NCT00692939

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Crohn's Disease

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation With CD34-Selected Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSC) in Pediatric and Adult Patients With Severe Crohn's Disease

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1 / Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Paul Szabolcs · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 10 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of administering high-dose chemotherapy followed by infusion of autologous CD34-selected peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) in pediatric and adult patients with severe Crohn's disease.

Detailed description

Crohn's disease is considered to be an immune-mediated disease of the intestinal tract, typically treated using immune modulating or immune suppressive therapies. These treatments include local anti-inflammatory agents such as 5 aminosalicylic acid products, broad immune suppression using corticosteroids, azathioprine, or methotrexate; cytokine suppression such as antibody against TNFα; IL-12 and antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and metronidazole that work by decreasing the putative antigen exposure to the intestine. There is little in the literature available on mortality data related to Crohn's Disease, but one series by Farmer et al showed 6% mortality attributable to Crohn's disease. The mortality rate for selective patients with refractory and severe disease is probably higher. This protocol is based on the premise that the sustained inflammation of the GI tract that is characteristic of Crohn's disease is the result of defective mucosal T cell tolerance. The mucosal tolerance is normally maintained by CD4 + T cells characterized as T helper 3 (Th3) and T regulatory 1 (TR1) T cell clones producing TGFβ and IL-10 respectively. There has been much speculation on a possible infectious etiology of IBD implicating primarily mycobacterial organisms, though despite extensive research no pathogenic organisms have definitively been identified. In genetic cytokine knockout animal models of IBD, the typical nonpathogenic enteric flora is sufficient to induce a chronic inflammatory reaction. Autoreactive T cells appear to have broken through the mucosal tolerance with characteristic T helper 1 cytokine profile secreting IL-1 and IFNγ. In theory the most efficient approach to eradicate autoimmune T cell clones is through replacement of the defective immune system with hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from a healthy allogeneic donor. However, the risks of morbidity and mortality associated with allogeneic HSC transplantation currently do not appear to be justified even in treatment of refractory cases of Crohn's disease. An alternative approach is to use autologous HSC from which potential autoreactive T-cells have been eliminated, based on the hypothesis that from the T-cell depleted autologous graft reconstitution of normal immunity will occur without regeneration of autoimmune clones. Pilot trials in Crohn's and other autoimmune diseases have confirmed the validity of this hypothesis. T-cells in the CD34 selected PBSC product are significantly depleted. If active disease recurs despite intensive immunoablation, it is likely that either CD34 selection did not adequately remove cells responsible for the autoreactive state, or that the emerging genetically predisposed immune system was re-exposed to autoantigens. Unlike allogeneic transplants, the autologous transplant approach has greatly reduced morbidity and mortality due to the absence of graft rejection and graft versus host disease reactions. Currently, autologous HSCT demonstrate that transplant-related mortality is around 5% when transplanted for acute leukemia.

Conditions

• Crohn's Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BIOLOGICAL	autologous CD34-selected peripheral blood stem cells transplant	high-dose immunotherapy followed by infusion of autologous CD34-selected peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC)
DRUG	Alemtuzumab	Transplant conditioning
DRUG	ATG	Transplant conditioning
DRUG	Melphalan	Transplant conditioning
DRUG	Thiotepa	Transplant conditioning
DRUG	Rituximab	Transplant conditioning
DRUG	Cyclophosphamide	Mobilization
DRUG	G-CSF	Mobilization
DRUG	Mesna	Mobilization

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-06-26
• Primary completion: 2026-12-01
• Completion: 2027-12-01
• First posted: 2008-06-06
• Last updated: 2025-12-15

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study