Most Closely Matched 3rd Party Rapidly Generated LMP, BARF1 And EBNA1 Specific CTL, EBV-Positive Lymphoma (MABEL)

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Clinical Trial

— MABEL  

Official title:

ADMINISTRATION OF MOST CLOSELY MATCHED THIRD PARTY RAPIDLY GENERATED LMP, BARF1 and EBNA1 SPECIFIC CYTOTOXIC T-LYMPHOCYTES TO PATIENTS WITH EBV-POSITIVE LYMPHOMA AND OTHER EBV-POSITIVE MALIGNANCIES

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02287311
• Other study ID #: H-35253 MABEL
• Secondary ID: MABEL
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: February 2015
• Est. completion date: March 2029

Study information

• Verified date: January 2024
• Source: Baylor College of Medicine
• Contact: Rayne H Rouce, MD
• Phone: 832-824-4716
• Email: rouce[@]bcm.edu
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The subject has a type of cancer or lymph gland disease associated with a virus called Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), which has come back, is at risk of coming back, or has not gone away after standard treatments. This research study uses special immune system cells called LMP, BARF-1 and EBNA1- specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (MABEL CTLs).

Some patients with Lymphoma (such as Hodgkin (HD) or non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL)), T/NK-lymphoproliferative disease, or CAEBV, or solid tumors such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), smooth muscle tumors, and leiomyosarcomas show signs of a virus called EBV before or at the time of their diagnosis. EBV causes mononucleosis or glandular fever ("mono" or the "kissing disease"). EBV is found in the cancer cells of up to half the patients with HD and NHL, suggesting that it may play a role in causing Lymphoma. The cancer cells (in lymphoma) and some immune system cells (in CAEBV) infected by EBV are able to hide from the body's immune system and escape destruction. EBV is also found in the majority of NPC and smooth muscle tumors, and some leiomyosarcomas. We want to see if special white blood cells (MABEL CTLs) that have been trained to kill EBV infected cells can survive in your blood and affect the tumor.

In previous studies, EBV CTLs were generated from the blood of the patient, which was often difficult if the patient had recently received chemotherapy. Also, it took up to 1-2 months to make the cells, which is not practical when a patient needs more urgent treatment. To address these issues, the MABEL CTLs were made in the lab in a simpler, faster, and safer way. The MABEL CTLs will still see LMP proteins but also two other EBV proteins called EBNA-1 and BARF. To ensure these cells are available for use in patients in urgent clinical need, we have generated MABEL CTLs from the blood of healthy donors and created a bank of these cells, which are frozen until ready for use. We have previously successfully used frozen T cells from healthy donors to treat EBV lymphoma and virus infections and we now have improved our production method to make it faster.

In this study, we want to find out if we can use banked MABEL CTLs to treat HD, NHL, T/NK-lymphoproliferative disease, CAEBV, NPC, smooth muscle tumors or leiomyosarcoma. We will search the bank to find a MABEL CTL line that is a partial match with the subject.

MABEL CTLs are investigational and not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Description:

A healthy donor has given blood to make LMP/BARF1/EBNA-1 MABEL CTLs in the lab. We made the cells by first growing a special type of cells called activated T cells to stimulate the T cells. We then added specially produced mixtures of proteins that include the LMP, EBNA1 and BARF proteins. These were used to stimulate T cells. As the T cells grew, we added some of the healthy donor cells expressing these proteins to stimulate them. We also added a cell called K562 that has had new genes put inside it so it expresses proteins that stimulate the immune system to encourage the T cells to grow. K562 cells are cancer cells that have been treated with radiation so they cannot grow. This stimulation trained the MABEL CTLs to kill cells with EBV proteins on their surface. These cells were grown and frozen.

For the subject's treatment, the MABEL CTLs will be thawed and infused into the subject over 1-10 minutes. Initially, two doses of MABEL CTLs will be given two weeks apart. Subjects may be eligible to receive additional doses of the MABEL CTLs up to 6 times.

All of the treatments will be given by the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Texas Children's Hospital or Houston Methodist Hospital.

Medical tests before treatment:

Before being treated, the subject will receive a series of standard medical tests:

Physical exam; Blood tests to measure blood cells, kidney and liver function; Tumor measurements by routine imaging studies: Computer Tomogram (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), or Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT); Pregnancy test for females who are able to have children.

Several studies suggest that the infused T cells need room to be able to proliferate and accomplish their functions and that this may not happen if there are too many other T cells in circulation. Because of that, if the patient's level of circulating T cells is relatively high, s/he may require treatment with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and fludarabine before s/he receives MABEL CTLs.

Medical tests during and after treatment:

Blood tests to measure blood cells, kidney and liver function; Imaging study 8 weeks after the 1st CTL infusion. If the subject receives additional doses they will also have an imaging study at 1 to 3 months after their final dose.

Subjects will either be seen in the clinic or will be contacted by research staff yearly for 5 years.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 42
• Est. completion date: March 2029
• Est. primary completion date: February 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

SCREENING

1. Any patient regardless of age or sex, with diagnosis of either:

• EBV positive Hodgkin's lymphoma

• EBV Positive non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (regardless of histologic subtype)

• EBV (associated)-T/NK-lymphoproliferative disease

• Severe Chronic Active EBV (CAEBV) -- CAEBV is defined as patients with high EBV viral load in plasma or PBMC (>4000 genomes per ug PBMC DNA) and/or biopsy tissue positive for EBV

• Other EBV positive malignancies (e.g. nasopharyngeal carcinoma, smooth muscle tumors, etc.)

AND

• in first or subsequent relapse (Group A)

• with active disease persisting despite therapy (Group B)

• with active disease if immunosuppressive chemotherapy is contraindicated e.g. patients who develop Hodgkin disease after solid organ transplantation or if the lymphoma is a second malignancy e.g. a Richter's transformation of CLL. (Group C)

2. EBV positive tumor

3. Weighs at least 12kg

4. Informed consent (and assent as applicable) obtained from patient/guardian.

TREATMENT

1. Any patient regardless of age or sex, with diagnosis of either:

• EBV positive Hodgkin's lymphoma

• EBV Positive non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (regardless of histologic subtype)

• EBV (associated)-T/NK-lymphoproliferative disease

• Severe Chronic Active EBV (CAEBV) -- CAEBV is defined as patients with high EBV viral load in plasma or PBMC (>4000 genomes per ug PBMC DNA) and/or biopsy tissue positive for EBV

• Other EBV positive malignancies (e.g. nasopharyngeal carcinoma, smooth muscle tumors, etc.)

AND

• in first or subsequent relapse (Group A)

• with active disease persist despite therapy (Group B)

• with active disease if immunosuppressive chemotherapy is contraindicated e.g. patients who develop Hodgkin disease after solid organ transplantation or if the lymphoma is a second malignancy e.g. a Richter's transformation of CLL. (Group C)

2. EBV positive tumor

3. Patients with life expectancy greater than or equal to 6 weeks

4. Patients with bilirubin less than or equal to 3x upper limit of normal

5. AST less than or equal to 5x upper limit of normal

6. Hemoglobin greater than or equal to 7.0 (may be a transfused value)

7. Patients with a creatinine less than or equal to 2x upper limit of normal for age

8. Pulse oximetry of > 90% on room air

9. Patients should have been off other investigational therapy for 30 days prior to infusion.

10. Patients with a Karnofsky/Lansky score of more than or equal to 50.

11. Sexually active patients must be willing to utilize one of the more effective birth control methods during the study and for 6 months after the study is concluded. The male partner should use a condom.

12. Informed consent (and assent as applicable) obtained from patient/guardian.

Exclusion Criteria:

TREATMENT

1. Pregnant or lactating

2. Severe intercurrent infection

3. Current use of systemic corticosteroids more than 0.5 mg/kg/day

4. Patients receiving ATG, Campath, or other immunosuppressive T cell monoclonal antibodies within 30 days.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
• Hodgkin Disease
• Lymphoma
• Lymphoproliferative Disorders
• Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Severe Chronic Active Epstein Barr Virus
• Smooth Muscle Tumor
• T/NK-lymphoproliferative Disease

Intervention

Biological:
• MABEL CTLs
Dose escalation: DL1:2x10^7 cells/m2+2x10^7 cells/m2 DL2:2x10^7cells/m2+5x10^7 cells/m2 DL3:5x10^7 cells/m2+1x10^8 cells/m2 *Doses are based on total CD3+cells/m2 Patients with active disease that have apparent clinical benefit at the 8 wk post 1st infusion (6 wks after 2nd infusion) or subsequent evaluations may receive up to 6 additional doses of CTLs at intervals at least 6 wks apart, each of which will consist of the same cell number as their second injection or below the original dose if there is not enough product available for the original dose. Patients may receive lymphodepleting chemotherapy (Cy/Flu) before additional infusions. Patients cannot receive additional doses until the initial safety profile is completed at 6 wks following the second infusion.

Drug:
• Cyclophosphamide
If the patient's level of circulating T cells is relatively high, s/he may require treatment with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and Fludarabine before s/he receives MABEL CTLs. 3 daily doses of cyclophosphamide (Cy: 500 mg/m2/day) together with fludarabine (Flu: 30 mg/m2) to induce lymphopenia, finishing at least 24 hours before CTL infusion.
• Fludarabine
If the patient's level of circulating T cells is relatively high, s/he may require treatment with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine before s/he receives MABEL CTLs. 3 daily doses of cyclophosphamide (Cy: 500 mg/m2/day) together with fludarabine (Flu: 30 mg/m2) to induce lymphopenia, finishing at least 24 hours before CTL infusion.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Houston Methodist Hospital	Houston	Texas
United States	Texas Children's Hospital	Houston	Texas

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Baylor College of Medicine	Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Number of patients with a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT)	To evaluate the safety of administering escalating doses of banked allogeneic, partially HLA-matched rapid EBV specific T cells.	8 weeks
Secondary	percent of patients whose best response is either complete remission or partial remission	To measure anti-tumor and anti-viral effects of ESTs	8 weeks