ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT02532452Updated Sep 4, 2026

Third Party Viral Specific T-cells (VSTs)

A Phase 2 interventional study of Viral Specific VST Infusion in Viral Infection, Viral Reactivation and Infection in an Immunocompromised Host, sponsored by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati. Recruiting at 4 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Days and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-04.

Sponsored by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2015; still recruiting 11 years 2 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
1,000
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
2 Days and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that viral specific T-cells (a type of white blood cell) can be generated from an unrelated donor and given safely to patients with viral infections.

Read the detailed description

Viral reactivation and infection is a major cause of morbidity in immunocompromised patients (including HSCT recipients). In this study we will draw blood from unrelated (third party) donors and use the blood to generate viral specific T-cells (VSTs) with specificity for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus (ADV), BK virus (BKV), and JC Virus. The VSTs will be infused into immunocompromised children with specific viral infections (EBV, CMV, ADV, BKV , or JC virus). Cells will be selected for infusion based on the recipient's HLA type and the viral specificity of the cells.

02

Conditions studied

  • Viral Infection
  • Viral Reactivation
  • Infection in an Immunocompromised Host

Keywords

  • Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)
  • Adenovirus (ADV)
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
  • T-Cells
  • Donor
  • BK virus (BKV)
03

In context

Virus Diseases

656 studies on the registry are indexed under Virus Diseases; 85 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,000 is above the median of 100 across 464 interventional studies indexed under Virus Diseases.

Browse Virus Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati is the lead sponsor of 673 studies on the registry; 130 are open to participants now.

Of its 57 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 31 (54%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Days and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • patient with evidence of viral infection or reactivation
  • Age >1 day
  • Recipients who have had a stem cell transplant must be at least 21 days after stem cell infusion
  • Clinical status must allow tapering of to \< 0.5mg/kg prednisone or other steroid equivalent
  • Must be able to receive CTL infusion in Cincinnati
  • obtained by PI or sub-investigator either in person or by phone

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active acute grades II-IV
  • Uncontrolled bacterial or fungal infection
  • Uncontrolled relapse of requiring treatment with chemotherapy
  • Infusion of ATG or alemtuzumab within 2 weeks of VST infusion
  • confirmed acute rejection of solid organ transplant OR empiric treatment of suspected but not confirmed acute rejection of solid organ transplant within the last 30 days
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(6)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

GVHD (graft-versus-host disease)

After a transplant from a donor, the donor’s immune cells attack the recipient’s body, often the skin, gut or liver.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
1,000 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Viral Specific VST Infusion

    3rd party VST infusion

    Biological: Viral Specific VST Infusion

Interventions

  • BiologicalViral Specific VST Infusion

    VSTs will be infused into immunocompromised patients with evidence of viral infection or reactivation defined as any of the following: * Blood adenovirus PCR ≥ 1,000 * Blood CMV PCR ≥ 500 * Blood EBV PCR ≥ 9,000 * Plasma BKV PCR \>1,000 * Plasma JC Virus PCR \> 1,000 * Evidence of invasive adenovirus infection or disease, defined as the presence of adenoviral positivity by PCR or culture in one or more sites * Evidence of invasive CMV infection, eg pneumonitis, retinitis, colitis * Evidence of invasive EBV disease/infection, EBV-associated lymphoproliferation (EBV-LPD) defined as proven EBV-LPD by biopsy or probable EBV-LPD defined as an elevated EBV DNA level in the blood associated with clinical symptoms (adenopathy or fever or masses on imaging) but without biopsy confirmation, or EBV-associated malignancies * Evidence of symptomatic BK virus infection, which may include symptomatic hemorrhagic cystitis, or BK nephropathy * Evidence of PML or other CNS infection due to JC virus

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Successful production of viral specific T-cells

    Of the patients who had a VST culture initiated, successful production of VST cells is defined as meeting the protocol-defined release criteria.

    Time frame: Within 30 days post culture initiation

  2. Percentage of patients who do not have infusional toxicity

    Patients will be monitored for infusional toxicity

    Time frame: Through 30 minutes post infusion

  3. Incidence of GVHD associated with VST infusion

    Patients will be monitored for the development of VST associated GVHD

    Time frame: Through 30 days after infusion

Secondary outcomes

  1. Presence of viral-specific T-cells

    Presence of viral-specific T-cells in the participant's blood will be assessed by Elispot assay

    Time frame: At 30 days after infusion

  2. Viral burden

    The viral burden will be assessed using the protocol-defined efficacy assessment.

    Time frame: At 30 days after infusion

07

Study locations

3 of 4 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Rubinstein JD, Pham G, Sridharan A, Khoury R, Wang YM, Hudda Z, Wilhelm J, Lichtenstein DA, Heyenbruch D, Cancelas JA, Davies SM, Lutzko C, Grimley MS. Outcomes with third-party virus-specific T cells after the use of single-antigen cell lines to predict HLA restriction. Blood Adv. 2025 Dec 23;9(24):6305-6313. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2025017097. PubMed 40991376 ↗
  • Galletta TJ, Lane A, Lutzko C, Leemhuis T, Cancelas JA, Khoury R, Wang YM, Hanley PJ, Keller MD, Bollard CM, Davies SM, Grimley MS, Rubinstein JD. Third-Party and Patient-Specific Donor-Derived Virus-Specific T Cells Demonstrate Similar Efficacy and Safety for Management of Viral Infections after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children and Young Adults. Transplant Cell Ther. 2023 May;29(5):305-310. doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2023.01.027. Epub 2023 Feb 3. PubMed 36736781 ↗
  • Rubinstein JD, Zhu X, Leemhuis T, Pham G, Ray L, Emberesh S, Jodele S, Thomas S, Cancelas JA, Bollard CM, Hanley PJ, Keller MD, Grimley O, Clark D, Clark T, Lindestam Arlehamn CS, Sette A, Davies SM, Nelson AS, Grimley MS, Lutzko C. Virus-specific T cells for adenovirus infection after stem cell transplantation are highly effective and class II HLA restricted. Blood Adv. 2021 Sep 14;5(17):3309-3321. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004456. PubMed 34473237 ↗
  • Nelson AS, Heyenbruch D, Rubinstein JD, Sabulski A, Jodele S, Thomas S, Lutzko C, Zhu X, Leemhuis T, Cancelas JA, Keller M, Bollard CM, Hanley PJ, Davies SM, Grimley MS. Virus-specific T-cell therapy to treat BK polyomavirus infection in bone marrow and solid organ transplant recipients. Blood Adv. 2020 Nov 24;4(22):5745-5754. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003073. PubMed 33216887 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 4, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02532452
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 25, 2015
Start date
Sep 2, 2015
Primary completion
Dec 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 4, 2026

Study contacts

Jamie Wilhelm
Contact
Jamie.Wilhelm@cchmc.org
(513) 803-1102
Michael Grimley, MD
Contact
Michael.Grimley@cchmc.org
Michael Grimley, MD, MD
principal investigator · Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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