A Phase 1/2 interventional study of DFT383 in Nephropathic Cystinosis, sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Recruiting at 6 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 5 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-22.
Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment
An open-label, multi-center, phase I/II study to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of DFT383 in pediatric participants with nephropathic cystinosis, followed by a long-term extension phase.
The purpose of this clinical study is to assess safety, tolerability, and efficacy of DFT383 in participants aged 2 to 5 years with nephropathic cystinosis. The study consists of a Core Phase and a long-term Extension Phase. DFT383 is a cellular gene therapy.
This study includes an active arm (Cohort 1) of participants treated with study treatment DFT383 and a concurrent reference arm (Cohort 0). Participants in Cohort 0 will not receive study treatment and will only participate in the Core Phase of the study. The study is not randomized and Cohort 0 aims to collect prospective and concurrent data in this rare disease.
This study is an open-label, multi-center, phase I/II study to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of DFT383 in participants aged 2 to 5 years with nephropathic cystinosis, followed by a long-term extension phase.
The study includes two Treatment Groups (Cohort 1 and Cohort 0) and consists of a Core Phase and a long-term Extension Phase.
Participants in Cohort 1 will receive DFT383 and participate in both the Core and Extension Phase. Participants in Cohort 0 will not receive study treatment and will participate in the Core Phase only.
The two cohorts will be run in parallel. Investigational sites may participate in one or both cohorts.
Cohort 1 Approximately 15 participants will receive treatment with DFT383 in 3 (sub) cohorts (1A, 1B and 1C) dosed in a staggered approach. The total study duration for a participant in Cohort 1 will be up to 32 months in the core phase and up to 13 years for the long-term extension phase.
Cohort 0 Approximately 15 participants meeting similar inclusion/exclusion criteria and receiving SoC will be enrolled. The Schedule of Activities will be reduced for this Cohort. This cohort 0 is not a direct control but will provide essential context for interpreting the results observed in the participants receiving DFT383. The total study duration for a participant in Cohort 0 will be up to 24 months.
Key Inclusion Criteria:
Participants eligible for inclusion in this study must meet all the following criteria:
Key exclusion Criteria for Cohort 1 and 0
Additional Key exclusion criteria for Cohort 1 - The following exclusion criterion applies to Cohort 1 only as it is related to DFT383 treatment:
1. Indomethacin within 2 weeks prior to Screening
Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply.
Treatment with DFT383
Genetic: DFT383
No study treatment, will continue with standard of care (cysteamine).
DFT383 is an autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy.
Core Phase - Incidence of adverse events (Cohort 1)
Number and proportion of participants with adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs)
Time frame: Up to 32 months
Core Phase - Number of participants with hematological reconstitution (Cohort 1)
Hematological reconstitution by Day 42 post-DFT383 infusion
Time frame: 42 days post DFT infusion
Core Phase - Proportion of participants with reversal of renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS)
Proportion of participants with reversal of renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS)
Time frame: Up to 32 months
Core Phase - Number of participants independent from cysteamine
Independence from oral and ophthalmic cysteamine
Time frame: up to 24 months
Core Phase - Health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as measured by QUALIFY (cystinosis-specific PRO)- Currently under development
Time frame: Up to 32 months
Core Phase - Time from infusion to reversal of RFS (Cohort 1)
Time from infusion to reversal of renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS)
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Core Phase - Time from screening to reversal of RFS (Cohort 0)
Time from screening to reversal of renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS)
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Core Phase - Duration of reversal of RFS
Duration of reversal of renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS)
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Core Phase - Change from baseline on urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPr/CR)
Change from baseline on urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPr/CR)
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Change from baseline on urine amino acids
Change from baseline on urine amino acids
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Change from baseline on urinary glucose to creatinine ratio
Change from baseline on urinary glucose to creatinine ratio
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Change from baseline on tubular maximum reabsorption of Phosphate/Glomerular Filtration Rate ratio (TmP/GFR)
Change from baseline on tubular maximum reabsorption of Phosphate/Glomerular Filtration Rate ratio
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Change from baseline on urine retinol-binding protein/creatinine ratio (RBP/Cr)
Change from baseline on urine retinol-binding protein/creatinine ratio
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Number of participants with improvement of proximal tubular function
Improvement of proximal tubular function as defined by 2-fold change from Baseline of at least 4 out of 5 RFS parameters (urine protein to creatinine ratio, urine amino acids, urinary glucose to creatinine ratio, tubular maximum reabsorption of Phosphate/Glomerular Filtration Rate, urine retinol-binding protein/creatinine ratio). Improvement will also be considered if the change from Baseline is less than 2-fold but the value falls within the definition for normalization.
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Corneal cystine crystal content
Corneal crystal content by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT)
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Number of participants with clinically significant changes in vital signs, physical examinations, laboratories, and ECG (Cohort 1)
Vital signs, physical examinations, laboratories (eg., chemistry, hematology, liver function tests), and ECG
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Number of participants with presence/emergence of replication-competent lentivirus (Cohort 1)
Number of participants with presence/emergence of replication-competent lentivirus
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Number of participants with malignancy (Cohort 1)
Number of participants with malignancy
Time frame: Up to 27 months
Core Phase - Time to hematological reconstitution (Cohort 1)
Time to hematological reconstitution
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Core Phase - Time to platelet engraftment (Cohort 1)
Time to platelet engraftment
Time frame: Up to 24 months
Core Phase - Incidence of Adverse Events (Cohort 0)
Number and proportion of participants with adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs)
Time frame: up to 24 months
Extension Phase Primary Objective - Incidence of Adverse events (Cohort 1)
Number and proportion of participants with adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs)
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 8 months
Extension Phase - Number of participants with malignancy (Cohort 1)
Number of participants with malignancy
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Number of participants with presence/emergence of replication-competent lentivirus (Cohort 1)
Number of participants with presence/emergence of replication-competent lentivirus
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Number of participants with clinically significant changes in vital signs, physical examinations, laboratories, and ECG (Cohort 1)
Vital signs, physical examinations, laboratories (eg., chemistry, hematology, liver function tests), and ECG
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Change from baseline on urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPr/CR) (Cohort 1)
Change from baseline on urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPr/CR)
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Change from baseline on urine amino acids (Cohort 1)
Change from baseline on urine amino acids
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Change from baseline on urinary glucose to creatinine ratio (Cohort 1)
Change from baseline on urinary glucose to creatinine ratio
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Change from baseline on tubular maximum reabsorption of Phosphate/Glomerular Filtration Rate ratio (TmP/GFR) (Cohort 1)
Change from baseline on tubular maximum reabsorption of Phosphate/Glomerular Filtration Rate ratio
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Change from baseline on urine retinol-binding protein/creatinine ratio (RBP/Cr) (Cohort 1)
Change from baseline on urine retinol-binding protein/creatinine ratio
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Duration of reversal of RFS (Cohort 1)
Duration of reversal of renal Fanconi syndrome (RFS)
Time frame: Up to 15 years
Extension Phase - Number of participants with kidney failure (Cohort 1)
Number of participants with kidney failure
Time frame: Up to 15 years
Extension Phase - Number of participants independent from cysteamine (Cohort 1)
Independence from oral and ophthalmic cysteamine
Time frame: Up to 15 years
Extension Phase - Corneal cystine crystal content (Cohort 1)
Corneal crystal content by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT)
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 3 months
Extension Phase - Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) (Cohort 1)
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as measured by QUALIFY (cystinosis-specific PRO)- Currently under development
Time frame: Up to 15 years and 8 months
Plan to share: Yes
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