NCT07906080Not yet recruitingPhase 1
Study to Evaluate the Feasibility and Safety of Autologous Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells (CIK_D332) in Combination With Tafasitamab and Lenalidomide in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
A Multicenter, Phase I Study to Evaluate the Feasibility and Safety of Autologous Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells (CIK_D332) in Combination With Tafasitamab and Lenalidomide in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL): The FOCUS Study
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 3 Nov 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This is a multicentre, Phase I trial of Cytokine Induced Killer-cells (CIK\_D332) in combination with Tafasitamab and Lenalidomide in patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) who have relapsed or are refractory after at least one prior line of therapy including an anti-CD20 drug and are not candidates for high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell auto transplantation or CAR-T therapy. The plasticity of CIK cells allows a simple and immediate modulation of the combined therapeutic strategy through the replacement of the antibody used, without having to resort to genetic modification of the effector cells. Furthermore, thanks to the simultaneous expression of CD3 and CD16 receptors, the choice of the antibody to be used in the combination can fall on both monoclonal antibodies (bound by CD16) and bispecific antibodies (capable of binding and stimulating CD3), significantly expanding the spectrum of therapeutic options and the possibilities of combining these effector cells in anticancer therapy. To demonstrate this potential, expanded CIK cells from healthy donors were combined with obinutuzumab (anti-CD20 mAb), tafasitamab (anti-CD19 mAb), and blinatumomab (anti-CD19 bsAb) in parallel and tested against a large panel of hematologic malignancies. The combination with each of the three antibodies led to a significant increase in the intrinsic cytotoxic activity of CIKs, inducing ADCC activity against all the lines analysed. The resulting activity was comparable to, and in some cases even superior to, cytotoxicity induced by CD19-specific CAR-T cells. CIKs are able to recognize tumour cells in a MHC-independent manner through receptors typical of NK cells, in particular NKG2D, and to induce cell death by means of perforins and granzymes. In addition, thanks to the expression of the CD16 receptor, it is possible to stimulate their antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity, increasing their intrinsic antitumor activity \[10\]. The end result of this approach is a lytic activity that combines the intrinsic MHC-independent cytotoxicity of CIKs with antibody-induced ADCC, resulting in enhanced antitumor efficacy. The project aims to provide a "proof of concept" in the clinic of a complementary or alternative therapeutic strategy to other anti-tumour immunotherapies, treating patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL with chemotherapy-free immunotherapy.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Phase (registry)
- Phase 1
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 14 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 23 Oct 2026
- Start date
- 31 Jan 2027
- Primary completion date
- 30 Jun 2029
- Lead sponsor
- Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS
- Diseases
- Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
- NCT number
- NCT07906080
- EU CT number
- 2026-525494-39-00
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional · Phase 1
- Planned participants: 14
- From 31 Jan 2027 to the primary completion date, 30 Jun 2029
- 2 sites in 1 country
- 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.
Lab values
- ● Patients with known active malignancy;
- Patients with a positive test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or active hepatitis B or C;
- Patients with active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment
- Woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the study;
- Patients suffering from Burkitt's lymphoma, aggressive lymphoma with rearrangement of MYC, BCL2 or BCL6;
- Patients with \> 4 lines of therapy for lymphoma;
- Patients with known hypersensitivity to study antibodies, Human Serum Albumin (HSA), Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) or any formulation excipients of CIK\_D332;
- Patients with medical or psychological conditions that prevent participation;
- Active, uncontrolled systemic bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections;.
- Severe baseline organ failure (NYHA Class III/IV cardiac dysfunction, hepatic impairment with total bilirubin \> 2.0× ULN, or renal failure with CrCl \< 30 mL/min);.
- Administration of live attenuated vaccines within 6 months prior to or following CIK\_D332 cell infusion.
Who the study is looking for
- Signing of informed consent;
- Patients of both sexes, aged ≥18 years;
- Patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL (including transformed indolent lymphoma with subsequent DLBCL recurrence) after at least one prior chemo-immonotherapy including anti-CD20 drug;
- Patients with documented CD19 expression (by immunohistochemistry \[IHC\] or flow cytometry \[FCM\]) in lymphoma cells;
- Patients not candidates for high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell auto transplantation or CAR-T therapy;.
- Washout period following treatment with cytotoxic T-cell drugs before peripheral blood collection for CIK\_D332 cell manufacturing:
- minimum 2 weeks from systemic chemotherapy and targeted agents
- minimum 12 weeks from lymphotoxic therapy (Bendamustine, Fludarabine, Cladribine, Pentostatin, loncastuximab, CAR-T)
- minimum 7 days stop from corticosteroids
- 2-4 weeks stop from immunosuppressants (e.g., for GVHD).
Age in the registry: 18 years to 99 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (2)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istituto Oncologico Veneto Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Padova | Italy | Unknown status |
| Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Verona | Italy | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.