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Hematologic MalignancyPhase 2NCT04395222

Tocilizumab for the Prevention of Graft Failure and GVHD in Haplo-Cord Transplantation

A Phase 2 study testing Tocilizumab, Fludarabine and Melphalan in people with Hematologic Malignancy and Bone Marrow Transplant, run by Weill Medical College of Cornell University at 1 site in United States.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of reducing and ultimately eliminating anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) from the haplo-cord transplant conditioning regimen and replacing it with tocilizumab, an IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, to improve immune reconstitution and reduce relapse while preserving low… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Tocilizumab, Fludarabine and Melphalan
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
21 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
7 Oct 2020to Jun 2027
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Subject must have a confirmed diagnosis of one of the following:
  • Relapsed or refractory acute leukemia (myeloid or lymphoid)
  • Acute leukemia in first remission at high-risk for recurrence
  • Chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic, accelerated phase or blast-crisis
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Chronic myeloproliferative disease
Show all 21Show fewer
  • Recurrent, refractory or high-risk malignant lymphoma
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, relapsed or with poor prognostic features
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Other hematological disorder in need of allogeneic transplant (e.g. blastoid dendritic cell neoplasm)
  • Age ≥ 18 years.
  • Likely to benefit from allogeneic transplant in the opinion of the transplant physician.
  • An HLA-identical related or unrelated donor cannot be identified within an appropriate time frame.
  • Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) of ≥ 70%.
  • Acceptable organ function as defined below:
  • Serum bilirubin: <2.0 mg/dL
  • ALT (SGPT) <3x upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • Creatinine Clearance: >50 mL/min/1.73m2 (eGFR as estimated by the modified MDRD equation)
  • Left ventricular ejection fraction >40%
  • Pulmonary diffusion capacity >40% predicted
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Who cannot join

  • Life expectancy is severely limited by concomitant illness or uncontrolled infection.
  • Evidence of chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis
  • Uncontrolled HIV disease.
  • Pregnancy or lactation.
  • History of complicated diverticulitis, including fistulae, abscess formation or gastrointestinal perforation
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition as tocilizumab, including known allergies to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or other recombinant human or humanized antibodies.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Weill Cornell Medical College

    New York, New York, 10065

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Prospective Study of Tocilizumab for the Prevention of Graft Failure and Graft-versus-Host Disease in Haplo-Cord Transplantation

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of reducing and ultimately eliminating anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) from the haplo-cord transplant conditioning regimen and replacing it with tocilizumab, an IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, to improve immune reconstitution and reduce relapse while preserving low rates of graft failure and graft versus host disease (GVHD).

Read the detailed description

This study is a prospective phase II non-inferiority study investigating tocilizumab as a potential alternative to anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in haplo-cord transplantation. It is a single-center study based at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital.

The hypothesis is that tocilizumab is a safe and effective alternative to ATG in haplo-cord transplantation, facilitating transient engraftment of the haplo-identical stem cell graft without prolonged neutropenia or second nadir prior to durable cord engraftment while also preventing graft versus host disease (GVHD).

This study plans to enroll patients with hematologic malignancies in need of alternate donor transplant. All subjects will be conditioned with fludarabine, melphalan and total body irradiation (TBI), followed by a single dose of tocilizumab 8 mg/kg on Day -1. Patients will be enrolled into 4 successive cohorts, initially administering the current standard 3 doses of ATG 1.5 mg/kg (total 4.5 mg/kg). In the absence of safety signals, we will drop one dose of ATG in successive cohorts until the drug ultimately has been eliminated.

The primary endpoint of the study is successful haplo-derived neutrophil engraftment. Treatment will only be of interest if there is evidence that this rate is greater than 60%. If there are 4 or fewer successes, that dose group will be deemed unacceptable and the next higher ATG dose for which there were 5 or more success will be expanded.

Being tested
Tocilizumab, Fludarabine, Melphalan, Anti-thymocyte globulin (rabbit), Total Body Irradiation
Keywords
Tocilizumab, Haplo-Cord Transplant, Allogeneic Transplant, Hematologic Malignancies
Medical subject headings
Hematologic Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TocilizumabDrug

    Also called Actemra

    Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg intravenously administered as a single dose on Day -1 of transplant conditioning regimen

  • FludarabineDrug

    Also called Fludara

    Fludarabine 30 mg/m2 intravenously administered on Day -7, Day -6, Day -5, Day -4, Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen if under the age of 60. If over the age of 60, Fludarabine 30 mg/m2 intravenously administered on Day -5, Day -4 and Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen.

  • MelphalanDrug

    Also called Alkeran

    Melphalan 140 mg/m2 intravenously administered on Day -2 of transplant conditioning regimen.

  • Anti-thymocyte globulin (rabbit)Drug

    Also called Thymoglobulin

    Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) 1.5 mg/kg

  • Total Body IrradiationRadiation

    Total Body Irradiation (TBI) 2 Gray, administered on Day -4 and Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen

Study groups in NCT04395222
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ATG Group IExperimentalAnti-thymocyte Globulin (ATG) 1.5 mg/kg administered on Day -5, Day -3 and Day -1 of the transplant conditioning regimen. * Fludarabine 30mg/m2 administered on Day -7 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if under 60 years old), or on Day -5 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if over 60 years old) * Melphalan 140 mg/m2 administered on Day -2 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Total Body Irradiation 2 Gray administered on Day -4, Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg administered on Day -1 of transplant conditioning regimen.
Receives: Drug: Tocilizumab; Drug: Fludarabine; Drug: Melphalan; Drug: Anti-thymocyte globulin (rabbit); Radiation: Total Body Irradiation
ATG Group IIExperimentalAnti-thymocyte Globulin (ATG) 1.5 mg/kg administered on Day -5, and Day -3 of the transplant conditioning regimen. * Fludarabine 30mg/m2 administered on Day -7 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if under 60 years old), or on Day -5 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if over 60 years old) * Melphalan 140 mg/m2 administered on Day -2 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Total Body Irradiation 2 Gray administered on Day -4, Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg administered on Day -1 of transplant conditioning regimen.
Receives: Drug: Tocilizumab; Drug: Fludarabine; Drug: Melphalan; Drug: Anti-thymocyte globulin (rabbit); Radiation: Total Body Irradiation
ATG Group IIIExperimentalAnti-thymocyte Globulin (ATG) 1.5 mg/kg administered on Day -5 of the transplant conditioning regimen. * Fludarabine 30mg/m2 administered on Day -7 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if under 60 years old), or on Day -5 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if over 60 years old) * Melphalan 140 mg/m2 administered on Day -2 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Total Body Irradiation 2 Gray administered on Day -4, Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg administered on Day -1 of transplant conditioning regimen.
Receives: Drug: Tocilizumab; Drug: Fludarabine; Drug: Melphalan; Drug: Anti-thymocyte globulin (rabbit); Radiation: Total Body Irradiation
ATG Group IVExperimental* Fludarabine 30mg/m2 administered on Day -7 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if under 60 years old), or on Day -5 through Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen (if over 60 years old) * Melphalan 140 mg/m2 administered on Day -2 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Total Body Irradiation 2 Gray administered on Day -4, Day -3 of transplant conditioning regimen. * Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg administered on Day -1 of transplant conditioning regimen.
Receives: Drug: Tocilizumab; Drug: Fludarabine; Drug: Melphalan; Radiation: Total Body Irradiation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Percentage of Subjects With Successful Haplo-derived Neutrophil Engraftment

    This is defined as:

    1. Achieve an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 500 cells/microL for three consecutive days with the first on or prior to Day +21 post-transplant, AND
    2. Absence of a second nadir - a drop in the ANC to <300 cells/microL for five consecutive days - after initial neutrophil recovery.

    Measured: 21 days post-transplant

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Progression-Free Survival

    Time elapsed between Day 0 and progression of the underlying malignancy for which the transplant was performed, assessed up to 5 years post-transplant.

    Measured: 5 years post-transplant

  2. Overall Survival

    Time elapsed between Day 0 and death from any cause, assessed up to 5 years post-transplant.

    Measured: 5 years post-transplant

  3. Transplant-Related Mortality

    Proportion of deaths which cannot be explained by persistence, relapse or progression of the underlying malignancy once the preparative regimen starts, assessed up to 5 years post-transplant.

    Measured: 5 years post-transplant

  4. Proportion of Platelet Engraftment Success

    Proportion of patients who successfully achieve platelet engraftment, defined as a platelet count of >20k/microL for three consecutive days without transfusion support for seven consecutive days.

    Measured: 6 months post-transplant

  5. Proportion of Failure of the Haplo-Graft

    Proportion of patients with a failed haplo-graft, defined as the absence of neutrophil engraftment by Day +21 or a drop in the absolute neutrophil count to <0.3 cells/microL for five consecutive days occurring after initial neutrophil engraftment within the first 3 weeks post-transplantation (second nadir)

    Measured: 21 days post-transplant

  6. Proportion of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease

    Proportion of patients who develop acute graft-versus-host disease

    Measured: 1 year post-transplant

  7. Percentage of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease

    Percentage of patients who develop chronic graft-versus-host disease

    Measured: 5 years post-transplant

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 May 2020
  2. Study start7 Oct 2020
  3. Primary completion28 Sep 2022
  4. Study completionJun 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Sequential
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
21 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04395222
Sponsor's protocol ID
19-08020738
Status last verified
Dec 2025
First submitted
15 May 2020
Last updated
6 Jan 2026
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Tocilizumab, Fludarabine and Melphalan in people with Hematologic Malignancy and Bone Marrow Transplant, run by Weill Medical College of Cornell University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 21 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 23 Oct 2023). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Percentage of Subjects With Successful Haplo-derived Neutrophil Engraftment (time frame: 21 days post-transplant). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Jan 2026.

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