Clinical Research Directory

Clinical Study on Targeted CD19 or CD19-BCMA CAR-T Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases

This is an open clinical pharmacological translational Research Study, aiming to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and efficacy of CD19 or CD19-BCMA CAR-T in patients with active SLE, SSc, AAV, IIM and pSS.

CARTIMMUNE: Study of Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Receiving KYV-101

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety, tolerability, and clinical activity of KYV 101 (a fully-human anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy) in adult subjects with B cell-driven autoimmune diseases. The trial anticipates enrolling participants to reach a maximum of 24 participants who will receive 1 dose of KYV-101 and will be followed for 2 years.

Clinical Study of BCT301 Cell Injection Therapy for Refractory Autoimmune Diseases

This study primarily involves the use of BCT301, an anti-CD19 Chemically induced pluripotent stem cell (CiPSC)-derived CAR-iT cells, for the treatment of patients with refractory autoimmune diseases, aiming to evaluate its safety, tolerability, and dose-limiting toxicities(DLT), and to determine the recommended therapeutic dose for further investigation. Additionally, the study assesses the efficacy of BCT301 cell injection in refractory autoimmune diseases, as well as the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) characteristics in study participants.

A Study of Anti-CD19/BCMA Universal CAR-T Cell Therapy RD06-05 in Patients With Autoimmune Diseases.

An Exploratory, Single-Arm, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Study of the Safety, Tolerability, PK, PD, and Efficacy of Anti-CD19/BCMA Universal CAR-T Therapy RD06-05 in Autoimmune Diseases (including SLE/LN, AAV/AAGN, Anti-GBM, MN, SSc, and IIM).

ETA and AT1 Antagonism in ANCA-vasculitis (SPARVASC)

ANCA-associated vasculitis is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to blood vessels. This leads to organ damage with the number of organs affected and the severity of damage varying significantly between patients. Vasculitis patients also have a very high risk of heart attacks and strokes, called cardiovascular disease. A chemical called 'endothelin', produced by the blood vessels, causes vessels to stiffen and raises blood pressure and this associates with cardiovascular risk. The investigators have previously shown that by blocking the effects of endothelin you reduce vessel stiffness, lower blood pressure and improve vessel function. However, these studies only blocked endothelin for a few hours. Now, the investigators would like to see if it is possible to maintain these benefits by blocking endothelin for longer. Sparsentan is a tablet that blocks endothelin and lowers blood pressure. The investigators plan to give sparsentan to patients with vasculitis for 6 weeks. To determine if any beneficial effects of sparsentan are due to blood pressure lowering the investigators will give another group of vasculitis patients a tablet called irbesartan which lowers blood pressure but does not block endothelin. The investigators will compare the results between the two groups.

EACVI Study on Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging of Inflammatory Cardiovascular Diseases

Inflammatory Cardiovascular Diseases and Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (ICARDs) encompass cardiovascular involvement in connective tissue diseases, vasculitis, and primary inflammatory cardiac processes affecting all layers of the heart. ICARDs are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, independently of traditional risk factors, via multiple pathophysiological mechanisms. Diagnosis and prognosis are challenged by the heterogeneity of clinical presentations. Multimodality cardiovascular imaging - including cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), transthoracic echocardiography, and positron emission tomography (PET) - plays a central role in detecting and characterizing inflammatory involvement, and may offer prognostic insights. Given the limited data on the diagnostic and prognostic utility of these imaging modalities in ICARDs, the EACVI-INFLAME study aims to assess the prevalence of confirmed cardiovascular involvement in patients with suspected or established ICARDs undergoing CMR and/or cardiac PET in a multicentric international cohort.

Epithelial Dysmetabolism and Renal Fibrosis in ANCA Vasculitis

The project is to explore in humans the hypothesis of the link between the alteration of tubulo-interstitial metabolism and the rate of deterioration of renal function by comparing various nephropathies.

A Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Pioglitazone to Promote Renal Tolerance in ANCA-associated Vasculitis - RENATO Trial

The RENATO trial is a multicenter randomized controlled trial that evaluates the efficacy of pioglitazone to improve renal outcomes in ANCA-associated vasculitis. Patients with biopsy-proven kidney involvement of ANCA vasculitis will be included in this trial at diagnosis. All patients will receive a standard of care immunosuppressive (SOC) therapy combining corticosteroids and rituximab (375 mg/m2/week for 4 consecutive weals followed by 500 mg re-infusion every 6 months). They will be randomized 1:1 to receive either pioglitazone 30 mg/day or placebo for 6 months, on top of SOC. The primary objective of this trial is to demonstrate that pioglitazone reduces kidney damage, reflected by the early improvement of proteinuria and serum creatinine levels. The secondary objectives will be to assess the efficacy of this drug on the reduction of hypertension and metabolic effects of glucocorticoids, to measure its impact on vasculitis activity and to evaluate the safety profile of pioglitazone in this population.

Anti-CD19 CAR T-Cell Therapy in Refractory Systemic Autoimmune Diseases

The CATARSIS study explores the use of anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy as a novel approach for treating refractory systemic autoimmune diseases, specifically SLE, SSc, DM/PM, and AAV. These life-threatening conditions often resist current therapies, and B cells play a key role in their pathogenesis. The study employs CD19-CAR\_Lenti, an autologous CAR T-cell product targeting CD19-positive B cells, aiming to reduce inflammation and autoimmunity. This open-label, single-dose, phase I basket trial will assess the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy, focusing on adverse events, infection rates, and overall response at 24 weeks. Eight participants will be included.

PRediction of DIverse Glucocorticoids ToxIcity OUtcomeS

To date, there is no available tool that allows, at individual level, determination of the probability to develop clinically relevant complications of prolonged glucocorticoid therapy. In patients with inflammatory rheumatic disorders requiring prolonged glucocorticoid therapy, such tool could be useful to adapt first-line treatment decisions (in daily practice and in future clinical trials). The main objective of the study is to identify routine clinical, biological and DXA baseline characteristics predictive of the occurrence of clinically relevant complications of glucocorticoid therapy at 1 year, in order to propose a predictive score.

Early-access Avacopan in Real-world ANCA-associated Vasculitis

The current study proposal aims to investigate the clinical practice variation of the initial use of avacopan for AAV patients in Europe. The study will describe patient characteristics and organ-specific clinical benefit of avacopan treatment in a unique, first-experience cohort of AAV patients. By studying the clinical practice variation of first-experience avacopan treatment, this study will be uniquely positioned to identify pivotal issues on the real-life implementation of avacopan treatment. These observational data can ultimately serve to address current knowledge gaps on avacopan treatment in AAV patients, improve the care and drug-access for AAV patients with avacopan treatment and generate new areas of research.

Study of Therapeutic Efficacy of Anti-CD19 CAR-T Cells in Children With Refractory Refractory AAV

This is an investigator-initiated trial aimed at assessing the safety and efficacy of anti-CD19 CAR-T cells in the treatment of childhood-onset refractory ANCA-Associated Vasculitis.

Subclinical Cytomegalovirus Reactivation in Acute ANCA-associated Vasculitis

This is a prospective observational study to determine the frequency and magnitude of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) in the acute phase of the disease (within 12 months of diagnosis or relapse and commencement of induction of remission therapy) and its association with clinical outcomes. The investigators will also explore whether CMV reactivation causes an increase in CCR2 expressing monocytes, and whether these monocytes cause persistent kidney damage in AAV. The investigators hypothesise that reactivation of CMV during the initial 12 months following diagnosis or relapse of AAV occurs frequently but is generally asymptomatic. Based on the investigators' preliminary data the investigators further hypothesise that subclinical reactivation of CMV during this period will be associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including the severity of vasculitis, the response to treatment and the damage caused by vasculitis. Finally, they hypothesise that subclinical CMV reactivation leads to amplification of renal damage in AAV through a monocyte CCR2/CCL2 driven pathway. The investigators' research has recently shown that asymptomatic reactivation of CMV is a frequent event in AAV patients, occurring in roughly 25% of AAV patients in remission. However, the frequency of asymptomatic reactivation of CMV during the acute phase of the disease is not known. The investigators have previously shown that CMV infection and surrogate markers of CMV reactivation in patients with AAV are associated with worse outcomes such as reduced kidney function, increased risk of infection and death, increased risk of blood clots and increased stiffness of the blood vessels, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The investigators also have preliminary findings suggesting that in patients with AAV and CMV reactivation, the more CCR2 expressing monocytes in the blood, the worse the kidney function. If CMV reactivation during the acute phase of the disease is common and linked with worse outcomes, this study may then lead on to future research involving treatment to prevent CMV reactivation aiming to improve patient outcomes. The investigators will be looking to recruit patients under the care of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with newly diagnosed or recently relapsed AAV in the last 2 weeks who are positive for previous CMV infection.The investigators will follow these patients up with 10 visits over 12 months; where possible these will coincide with participants' usual vasculitis clinic appointments. At each visit the participants will be required to give blood and urine samples and answer questions related to their vasculitis. Kidney biopsy tissue taken at diagnosis will be used to assess mechanisms of injury during CMV reactivation.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Different Forms of Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic SClerosis (SSC) is a systemic disease characterized by limited or diffuse cutaneous sclerosis, microangiopathy, overproduction of autoantibodies and variable organ damage due to vasculopathy and/or fibrosis. The loss of self-tolerance is believed to be caused by the dysregulation of both innate and adaptive immune systems and may involve Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Neutrophils are potent producers of ROS and may play a role in endothelial cells and fibrobasts dysfunction, as in autoantibodies generation. However, their role in SSC pathogenesis remains to be determined. Recent studies discovered abnormal regulation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in other auto-immune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). NETs are web-like structures composed of chromatin backbones and granular molecules. They are released by activated neutrophils through a process called "NETosis". Nets were first described in 2004 as a novel host defense mechanism to trap and kill foreign pathogens. Recent evidence shows that NETs also participate in the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including SLE. The investigators recently highlighted this phenomenon in SSc, especially in patients with vascular complications and/or at a early stage of the disease. The investigators will now explore the factors implicated in this dysregulation of NETosis in SSc.

The Safety and Efficacy of Anti-CD19 CAR-T Cells in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Autoimmune Diseases

This is an investigator-initiated trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anti- CD19-CAR-T cells in the relapse or refractory autoimmune diseases.

Anti-CD19-CD3E-CAR-T Cells in Relapsed/Refractory Autoimmune Disease

This is an investigator-initiated trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anti-CD19-CD3E-CAR-T cells in the relapse or refractory autoimmune diseases.

Refractory ANCA Associated Vasculitis and Lupus Nephritis Treated With BCMA-targeting CAR-T Cells

Lupus nephritis (LN) and ANCA-associated vasculitis are severe autoimmune diseases, which may lead to the death of patients, particularly when they are refractory to the conventional therapeutic agents. Based on the current knowledge, the autoantibodies against self-antigens may exert important pathological roles in the pathogenesis of both LN and ANCA-associated vasculitis, of which the origins are primarily plasmablasts and plasma cells. BCMA is the molecule expressed on memory B cells, plasmablasts and plasma cells, and therefore is an ideal target for the elimination of potential pathogenic antibody secreting cells. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells against BCMA may provide a novel therapeutic way for the refractory LN and ANCA-associated vasculitis patients to eliminate the pathogenic autoantibody-secreting cells. In this study, the safety and efficacy of a novel CAR-T cell therapy using PRG-1801 cells, are evaluated in patients with refractory LN and ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Efficacy and Safety for Rituximab Combined With Telitacicept in the Treatment of ANCA-associated Vasculitis (TTCAAVREM)

This study is a prospective, open-labelled, randomized, controlled, single-center clinical trial. The aim of this study is to investigate the remission rate of patients treated with Telitacicept combined with Rituximab in remission-induction and Telitacicept alone in remission-maintain treatment.

Multicenter Cohort Study of AAV in Hunan of China

This study aimed to explore the incidence of Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA）-associated vasculitis (AAV) progression and its association with adverse consequences. It will enroll approximately 500 AAV patients in Hunan province of China and follow-up for at least 5 years. Demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory data will be collected at baseline and every follow-up. The principal clinical outcomes of the study consist of end stage renal disease (ESRD) and death.