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RecruitingNCT05634369TINKSUpdated Jan 28, 2026

A Multi-Institution Study of TGFβ Imprinted, Ex Vivo Expanded Universal Donor NK Cell Infusions as Adoptive Immunotherapy in Combination With Gemcitabine and Docetaxel in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Pediatric Bone and Soft Tissue

A Phase 1/2 interventional study of GEM/DOX + TGFBi expanded NK cells in Pediatric Sarcoma, Refractory and Pediatric Sarcoma, Relapsed, sponsored by Nationwide Children's Hospital. Recruiting at 22 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 40 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-28.

Sponsored by Nationwide Children's Hospital · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Nov 2022; still recruiting 3 years 10 months later.
Phase
Phase 1/2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
50
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
2 Years to 40 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if the addition of infusions of a type of immune cell called a "natural killer", or NK cell to the sarcoma chemotherapy regimen GEM/DOX (gemcitabine and docetaxel) can improve outcomes in people with childhood sarcomas that have relapsed or not responded to prior therapies.

The goals of this study are:

  • To determine the safety and efficacy of the addition of adoptive transfer of universal donor, TGFβ imprinted (TGFβi), expanded NK cells to the pediatric sarcoma salvage chemotherapeutic regimen gemcitabine/docetaxel (GEM/DOX) for treatment of relapsed and refractory pediatric sarcomas To determine the 6-month progression free survival achieved with this treatment in patients within cohorts of relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma.
  • To identify toxicities related to treatment with GEM/DOX + TGFβi expanded NK cells

Participants will receive study drugs that include chemotherapy and NK cells in cycles; each cycle is 21 days long and you can receive up to 8 cycles.

  • Gemcitabine (GEM): via IV on Days 1 and 8
  • Docetaxel (DOX): via IV on Day 8
  • Prophylactic dexamethasone: Day 7-9 to prevent fluid retention and hypersensitivity reaction
  • Peg-filgrastim (PEG-GCSF) or biosimilar: Day 9 to help your white blood cell recover and allow more chemotherapy to be given
  • TGFβi NK cells: via IV on Day 12
Read the detailed description

This is a multi-center study with rolling safety and toxicity analysis, to determine the safety and efficacy of the addition of adoptive transfer of universal donor, TGFβ imprinted (TGFβi), expanded NK cells to the pediatric sarcoma salvage chemotherapeutic regimen gemcitabine/docetaxel (GEM/DOX) for treatment of relapsed and refractory pediatric sarcomas, identify toxicities related to treatment with GEM/DOX + TGFβi expanded NK cells, and assess in vivo persistence of expanded, universal donor, TGFβi NK cells after adoptive transfer and correlate with clinical outcomes.

The planned therapy will involve 8 cycles of 21 days each consisting of gemcitabine, docetaxel, supportive dexamethasone and peg-filgrastim, and universal donor, TGFβi ex vivo expanded NK cells (Cycles 1-6).

02

Conditions studied

  • Pediatric Sarcoma, Refractory
  • Pediatric Sarcoma, Relapsed

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03

In context

Recurrence

4,279 studies on the registry are indexed under Recurrence; 988 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 50 is close to the median of 50 across 3,374 interventional studies indexed under Recurrence.

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Lead sponsor

Nationwide Children's Hospital is the lead sponsor of 231 studies on the registry; 43 are open to participants now.

Of its 16 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 8 (50%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 40 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  1. Patients must be between the ages ≥ 2 years and ≤ 40 years of age and have had a relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma or non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma.
  2. Patients must have measurable disease using RECIST 1.1 criteria
  3. Patients must have had at least one and no more than four total lines of cytotoxic systemic treatment for relapse sarcoma. Local control with surgical resection or radiation therapy of the primary tumor and any metastatic sites as clinically indicated as standard of care per the treating physician must be considered prior to enrollment.
  4. Prior Therapy: Therapy may not have been received more recently than the timeframes defined below:

    • Myelosuppressive chemotherapy: Patients must not have received myelosuppressive therapy within 14 days of protocol therapy
    • Radiation: At least 2 weeks must have elapsed from the start of protocol therapy since local palliative XRT (small port); 4 weeks must have elapsed for all other radiation therapy
    • Hematopoietic Cell Transplant (HCT): Patients must have at least 6 weeks elapsed after autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant
    • Biologic (anti-neoplastic agent): At least 7 days or 5 half-lives of the drug, whichever is longer, must have elapsed from the start of protocol therapy since the completion of therapy with a biologic agent.
    • Monoclonal antibodies: At least 3 weeks must have elapsed from the start of protocol therapy since prior therapy that included a monoclonal antibody.
    • Prior use of Gemcitabine and/or Docetaxel: Patients who have received these agents for prior treatment may be included if previous treatments were given ≥ 6 months prior to enrollment on this study, and there were no allergic reactions, pulmonary edema or fibrosis, Grade 3 or higher neuropathy or other non-hematologic Grade 4 adverse events related to gemcitabine and/or docetaxel therapies.

4) Performance status: Karnofsky ≥ 60 for patients ≥16 years of age. Lansky score of ≥ 60 for patients \< 16 years of age (see Appendix A) 5) Organ Function Requirements: Patients must have normal organ and marrow function within 7 days of starting protocol therapy as defined below:

  • Absolute Neutrophil Count ≥1000/mcL
  • Platelet count ≥100,000/mcL transfusion independent defined as no platelet transfusions within the last 72 hours
  • Total bilirubin \< 1.5x upper limit of normal for age
  • AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) ≤ 2.5 x institutional upper limit of normal
  • Serum creatinine \< 1.5 x upper limit of normal based on age/gender (Table 3) OR creatinine clearance ≥70 mL/min/1.73 m2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal
  • Shortening fraction ≥ 27% by ECHO OR ejection fraction of ≥ 50% by ECHO or gated radionuclide study

    • Echocardiogram done within 12 months of study entry will be acceptable. If patient has required anthracycline chemotherapy since last ECHO and enrollment on this study, echocardiogram should be repeated.
  • No evidence for dyspnea at rest, no chronic oxygen requirement, and room air pulse oximetry >94% if there is a clinical indication for pulse oximetry 6) Neuropathy: Patients must have ≤ Grade 2 neuropathy at enrollment 7) Patients with seizure disorders may be enrolled if seizures are well controlled on anti-convulsant, with the exception of diazepam given its potential deleterious effects on NK cell activity.

    8) Contraception: The effects of expanded NK cells on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason and because the chemotherapeutic preparative agents as well as other therapeutic agents used in this trial are known to be teratogenic, women of child-bearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. Men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and 4 months after completion of preparatory regimen administration.

    9) All patients and/or their parents or legal guardians must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent/assent document.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents.
  2. Patients must not be receiving any additional medicines being given for the specific purpose of treating cancer
  3. Patients with a history of allergic reactions attributed to docetaxel, gemcitabine, or peg-filgrastim or biosimilar
  4. Patients who have received any prior cellular therapies, such as CAR-T cells or other expanded or manufactured cellular products.
  5. Patients with bone marrow only disease are not eligible for this study.
  6. Patients with any of the following "Intermediate" (rarely metastasizing) or "malignant" Grade 2 or Grade 3 tumors of any size, as defined in the WHO Classification of Soft Tissue Tumors are not eligible for this study:

    • So-called fibrohistiocytic tumors - plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor, giant cell tumor of soft tissues
    • Fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumors - solitary fibrous tumor, malignant solitary fibrous tumor, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, low grade myofibroblastic sarcoma, myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma, atypical myxoinflammatory fibroblastic tumor, myxofibrosarcoma, low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma, sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma
    • Tumors of uncertain differentiation - epithelioid sarcoma, alveolar soft part sarcoma, clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue, angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, ossifying fibromyxoid tumour, myoepithelioma, myoepithelial carcinoma, extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, neoplasms with perivascular epithelioid cell differentiation (PEComa), initial sarcoma, atypical fibroxanthoma, mixed tumor NOS, phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor, malignant ossifying fibromyxoid tumor, malignant mixed tumor, malignant phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor
    • Chondro-osseous tumors - extraskeletal osteosarcoma
    • Pericytic (perivascular) tumors - malignant glomus tumor
    • Nerve sheath tumors - malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, malignant granular cell tumor, epithelioid malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, malignant Triton tumor
    • Undifferentiated sarcomas (with a specific pathologic category in the WHO classification) - undifferentiated round cell sarcoma, undifferentiated epithelioid sarcoma, undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma
  7. Patients who, in the judgment of the treating physician, has tumors near critical structures for which transient swelling would cause substantial symptoms, such as tumor within the bowel mucosa
  8. Patients with CNS metastatic disease will not be eligible for this study.
  9. Concomitant Medications:

    • Due to their effect on NK cell function, systemic corticosteroids outside of the supportive dexamethasone given from day 7 through 9 should be used ONLY for life-threatening conditions (i.e., life-threatening allergic reactions and anaphylaxis such as bronchospasm, stridor) unresponsive to other measures. The use of dexamethasone as an anti-emetic is not permitted. Corticosteroid therapy can be used as a premedication for transfusion in patients known to have a history of transfusion reactions or for treatment of an unexpected transfusion reaction (hydrocortisone 2 mg/kg or less or an equivalent dose of an alternative corticosteroids). The use of steroids during protocol therapy other than the study- required prophylactic dexamethasone doses requires clear justification and documentation of use for a life-threatening condition.
    • The following are also prohibited while on study treatment

      • Strong CYP3A4 inducers. Because the lists of these agents are constantly changing, it is important to regularly consult a frequently-updated list such as http://medicine.iupui.edu/clinpharm/ddis/; medical reference texts such as the Physicians' Desk Reference may also provide this information.
      • Diazepam
      • Chemotherapeutic agents other than the study drugs
  10. Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to:

    • ongoing or active infection
    • psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
  11. Pregnancy or Breast-Feeding: Pregnant or breast-feeding woman will not be entered on this study due to risks of fetal and teratogenic adverse events as seen in animal/human studies with Gemcitabine and Docetaxel
  12. HIV Infection: HIV-positive patients on combination antiretroviral therapy are ineligible because of the potential for pharmacokinetic interactions with the study medications. In addition, these patients are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy. Appropriate studies will be undertaken in patients receiving combination antiretroviral therapy when indicated
  13. Patients who in the opinion of the investigator may not be able to comply with the safety monitoring requirements of the study are not eligible.
05

Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment

    Part 1: Enrollment of 5 patients in each cohort (osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and non-rhabdomyosarcoma). Part 2: Enrollment of 2 cohorts in 2 stages for a total of 40 patients.

    Biological: GEM/DOX + TGFBi expanded NK cells

Interventions

  • BiologicalGEM/DOX + TGFBi expanded NK cells

    8 cycles consisting of gemcitabine, docetaxel, supportive dexamethasone and pegfilagrastim, and universal donor, TGFBi ex vivo expanded NK cells * Each cycle will be repeated every 21 days based upon disease response and toxicity criteria * Tumor response assessed after Cycles 2, 4, 6, and 8 1. Gemcitabine 675mg/m2/dose IV on Days 1 and 8 2. Docetaxel 75mg/m2/dose IV on Day 8 3. Dexamethasone 3mg/m2/dose (max 8 mg/dose) PO BID on Days 7, 8, and 9 4. Pegfilgrastim (Peg-GCSF) 0.1mg/kg/dose (max 6 mg/dose) SQ on Day 9 5. NK cells 1 x 10e8 cells/kg/dose IV on Day 12 (+ 1-2 days)

    Also known as: Docetaxel, Dexamethasone, Pegfilgrastim, Gemcitabine

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Part 1

    Evaluation of DLT in patients enrolled during Part 1 enrollment * ≥2 of 6 patients with DLT will be cause for termination of the study

    Time frame: 3-5 years

  2. Part 2

    Determination of 6-month progression free survival (PFS) in study patients measured from initiation of treatment (Day 1 of the first cycle of therapy) Patients will be considered evaluable for tumor response if they: * Have received at least one dose of NK cell infusion * Have completed all therapy and are 1 year from initiation of treatment * Are lost to follow up * Elect to discontinue therapy * Terminate treatment for reasons of toxicity or progression prior to completion of therapy.

    Time frame: 3-5 years

Secondary outcomes

  1. Treatment response of target lesions determined using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria

    Assessments will be performed after every other cycle of treatment to determine antitumor effect of therapy.

    Time frame: Every two cycles (21 days per cycle) for 3-5 years

  2. Frequency and characterization of DLT in study patients

    cycle = 21 days

    Time frame: 3-5 years

Other outcomes

  1. Exploratory Endpoint

    Assessment of TGFβi NK cell persistence, phenotype, and retained cytolytic activity in patient peripheral blood via samples drawn on days 1, 8, and 12 of each cycle beginning with cycle 2 analyzed by flow cytometry.

    Time frame: Days 1, 8, and 12 of each cycle (21 days per cycle), starting with cycle 2

07

Study locations

22 of 22 sites recruiting
  • University of Alabama
    South Birmingham, Alabama 35233, United States
    • Elizabeth Alva, MD · Contact · ealva@peds.uab.edu · 205-683-9285
    • Elizabeth Alva, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Phoenix Children's Hospital
    Phoenix, Arizona 85016, United States
    Recruiting
  • Arkansas Children's Hospital
    Little Rock, Arkansas 72202, United States
    • David Douglas, MD · Contact · dpdouglass@uams.edu · 501-364-1494
    • David Douglas, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, California 90027, United States
    • Fariba Navid, MD · Contact · fnavid@chla.usc.edu · 323-361-2121
    • Fariba Navid, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Stanford University
    Palo Alto, California 94304, United States
    • Raya Hamad Saab, MD · Contact · rsaab@stanford.edu · 650-723-5535
    • Raya Hamad Saab, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • University of Florida
    Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
    • John Ligon, MD · Contact · john.ligon@ufl.edu · 352-273-9120
    • John Ligon, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Nemours Jacksonville
    Jacksonville, Florida 32207, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Miami
    Miami, Florida 33136, United States
    Recruiting
  • Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
    St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, United States
    • Natalie Booth, DO · Contact · nbooth3@jh.edu · 727-767-3513
    • Natalie Booth, DO · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Washington University/St Louis Childrens
    St Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
    • Amy Armstrong, MD · Contact · armstrongae@wustl.edu · 314-454-6018
    • Amy Armstrong, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Buffalo, New York 14263, United States
    Recruiting
  • Montefiore Medical Center
    The Bronx, New York 10467, United States
    • Alice Lee, MD · Contact · alee5@montefiore.org · 718-741-2342
    • Alice Lee, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • University of North Carolina
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
    • Patrick Thompson, MD · Contact · patom@email.unc.edu · 919-966-1178
    • Patrick Thompson, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Levine Cancer Institute
    Charlotte, North Carolina 28203, United States
    Recruiting
  • Duke Children's Hospital/Duke Health
    Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
    • Jessica Sun, MD · Contact · jessica.sun@duke.edu · 919-668-1102
    • Jessica Sun, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Cleveland Clinic
    Cleveland, Ohio 44195, United States
    • Matteo Trucco, MD · Contact · TRUCCOM@ccf.org · 216 444-9085
    • Matteo Trucco, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Nationwide Children's Hospital
    Columbus, Ohio 43205, United States
    Recruiting
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
    • Jacquelyn W Crane, MD · Contact · cranej2@chop.edu · 215-290-2299
    • Jacquelyn W Crane, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
    Recruiting
  • UT Southwestern
    Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Houston, Texas 77030, United States
    • Irtiza Sheikh, MD · Contact · isheikh1@mdanderson.org · 832-728-9791
    • Jonathan Gill, MD · Contact · jbgill@mdanderson.org · 713-745-3145
    • Jonathan Gill, MD · Sub investigator
    • Irtiza Sheikh, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
  • Primary Children's Hospital
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84113, United States
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 28, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05634369
Lead sponsor
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Collaborators
National Pediatric Cancer Foundation
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 2, 2022
Start date
Nov 14, 2022
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 1, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jan 28, 2026

Study contacts

Jessica Crimella, BSN, RN, CCRP
Contact
jessica.crimella@moffitt.org
813-745-6250
Bhuvana Setty, MD
principal investigator · Nationwide Children's Hospital

Oversight

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

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