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NCT07473154RecruitingPhase 1/2

Controlling Hyperactive Immunity With Long-lived Lymphocytes

Phase I/II Study of QEL-005 in Patients With Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis (dcSSc) and in Patients With Difficult to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis (D2TRA).

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 19 Oct 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

This study is a Phase 1/2, open-label clinical trial to test an experimental treatment called QEL-005 in adults with two autoimmune conditions: diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) and difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2TRA). The main goals are to find out whether QEL-005 is safe, how well people tolerate it, and whether it may help reduce disease activity or improve symptoms. QEL-005 is made from a participant's own white blood cells (autologous cells). These cells are collected and then changed in a laboratory using genetic methods to create specialized immune cells called CAR-T regulatory cells that target a protein on B cells called CD19. These modified cells are then given back to the participant by intravenous (IV) infusion. To take part, eligible participants will first have a procedure called leukapheresis, where some of their white blood cells are removed from the blood. The study team will use these cells to manufacture QEL005. After QEL005 is ready, participants will receive an IV infusion of their modified cells, stay in hospital overnight for monitoring, and will then be followed closely in the clinic. Throughout the trial, participants will have regular safety checks, which may include blood tests, imaging scans, questionnaires about symptoms and daily functioning, and biopsies taken from involved tissues, to help understand how QEL005 is working in the body. Detailed follow up will be for 1 year after QEL-005 infusion, and there is long-term follow up for a total of 15 years, which is standard for cell therapies. The information from this Phase 1/2 study will help determine an appropriate dose and dosing schedule of QEL005 for future studies.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Phase (registry)
Phase 1/2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
16 (estimated)
First submitted
27 Feb 2026
Start date
10 Apr 2026
Primary completion date
31 Aug 2028
Lead sponsor
Quell Therapeutics Limited
NCT number
NCT07473154
EudraCT number
2025-523971-46

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 1/2
  • Planned participants: 16
  • From 10 Apr 2026 to the primary completion date, 31 Aug 2028
  • 10 sites in 3 countries
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Immunodeficiency or receiving immunoglobulin replacement therapy
  • Use of investigational agents within a pre-defined period prior to study screening
  • Received a previous cell therapy
  • Received certain B cell related experimental therapies in a clinical trial with the past year
  • Any solid organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant
  • Receiving prohibited medication that cannot be stopped at screening

Other illness

  • History or concern of autoimmune diseases other than those under study
  • Active infection, or recurrent chronic infection requiring intervention
  • Past or current infection with hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis, syphilis, or HIV
  • Clinically significant cardiac dysfunction or severe pulmonary impairment
  • History of malignancy in the past 5 years

Lab values

  • Presence of a significant medical condition(s), or clinically significant laboratory abnormality

Who the study is looking for

  • Participants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of signing the informed consent.
  • Up to date vaccination status and no planned vaccinations for post 3 months infusion
  • Adequate haematological, liver and renal function
  • Willing to undergo annual influenza vaccination
  • Willing to enter a 15-year follow-up
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status grade \< 3
  • Able and willing to use a highly effective method of contraception
  • Stable dose of steroid prior to screening
    • Specific inclusion criteria for participants with difficult to treat rheumatoid Arthritis (D2TRA) only:
  • Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) per 2010 ACR-EULAR criteria
  • Diagnosis of D2TRA per 2021 EULAR criteria
  • Evidence of clinically active disease a defined by validated clinical or laboratory results consistent with standard definitions of active RA
  • Evidence of inflammation in target joints used for the DAS28 CRP assessment
    • Specific inclusion criteria for participants with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) only:
  • Diagnosis of dcSSc as per the 2013 ACR-EULAR criteria
  • Serologically positive for antinuclear antibodies
  • Failure to respond sufficiently to immunomodulatory disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
  • Skin involvement with a total modified Rodnan Skin Score of at least 15
  • Evidence of lung fibrosis based on imaging or pulmonary function testing
  • Evidence of active disease based on a validated SSc activity assessment

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (10)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
University Hospital Düsseldorf
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DüsseldorfGermanyRecruiting
Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
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ErlangenGermanyNot yet recruiting
Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz
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MadridSpainRecruiting
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
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BirminghamUnited KingdomRecruiting
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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LeedsUnited KingdomRecruiting
Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
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LondonUnited KingdomNot yet recruiting
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
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LondonUnited KingdomRecruiting
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
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ManchesterUnited KingdomNot yet recruiting
Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust
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NewcastleUnited KingdomRecruiting
University of Oxford - The Kennedy Institute
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OxfordUnited KingdomRecruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.