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Not yet recruitingNCT07544225CELL-ATTACK 1Updated Sep 2, 2026

Study Investigating the Safety of Anti-CD19 CAR-T Cells Therapy Produced at Gustave Roussy for Adults With Severe and Refractory Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases

A Phase 1 interventional study of anti-CD19 CAR-T cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren's Disease With Dry Eyes, sponsored by Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-02.

Sponsored by Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris · Phase 1, Interventional, and Other

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
6
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This is an open-label, single-dose, prospective, monocenter, Phase I interventional study (not first-in-human) to assess the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of autologous anti-CD19 CAR-T cells as an advanced therapy medicinal product in adult patients; with severe and refractory systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren's disease (SjD), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM).

02

Conditions studied

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
  • Sjogren's Disease With Dry Eyes
  • Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)
  • Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis (IIM)
03

In context

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

3,332 studies on the registry are indexed under Arthritis, Rheumatoid; 443 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 6 is below the median of 96 across 2,220 interventional studies indexed under Arthritis, Rheumatoid.

Browse Arthritis, Rheumatoid studies →

Lead sponsor

Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris is the lead sponsor of 245 studies on the registry; 66 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
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

  1. Patients ≥ 18 and ≤ 75 years of age at the time of inclusion visit.
  2. Performance status 0 to 2.
  3. Signed (or legal representative) must be obtained from the patient prior to participation in the study.
  4. Patients must have valid health insurance coverage in the country where the study is conducted.
  5. A diagnosis of treatment- systemic rheumatic disease (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), severe lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren's disease (SjD), Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM)) with a severe and progressive disease according to respective criteria below.
  6. Eligible patients must have failed at least two lines of conventional or biologic therapies
  7. Calculated (calculated using 2021 Formula) > 30 mL/min
  8. Women of must agree to use highly effective or practice true sexual abstinence for at least 1 month before study start and until 12 months after CAR-T cells infusion. (see section 7.7 " Pregnancy and contraception ").
  9. Male patients must agree to practice true sexual abstinence or use condoms from 1 month before study start until 12 months after CAR-T cells infusion. Also, it is recommended the childbearing potential female partner uses a highly effective method of contraception for the same duration (cf. section 7.7 " Pregnancy and contraception ").
  10. Patients shall be eligible to undergo CAR-T cells infusion
  11. Patients consents to give blood samples.
  12. Patients Patients must be located within one hour's driving distance from Gustave Roussy during the first 30 days after the injection and must be accompanied, as they should not drive during these initial 30 days

Specific criteria for SLE:

  1. Diagnosis of SLE according to the 2019 ACR/EULAR classification criteria.
  2. Patient must be positive for at least one of the following autoantibodies at screening:

    1. anti-dsDNA (above the , ULN) or
    2. anti-Sm (above ULN) or
    3. anti-nucleosome (above ULN) or
    4. anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and a decrease of C3 or C4
  3. Active severe disease with SLEDAI-2K ≥ 6
  4. Inadequate response or intolerance to at least 2 immunosuppressive treatments.

Specific criteria for IIM:

  1. Confirmed or probable diagnosis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) according to the 2017 EULAR/ACR classification criteria, including:

    1. Dermatomyositis (DM)
    2. Polymyositis (PM)
    3. Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM)
    4. Antisynthetase syndrome (ASS)
  2. Patient must be positive for at least one of the autoantibodies associated with IIM or anti-nuclear antibodies at screening (See, 24.3 Appendix 3 - List of Scleroderma- and Myositis-Specific Autoantibodies )
  3. Active myositis at baseline, demonstrated by at least one of the following:

    1. Elevated muscle enzymes (e.g., CPK > 1.5 × upper limit of normal)
    2. Manual Muscle Testing (MMT-8) score \< 142/150
    3. Muscle MRI or EMG showing signs of active inflammation
    4. Progressive interstitial lung disease
  4. Inadequate response or intolerance to at least 2 immunosuppressive treatments.

Specific criteria for SjD:

  1. Diagnosis of SjD as per 2016 ACR-EULAR criteria
  2. Documented seropositivity for SSA at screening or positive anti-nuclear antibodies associated with positive rheumatoid factor
  3. Active systemic disease defined as ESSDAI >5 points
  4. Refractory disease defined as inadequate response to hydroxychloroquine, and oral immunosuppressive treatment, and otherwise requiring cyclophosphamide or rituximab, according to EULAR recommendations for the management of Sjogren's disease12. History of intolerance or inadequate response to rituximab or cyclophosphamide is also permitted.

Specific criteria for RA

  1. RA diagnosis as per ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria
  2. Seropositivity for anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA) and/or rheumatoid factor (RF) at Screening
  3. Treatment according to EULAR recommendation and failure of ≥2 biologic/targeted synthetic Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drug (DMARDs) after failing conventional synthetic DMARD therapy (unless )
  4. Signs suggestive of active/progressive disease, defined as meeting all two below criteria at Screening:

    • At least moderate disease activity (DAS28-CRP>3.2)
    • Inflammatory activity confirmed by at least 1 swollen joints (documented by clinic or ultrasound)

Specific criteria for SSc:

  1. Systemic sclerosis as per the 2013 ACR/EULAR Classification Criteria
  2. CT scan evidence of interstitial lung disease
  3. Severe skin involvement with mRSS>10
  4. EUSTAR AI >2,5
  5. Resistance or intolerance to at least two Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Any significant active infection, including:

    1. Active (defined by detectable HBV DNA) or C infection (defined by detectable ),
    2. Known infection,
  2. Previous treatment with any gene therapy product or CAR-T cells therapy.
  3. Inadequate organ function during screening

    • Inadequate renal function is defined as ≤30mL/min/1.73m2 using the the Formula
    • Inadequate hepatic function is defined as any of the following:

      1. defined by class B or C
      2. and AST above 2 ×
      3. TBL > 1.5 × ULN with the exception of participants with Gilbert's syndrome or patients with a positive Coombs test and evidence of hemolysis, who may be included if their TBL is ≤ 3.0 × ULN and direct ≤ 1.5 × ULN
      4. (INR) > 1.5
    • Inadequate cardiac function is defined as \< 50% as determined by ultra-sonography performed at screening
    • Inadequate lung function requiring continuous oxygenotherapy
  4. Active or history of cancer within the past 2 years (except successfully treated localized skin basal or squamous cell carcinoma, or cervical carcinoma in situ).
  5. History of allogeneic hematopoietic tem cell transplantation or solid organ transplantation.
  6. Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  7. Women of and fertile men who do not agree to use highly effective or maintain sexual abstinence during the study and for 12 months after CAR-T cells infusion.
  8. Any acute, severe disease flare at and during screening that needs immediate treatment other than pulse and/or makes the washout impossible
  9. active, opportunistic, chronic or recurrent infection
  10. Any patients requiring medications prohibited by the protocol.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(22)

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.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

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.

Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

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.

Creatinine clearance (CrCl)

How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

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.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Child-Pugh class

A score of how well the liver works in people with liver disease such as cirrhosis: class A is mild, B moderate and C severe.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

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.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
6 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment

    The anti-CD19 CAR-T cells will be administered as a single infusion at the dose of 1x106 cells/kg body weight

    Biological: anti-CD19 CAR-T cells

Interventions

  • The anti-CD19 CAR-T cells will be administered as a single infusion at the dose of 1x106 cells/kg body weight

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Unacceptable toxicities over a period of 4 weeks after the single CAR-T cell infusion

    Unacceptable toxicities are defined over a period of 4 weeks after the single CAR-T cell infusion as either: * Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) ≥ grade 3 or, * Immune-effector Cell Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) ≥ grade 3 or, * Organ toxicity (cardiac, dermatologic, gastrointestinal, hepatic, pulmonary, renal/genitourinary, or neurologic) ≥ grade 3

    Time frame: from CAR-T cells infusion to 30 days post-treatment

07

Study locations

1 site
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 2, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07544225
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 22, 2026
Start date
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Feb 1, 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 1, 2043 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 2, 2026

Study contacts

Cristina CASTILLA-LLORENTE
Contact
Cristina.castilla-llorente@gustaveroussy.fr
+33(0)142114355
Timothé DENAËS
Contact
timothe.denaes@gustaveroussy.fr
+33(0)142115554

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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