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ThINKK Immune Cell Therapy After Stem Cell Transplant in Children With Leukemia or Neuroblastoma

Tests ThINKK immune therapy in children after transplant for leukemia or neuroblastoma.

Key facts

Who runs it
Michel Duval
Where
Montreal and Toronto, CanadaSee the 2 sites
Trial code
Registry title
Phase I Clinical Trial of ThINKK Adoptive Immunotherapy After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Transplantation in Children With Leukemia or Neuroblastoma
Status
Not yet recruiting
Phase
Phase 1
People taking part
12 people, planned
Started
1 May 2026
Expected to end
1 May 2029
Type of study
Interventional
Treatments tested
  • Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer Killing (ThINKK)
Record updated
8 April 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for children aged 2 to 12 with acute leukemia or neuroblastoma who had a donor stem cell transplant 30 to 90 days earlier.

Age
2 to under 13 years old
Sex
Boys and girls
Disease stage
Acute leukemia or neuroblastoma, with no relapse and no progressive disease.
Earlier treatment
Donor (allogeneic) stem cell transplant 30 to 90 days before the trial confirms the child can join. No ongoing systemic cyclosporine.
Biomarker or test result
Blood NK cell count of at least 100 x 10E+6 cells/L, measured at least once before eligibility confirmation.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Current grade 3 or 4 acute graft-versus-host disease
  • Relapse of the cancer or any other active cancer
  • Ongoing high-dose systemic corticosteroids (above 0.5 mg/kg/day prednisone equivalent)
  • Uncontrolled life-threatening infection
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 21 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Between 2 and less than 13 years old at time of informed consent form signature
  • Diagnosis of acute leukemia or neuroblastoma
  • Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation 30 to 90 days prior to eligibility confirmation
  • Blood NK cell counts ≥ 100 x 10E+6 cells/L at least once before eligibility confirmation
  • Life expectancy of ≥ 3 months per investigator's judgment at time of eligibility confirmation
  • Patient or legally acceptable representative has provided informed consent based on local regulations and/or guidelines prior to any study-specific activities/procedures being initiated

Who cannot take part

  • Ongoing therapy with systemic corticosteroids (equivalent to a prednisone dose >0.5 mg/kg/day). Patients actively undergoing corticosteroid tapering during Screening may be enrolled once they have reached a prednisone-equivalent dose ≤ 0.5 mg/kg/day with Sponsor-Investigator approval, with the expectation that the taper will continue
  • Ongoing systemic therapy with cyclosporine
  • Ongoing therapy with intravenous vasopressor agent
  • Relapse of primary malignancy, or any other active malignancy; For leukemia, defined as either morphological relapse or Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) ≥0.01% as measured by flow cytometry. MRD detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) does not constitute an exclusion criterion; For neuroblastoma, defined as a progressive disease
  • Uncontrolled life-threatening symptomatic infection(s)
  • Any condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would compromise the safety of the patient, would prevent full participation in this study, or would interfere with the evaluation of any study endpoints
  • Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase serum levels ≥5 times the upper limit of normal
  • Direct bilirubin serum levels ≥3 times the ULN (unless due to Gilbert syndrome)
  • Baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate < 50 mL/min/1.73 m2, as determined using the Bedside Schwartz equation for < 18 years of age
  • Blood pressure below the 5th percentile for age, sex, and height last 24 hours
  • Current grade 3 or 4 acute GvHD (per MAGIC criteria)
  • Administration or planned administration of any prohibited treatment listed in ad hoc section
  • Grade 4 diarrhea (ie, life-threatening consequences with urgent intervention indicated)
  • O2 Sat saturation <90% on room air by pulse oximetry
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding or absence of highly effective methods of contraception for males and females of childbearing potential who engage in heterosexual intercourse

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 2 and 12 years old?

Where in Canada

  • CHU Sainte-JustineMontreal, CanadaContact: Henrique Bittencourt, MDNo longer taking part
  • The Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, CanadaContact: Joerg Krueger, MDNo longer taking part

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

A first-in-class adoptive immunotherapy we called ThINKK, for Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer (NK) cell Killing, have been designed for use after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), where the proper stimulation of graft-derived NK cells has been shown to prevent relapse.

Read full original descriptionShow less

ThINKK immunotherapy builds on our earlier research on NK cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) in cord blood and after HSCT. PDC are the sentinels of the immune system. Upon viral nucleic acids detection, PDC secrete a vast array of chemokines and cytokines that stimulate NK cells. PDC stimulation enhances NK cells killing of infected cells that express stress-induced molecules. Cancer cells also express stress-related molecules at their surface. However, NK cells do not receive PDC stimulation when fighting cancer. ThINKK therapy is designed to provide this necessary stimulation.

The group in the trial

  • TreatmentTreatment being tested

    Treatment: Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer Killing (ThINKK)

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Phase I Clinical Trial of Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer Killing (ThINKK) Adoptive Immunotherapy: Feasibility, Safety and Pharmacodynamics in Children Undergoing Allogenic Hematopoietic Transplantation for Leukemia or Neuroblastoma
Plain-language title
ThINKK Immune Cell Therapy After Stem Cell Transplant in Children With Leukemia or NeuroblastomaGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07518654, who can take part
Record updated
8 April 2026