer, more accessible treatment option for adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who have limited alternatives.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early (Phase 1) trial with only 50 participants, so safety and effectiveness are not yet proven. There are risks of serious side effects like cytokine release syndrome or organ damage.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2031
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 70 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: * Age 18 to 70 years inclusive at the time of signing informed consent. * Documented diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (2018, Version 1) or World Health Organization (WHO) classification criteria. * CD19 expression or CD20 confirmed by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, or pathology on bone marrow, peripheral blood, or tissue specimens. For patients for whom current sampling is not clinically feasible, results from testing performed within 60 days prior to informed consent may be acceptable, as determined by the investigator. * Life expectancy ≥8 weeks in the opinion of the investigator. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score \<4. * Adequate organ function as demonstrated by the most recent assessment during the screening period, defined as: * Creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min (calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula) * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤3 × upper limit of normal (ULN) * Total bilirubin ≤- 1.5 × ULN (for patients with documented Gilbert's syndrome, total bilirubin ≤- 2.5 × ULN is acceptable) * For women of childbearing potential (WOCBP), a negative serum pregnancy test must be documented within 7 days prior to enrollment. WOCBP and male patients with partners who are WOCBP must agree to use highly effective contraceptive methods from the screening period through 12 months after CAR-T cell infusion. Women are considered not of childbearing potential if they are postmenopausal for at least 1 year or have documented evidence of surgical sterilization or congenital infertility. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are excluded from this study. * Ability to understand and willingness to provide written informed consent prior to initiation of any study-specific procedures. * Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plan, laboratory tests, and other study procedures, including long-term follow-up for up to 15 years. Exclusion Criteria: * Active central nervous system (CNS) involvement by B-ALL, defined as CNS-2 or CNS-3 status according to standard criteria. * History of another malignancy within 2 years prior to screening, except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix. * Patients who previously received CAR-T cell therapy and experienced Grade ≥4 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurotoxicity are specifically excluded. * Treatment with any investigational or approved anti-B-ALL therapeutic agent within 5 half-lives prior to enrollment (excluding supportive care medications). * Radioimmunotherapy or radiotherapy within 8 weeks prior to enrollment. * Receipt of live attenuated vaccine within 4 weeks prior to screening. * Current or anticipated use of systemic corticosteroids at high dose (defined as a total cumulative dose equivalent to ≥60 mg dexamethasone or equivalent corticosteroid) within 4 weeks prior to lymphodepletion chemotherapy. Physiologic replacement doses, topical, inhaled, nasal, and ophthalmic corticosteroids are permitted. * Active acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) requiring systemic treatment within 4 weeks prior to CAR-T cell infusion. * Major surgical procedure within 3 months prior to screening. * Active CNS disorder or history of irreversible severe CNS toxicity from prior B-ALL therapy resulting in organic brain lesions or CNS dysfunction, including but not limited to seizure disorder, cerebrovascular accident, severe brain injuries, dementia, Parkinson's disease, cerebellar disease, organic brain syndrome, or psychosis. * History of hypertensive crisis or hypertensive encephalopathy within 3 months prior to screening. * Any uncontrolled cardiovascular disease within 6 months prior to enrollment, or any of the following: * Ventricular or atrial arrhythmia ≥Grade 2 * Bradycardia ≥Grade 2 * Myocardial infarction * Severe or unstable angina pectoris * Symptomatic congestive heart failure * Cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack * Pulmonary embolism * Deep vein thrombosis * Poorly controlled hypertension despite standard medical management * Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \<45% as assessed by echocardiography or multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan at screening Pulmonary Exclusions * Any uncontrolled pulmonary disease within 6 months prior to enrollment, or any of the following: * Pulmonary embolism * Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease * History of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia (e.g., bronchiolitis obliterans), drug-induced pneumonitis, or idiopathic pneumonitis * Evidence of active pneumonia on chest computed tomography (CT) scan at screening * Symptomatic or uncontrolled interstitial lung disease * Clinically significant pulmonary function abnormalities Note: History of radiation pneumonitis/pulmonary fibrosis in a radiation field is permitted if asymptomatic. * Active bacterial, fungal, protozoal, or viral infection that is not adequately controlled despite appropriate therapy at the time of enrollment, or positive blood culture within 7 days prior to enrollment. * Known active infection with any of the following: * Hepatitis B virus (HBV): Positive HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) or HBV core antibody (HBcAb) with detectable HBV DNA above the normal range * Hepatitis C virus (HCV): Positive HCV antibody with detectable HCV RNA above the normal range * Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): Positive HIV antibody * Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV): Positive HTLV antibody * Treponema pallidum (syphilis): Positive T. pallidum antibody * Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Positive CMV DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) * Legally incapacitated individuals under guardianship or conservatorship. * Psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the study or ability to provide informed consent. * Any abnormal finding, medical condition, or laboratory test result during screening that, in the investigator's judgment, may jeopardize patient safety or interfere with study conduct or interpretation of results. * Any planned medical or surgical intervention that would interfere with the conduct of the study. * Contraindication to any medication that may be required during the study, including but not limited to lymphodepletion chemotherapy agents (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide) and medications for management of adverse reactions (e.g., tocilizumab for CRS management, corticosteroids for ICANS management).
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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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The General Hospital of Western Theater Command
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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