Pilot Study of Haploidentical Natural Killer Cell Infusions for Poor Prognosis Non-AML Hematologic Malignancies

The prognosis of pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies whose disease is primarily refractory or those who experience a chemotherapy resistant bone marrow relapse is extremely poor. When new agents or chemotherapeutic regimens are unable to induce remission in this patient population, hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is also a poor alternative. Thus, in this very high risk group, additional attempts at remission induction with various combinations of chemotherapy alone will unlikely improve outcome and will contribute to overall toxicity. Alternative therapies are needed in these patients with chemotherapy resistant disease.

Immunotherapy with natural killer (NK) cell infusion has the potential to decrease toxicity and induce hematologic remission. NK cells can kill target cells, including leukemia cells, without prior exposure to those cells. In patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT, several studies have demonstrated the powerful effect of NK cells against leukemia. Furthermore, NK cell infusions in patients with primary refractory or multiple-relapsed leukemia have been shown to be well tolerated and void of graft-versus-host disease effects. In this high risk group, complete leukemic remission has been observed in several of these patients after NK cell infusion.

With the current technology available at St. Jude, we have developed a procedure to purify NK cells from adult donors. This protocol will assess the safety of chemotherapy and IL-2 administration to facilitate transient NK-cell engraftment in research participants who have chemotherapy refractory hematologic malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In this same cohort, we will also intend to explore the efficacy of NK cells infused in those participants who have chemotherapy refractory disease.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma; Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia; Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Myelodysplastic Syndrome; Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: NK Cell Infusion; Biological: Immunotherapy; Device: Miltenyi Biotec CliniMACS device; Drug: Interleukin-2 (IL-2); Drug: Clofarabine; Drug: Cyclophosphamide; Drug: Etoposide

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate the persistence, phenotype and function of donor NK cells as well as exploring the efficacy of the infusion in research participants with chemotherapy refractory hematologic malignancies.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 48
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Tennessee
    • Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38105
      • St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: No older than 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least two weeks since receipt of last biological therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
• Has a suitable adult family member donor available for NK cell donation.
• No current pleural or pericardial effusion.
• HIV negative
• Adequate clinical standing as evidenced by being within multiple renal, hepatic, pulmonary, and neurological required testing parameters.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Strata A; Patients with ALL, CML, JMML, MDS, or NHL with bone marrow relapse after stem cell transplant.	Other: NK Cell Infusion; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued; Biological: Immunotherapy; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Device: Miltenyi Biotec CliniMACS device; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Interleukin-2 (IL-2); All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Clofarabine; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Cyclophosphamide; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Etoposide; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.
Other: Strata B; Patients with ALL, CML, JMML , MDS, or NHL with primary induction failure and persistent disease; or participants with relapsed ALL, CML, JMML, MDS, or NHL with persistent disease after re-induction	Other: NK Cell Infusion; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued; Biological: Immunotherapy; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Device: Miltenyi Biotec CliniMACS device; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Interleukin-2 (IL-2); All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Clofarabine; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Cyclophosphamide; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.; Drug: Etoposide; All participants will receive a 4 day regimen of chemotherapy (clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide) followed by an infusion of HLA partially matched family member donor NK cells processed through the use of the investigational CliniMACS device. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) will be given three times per week post-infusion for a minimum of 2 weeks. IL-2 administration will continue until donor NK cells are no longer detectable in the recipient, and, at that time, will be discontinued.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
To assess the safety of chemotherapy and IL-2 administration to facilitate transient NK-cell engraftment in research participants with chemotherapy refractory non-acute myelogenous leukemia (non-AML) hematologic malignancies	4 months post infusion

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
To study the persistence, phenotype and function of donor natural killer (NK) cells after infusion in research participants with chemotherapy refractory hematologic malignancies.	4 months infusion
To explore the efficacy of NK cell infusion in research participants with chemotherapy refractory hematologic malignancies	4 months infusion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• Collaborators: Assisi Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Wing Leung, MD, PhD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 13, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): June 16, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 16, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 15, 2013
• Last Verified: July 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Immunotherapy; hematologic malignancy; NK cell infusion; Miltenyi Biotec device; haploidentical donor
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Immune System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Lymphoproliferative Disorders; Lymphatic Diseases; Immunoproliferative Disorders; Neoplasms by Site; Bone Marrow Diseases; Hematologic Diseases; Myeloproliferative Disorders; Myelodysplastic-Myeloproliferative Diseases; Leukemia, Lymphoid; Neoplasms; Myelodysplastic Syndromes; Hematologic Neoplasms; Leukemia; Leukemia, Myeloid; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Juvenile; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Enzyme Inhibitors; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Antirheumatic Agents; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antimetabolites; Antineoplastic Agents; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Alkylating Agents; Myeloablative Agonists; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Topoisomerase II Inhibitors; Topoisomerase Inhibitors; Cyclophosphamide; Etoposide; Clofarabine; Interleukin-2
• Other Study ID Numbers: NKHEM

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No