A Multi-Institution Study of TGFβ Imprinted, Ex Vivo Expanded Universal Donor NK Cell Infusions as Adoptive Immunotherapy in Combination With Gemcitabine and Docetaxel in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Pediatric Bone and Soft Tissue (NCT05634369)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
The purpose of this study is to determine if the addition of infusions of a type of immune cell called a "natural killer", or NK cell to the sarcoma chemotherapy regimen GEM/DOX (gemcitabine and docetaxel) can improve outcomes in people with childhood sarcomas that have relapsed or not responded to prior therapies. The goals of this study are: * To determine the safety and efficacy of the addition of adoptive transfer of universal donor, TGFβ imprinted (TGFβi), expanded NK cells to the pediatric sarcoma salvage chemotherapeutic regimen gemcitabine/docetaxel (GEM/DOX) for treatment of relapsed and refractory pediatric sarcomas To determine the 6-month progression free survival achieved with this treatment in patients within cohorts of relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma. * To identify toxicities related to treatment with GEM/DOX + TGFβi expanded NK cells Participants will receive study drugs that include chemotherapy and NK cells in cycles; each cycle is 21 days long and you can receive up to 8 cycles. * Gemcitabine (GEM): via IV on Days 1 and 8 * Docetaxel (DOX): via IV on Day 8 * Prophylactic dexamethasone: Day 7-9 to prevent fluid retention and hypersensitivity reaction * Peg-filgrastim (PEG-GCSF) or biosimilar: Day 9 to help your white blood cell recover and allow more chemotherapy to be given * TGFβi NK cells: via IV on Day 12
Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (18 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (28 items).
Location: University of Alabama — South Birmingham, Alabama
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistCheck every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).
Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:
- Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents.
- Patients must not be receiving any additional medicines being given for the specific purpose of treating cancer
- Patients with a history of allergic reactions attributed to docetaxel, gemcitabine, or peg-filgrastim or biosimilar
- Patients who have received any prior cellular therapies, such as CAR-T cells or other expanded or manufactured cellular products.
- Patients with bone marrow only disease are not eligible for this study.
- Patients with any of the following "Intermediate" (rarely metastasizing) or "malignant" Grade 2 or Grade 3 tumors of any size, as defined in the WHO Classification of Soft Tissue Tumors are not eligible for this study:
- So-called fibrohistiocytic tumors - plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor, giant cell tumor of soft tissues
- Fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumors - solitary fibrous tumor, malignant solitary fibrous tumor, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, low grade myofibroblastic sarcoma, myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma, atypical myxoinflammatory fibroblastic tumor, myxofibrosarcoma, low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma, sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma
- Tumors of uncertain differentiation - epithelioid sarcoma, alveolar soft part sarcoma, clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue, angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, ossifying fibromyxoid tumour, myoepithelioma, myoepithelial carcinoma, extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, neoplasms with perivascular epithelioid cell differentiation (PEComa), initial sarcoma, atypical fibroxanthoma, mixed tumor NOS, phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor, malignant ossifying fibromyxoid tumor, malignant mixed tumor, malignant phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor
- Chondro-osseous tumors - extraskeletal osteosarcoma
- Pericytic (perivascular) tumors - malignant glomus tumor
🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (22 Sites)
- University of Alabama — South Birmingham, Alabama
- Phoenix Children's Hospital — Phoenix, Arizona
- Arkansas Children's Hospital — Little Rock, Arkansas
- Children's Hospital of Los Angeles — Los Angeles, California
- Stanford University — Palo Alto, California
- University of Florida — Gainesville, Florida
- Nemours Jacksonville — Jacksonville, Florida
- University of Miami — Miami, Florida
- Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital — St. Petersburg, Florida
- Washington University/St Louis Childrens — St Louis, Missouri
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — Buffalo, New York
- Montefiore Medical Center — The Bronx, New York
- University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Levine Cancer Institute — Charlotte, North Carolina
- Duke Children's Hospital/Duke Health — Durham, North Carolina
- Cleveland Clinic — Cleveland, Ohio
- Nationwide Children's Hospital — Columbus, Ohio
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, Tennessee
- UT Southwestern — Dallas, Texas
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center — Houston, Texas
- Primary Children's Hospital — Salt Lake City, Utah
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.