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Renal Transplant RejectionPhase 1/2NCT03707262

Study of Combined Kidney and Blood Stem Cell Transplant From a Brother or Sister Donor

A Phase 1/2 study testing Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cells in people with Renal Transplant Rejection and Tolerance, run by Jeffrey Veale, MD at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to find out if an investigational treatment will allow kidney transplant recipients to better accept their new kidney and stop immunosuppressive medicines. This study is for kidney transplant recipients who receive a kidney from a sibling donor. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cells
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
15 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
6 Nov 2019to May 2027
Phase
Phase 1/2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Recipient Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Males and females ages 18 years and older receiving living donor kidney transplant from an HLA-identical sibling at UCLA Medical Center.
  2. Agrees to participate in the study and is able to give informed consent.
  3. Resides or is willing to stay within 3 hours distance from UCLA Medical Center by ground transportation for the first three to six months of the trial at the physician's discretion.
  4. Meets institutional criteria for kidney and HSPC transplant.
  5. No known contraindication to administration of rATG or radiation.
  6. If patient is a female of reproductive potential (i.e., no documented absence of ovaries or uterus, history of tubal ligation, or post-menopausal status) patient must be confirmed not pregnant by a serum or urine pregnancy test) and must agree to practice a reliable form of contraception including hormonal treatments, barrier methods or intrauterine device for at least 12 months post-transplant. Karnofsky Performance Score ≥ 70.
  7. Adequate cardiac function defined as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 40% by MUGA (Multi Gated Acquisition) scan or echocardiogram.
  8. Adequate pulmonary function defined as FVC and DLCO of greater than or equal to 50% of predicted.
  9. Adequate liver function defined as total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal and AST/ALT ≤ 2.0 times the upper limit of normal.
  10. Adequate social support based on evaluation by the UCLA renal transplant team licensed clinical social worker.

Recipient Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Donor is identical twin.
  2. ABO incompatibility with donor.
  3. Previous solid organ transplant
  4. Multi-organ transplantation
  5. Previous treatment with rATG or a known allergy to rabbit proteins
  6. History of active malignancy within the past 5 years with the exception of non-melanomatous skin cancer.
  7. History of another primary malignancy except for: i. Malignancy treated with curative intent and with no known active disease >2 years before the first dose of study treatment and of low potential risk for recurrence ii. Adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer or lentigo maligna without evidence of disease iii. Very low risk and low risk cancer adequately treated or on active surveillance b. Adequately treated carcinoma in situ without evidence of disease (e.g., cervical cancer in situ, and DCIS)
  8. Pregnant (confirmed by urine or serum pregnancy test) or lactating.
  9. Leukopenia (with a white blood cell count < 3,000/ µL) or thrombocytopenia (with a platelet count < 100,000/ µL).
  10. Active bacterial, fungal, mycobacterial or viral infection (including active hepatitis B and/or C).
  11. Positive HLA DSA
  12. Seropositivity for HIV 1, HIV 2, HTLVI, HTLV II
  13. Active West Nile Virus infection
  14. Renal disease with high risk of recurrence (i.e., focal segmental glomerulosclerosis).
  15. Advanced hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis B and/or C diagnosis.
  16. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, or cardiac arrhythmia; active extra-renal autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppression.
  17. Active extra-renal autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppression.
  18. Neuropsychiatric illness that precludes the ability to give informed consent and/or places the patient as high risk for non-compliance with the safety monitoring requirements of the study.
  19. May not have received other immunosuppressive medications, including but not limited to alemtuzumab, belatacept, sirlolimus, everolimus, azathioprine, basiliximab, and eculizumab within six months of the study treatment. Use of corticosteroids prescribed for a time-limited indication (</= 4 weeks) and stopped at least 4 weeks before the kidney transplant is acceptable.
  20. May not have received immunotherapy drugs such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g. pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and ipilimumab), tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, rituximab, and interleukin-2 within six months of the study treatment.
  21. Current or active abuse of alcohol and/or drugs within last 6 months.
  22. BMI 40 or greater.

Donor Inclusion Criteria:

  1. HLA-identical sibling on high-resolution HLA typing who is ≥18 years of age.
  2. Meets institutional criteria for living kidney and allogeneic HSPC transplant donation.
  3. Medically fit to tolerate peripheral blood apheresis, including weighing ≥110 pounds, hemoglobin ≥ 11 g/dL, white blood cell count ≥ 3,000/µL, and platelets ≥120,000/µL.
  4. Normal serum chemistry and coagulation studies; or, if abnormal, the differences are not considered clinically significant.

Donor Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Recipient is identical twin.
  2. ABO incompatibility with recipient.
  3. Medically unfit to tolerate peripheral blood apheresis (small body size, poor vascular access, not a suitable candidate for placement of a central catheter, etc.).
  4. Pregnant (confirmed by urine or serum pregnancy test) or lactating.
  5. Seropositivity for HIV 1, HIV 2, HTLV I, HTLV II
  6. Active West Nile Virus infection
  7. Active bacterial, fungal, mycobacterial or viral infection (including active hepatitis B and/or C)
  8. Psychiatric, addictive, neurological, or other disorder that compromises ability to give true informed consent for participation in this study
  9. History of active malignancy within the past 5 years with the exception:Adequately managed malignancy within the past two years with low risk of recurrence may be acceptable as per clinician discretion
  10. Adequately managed non-melanoma skin cancer
  11. Adequately managed carcinoma in situ e.g., cervical cancer in situ, and DCIS
  12. No current or recent use of oral anti-coagulants. (For the purpose of this study, recent is defined as less than 60 days prior to apheresis.). Note: Use of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for pain and inflammation management purposes, are permitted to enroll in the study, but these drugs must be stopped 14 days prior to apheresis, however subjects who are taking aspirin for its anti-platelet/anti-thrombotic effect, are excluded.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

United States1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University of California, Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, California, 90095

    Dana Levin, MPH, 310-794-8893, DLevinLopez@mednet.ucla.edu

    Jenny Lester, MPH, 310-794-9728, jlester@mednet.ucla.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Donor Chimerism and Graft Survival Following Combined HLA-Identical Sibling Living Donor Kidney and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Utilizing a Conditioning Regimen of Total Lymphoid Irradiation and Rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin

The purpose of this study is to find out if an investigational treatment will allow kidney transplant recipients to better accept their new kidney and stop immunosuppressive medicines. This study is for kidney transplant recipients who receive a kidney from a sibling donor.

The investigational treatment is started after kidney transplant. It begins with a regimen of a drug called rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) combined with radiation therapy (known as total lymphoid irradiation, or TLI) to the lymph nodes and spleen. This is followed by an infusion of blood stem cells, which will be donated by the same sibling who donated their kidney. Researchers think that this treatment allows immune cells from the donor and recipient to live side by side, a condition referred to as "mixed chimerism." Mixed chimerism may help create a state of "tolerance" in kidney transplant recipients in which all immunosuppressive medications can be stopped without rejection of the transplanted kidney.

This study will test whether (1) the investigational treatment will allow patients to stop immunosuppressive medications after their kidney transplant and (2) if the treatment impacts the rate of kidney rejection and the side effects of immunosuppressive medications.

Read the detailed description

In spite of the pronounced benefit of kidney transplantation in prolonging survival and improving the quality of life of patients with end stage renal disease, it is still hampered by the risk of graft rejection and the need for lifelong immunosuppression. Researchers have sought to circumvent these challenges through the use of combined kidney and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to induce immune tolerance. This study will build upon published reports showing favorable results for the TLI/rATG regimen in HLA-matched living donor transplant recipients. The investigators seek to confirm that patients treated with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) followed by human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical donor hematopoietic progenitor cell transplant can be withdrawn from immunosuppressive drugs while maintaining normal renal function after renal transplantation. At serial time points, (1) graft function will be monitored, (2) chimerism will be measured in recipient white blood cell subsets, and (3) protocol biopsies of the graft will be obtained. An attempt will be made to discontinue tacrolimus at 12 months if the following conditions are met: (1) chimerism (defined as ≥5% donor type cells among the T cells, B cells, Natural Killer [NK] cells, and granulocytes) is detectable for at least 180 days after CD34+ and CD3+ cell infusion, (2) stable graft function without clinical rejection episodes is maintained, (3) there is lack of histologic rejection on protocol biopsies, and (4) there is no evidence of graft vs. host disease (GVHD). Recipients in the proposed study will be given a target dose of ≥ 5 x106 CD34+ cells/kg and 5x106 CD3+ cells/kg with the goal of achieving durable mixed chimerism.

Being tested
Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cells
Keywords
Tolerance, Kidney Transplant

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cellsBiological

    Infusion of GCSF-mobilized, Miltenyi-enriched CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) (≥ 5 million cells/kg) and CD3+ cells (5 million cells/kg) from an HLA-identical sibling living donor, following pre-conditioning regimen of rATG and TLI.

Study groups in NCT03707262
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cell infusionExperimentalThe investigational products are (1) an intravenous infusion of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF)-mobilized, Miltenyi-enriched CD34+ cells (≥ 5 million cells per kilogram) followed by (2) an infusion of CD3+ cells (5 million cells per kilogram) from an HLA-identical sibling living donor. The cells are infused around Day 11 post-transplant after the following pre-conditioning regimen: 1. 5 doses of rATG (1.5 mg/kg IV per day for 5 days, starting on the day of transplant) 2. 10 doses of TLI (120 centigray [cGY] x 10 fractions, starting the day after transplant)
Receives: Biological: Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cells

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Withdrawal from immunosuppressive drugs

    Percentage of subjects free from all immunosuppressive drugs at 12 months after kidney transplantation.

    Measured: 12 months post-kidney transplant

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Graft rejection

    Percentage of patients with graft rejection within 48 months post-transplant defined as (1) meets Banff criteria for rejection either on protocol biopsy or biopsy performed to confirm clinical suspicion of rejection or (2) clinical suspicion of rejection demonstrating response to corticosteroids in absence of biopsy when confirmatory biopsy contraindicated or declined.

    Measured: 48 months post-kidney transplant

  2. Time to graft rejection

    Time to graft rejection

    Measured: 48 months post-kidney transplant

  3. Graft failure

    Percentage of patients with graft failure as determined by return to dialysis and/or re-transplantation.

    Measured: 48 months post-kidney transplant

  4. Time to graft failure

    Time to graft failure

    Measured: 48 months post-kidney transplant

  5. Survival

    Percentage of subjects alive at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months post-kidney transplant

    Measured: 12, 24, 36, and 48 months post-kidney transplant

  6. Time to death

    Time to death (months post-transplant)

    Measured: 48 months post-kidney transplant

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted16 Oct 2018
  2. Study start6 Nov 2019
  3. Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionMay 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
15 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03707262
Sponsor's protocol ID
HLA-Match Tolerance
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
1 Aug 2018
Last updated
8 May 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided: N/A, undecided

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing Donor CD34+ and CD3+ cells in people with Renal Transplant Rejection and Tolerance, run by Jeffrey Veale, MD at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Ruth Wynne Jones (424-402-9564, rwynnejones@mednet.ucla.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Withdrawal from immunosuppressive drugs (time frame: 12 months post-kidney transplant). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 May 2026.

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