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Glioma, MalignantPhase 1NCT06169280

Repeated Neural Stem Cell Based Virotherapy for Newly Diagnosed High Grade Glioma

A Phase 1 study testing NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 in people with Glioma, Malignant and New Diagnosis Tumor, run by Northwestern 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 goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the safety and feasibility of administering repeated doses of neural stem cell (NSC)-conditionally replicative adenovirus (CRAd)-survivin (S)-protomer (p)k7, in persons with newly diagnosed high grade glioma. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Glioma, Malignant, New Diagnosis Tumor
What is being tested?
NSC-CRAd-S-pk7
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
27 Jun 2025to 31 Dec 2030
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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

  • Diagnosis of a high-grade glioma (WHO grade 3 or grade 4).
  • Patients must have presumed high grade glioma (WHO grade 3 or 4) based on clinical and radiologic evaluation for registration.
  • A pathologic confirmation of high grade glioma must be made at the time of stereotactic biopsy prior to NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 injection; if this is not possible, the injection will not be performed and the subject will no longer be eligible for the study).
  • Tumor must be accessible for injection and must not be located in the brainstem or contained within the ventricular system.
  • Planning to undergo standard radiation/chemotherapy.
  • 18 years of age or older.
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Performance status (PS) must be WHO PS of < 2.
  • Stable or decreasing dose of corticosteroids equivalent to ≤ 6 mg/day for the 5 days prior to inclusion
  • Serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT or AST) < 3x upper limit of normal
  • Serum creatinine < 2mg/dl
  • Platelets > 100,000/mm3 and white blood cells (WBCs) > 3000/mm3

Who cannot join

  • Prior or ongoing liver disease including known cirrhosis.
  • Known hepatitis B or C infection, known HIV infection.
  • Chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs (with exception of corticosteroids required for mass effect).
  • Acute viral, bacterial or fungal infections requiring therapy.
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding patients.
  • Evidence of metastatic disease or other malignancy (except squamous or basal cell skin cancers).
  • Prior radiation therapy to the brain or prior treatment for brain tumor.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Northwestern University

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase I Study of Repeated Neural Stem Cell-Based Virotherapy and Standard Radiation and Chemotherapy for Newly Diagnosed High-Grade Glioma

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the safety and feasibility of administering repeated doses of neural stem cell (NSC)-conditionally replicative adenovirus (CRAd)-survivin (S)-protomer (p)k7, in persons with newly diagnosed high grade glioma.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Read more
  • whether multiple doses of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 are safe and feasible
  • how multiple doses of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 influence tumor response, overall survival, time to tumor progression, and quality of life.

Participants will:

  • undergo a biopsy to confirm high grade glioma, then receive the first dose of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 into the brain
  • about 2 weeks later, undergo surgery to remove the tumor and receive the second dose of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 into the brain
  • start chemoradiation about 2 weeks after surgery, then about 2 weeks later, receive the 3rd dose of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 into the brain
  • four weeks later, at the end of chemoradiation, receive a fourth dose of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 into the brain.
  • after radiation is finished, receive standard of care chemotherapy and tumor-treating fields. Two additional doses of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 will be given every 4 weeks.
Read the detailed description

The treatment regimen contains 3 phases:

Surgical phase:

Patients undergo a biopsy and upon intraoperative confirmation of high grade glioma, NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 dose #1 will be injected into the biopsy site. Patients will undergo resection of the tumor 14 (+/- 3) days later, administration of second dose of the investigational product (NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 dose #2), and implantation of the catheter system. The investigational product will then be given monthly for a total of 6 doses (see below).

Radiotherapy phase:

After recovery from surgery (usually within 2 weeks), standard chemoradiotherapy will be initiated consisting of daily radiotherapy (2 Gy per fraction x 30 fractions) and concomitant temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy (75 mg/m2 daily from day 1 of RT until last day of RT).

About 10-14 days into radiotherapy (= approx. 4 weeks after intraoperative dose #2), patients will be receiving NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 dose #3 through the previously implanted catheter system. This also marks the beginning of the formal dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) period, as this virus' survivin gene promoter is activated by the concomitant irradiation.

Four weeks later, ie. at the end of radiotherapy dose #4 is administered as previously, provided no DLT toxicity has been observed and viral treatment related toxicities have returned to grade ≤ 2.

Adjuvant (also called maintenance) phase:

As per standard of care, approx. 4 weeks after end of radiotherapy, patients will start maintenance TMZ chemotherapy (150 - 200 mg/m2, daily x 5 every 28 days) and loco-regional treatment with alternating Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields, Optune®). NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 doses #5 and #6 will be administered concurrently (± 3 days) with adjuvant cycle 1 and 2 of TMZ.

Being tested
NSC-CRAd-S-pk7
Keywords
Virotherapy, NSC-CRAd-S-pk7
Medical subject headings
Glioma

What participants receive

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

  • NSC-CRAd-S-pk7Biological

    NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 1·50 x 10⁸ NSCs loaded with1·875 x viral particles administered intra-tumorally on Day 0 and Day 15, then every 4 weeks for up to 6 total doses.

Study groups in NCT06169280
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
NSC-CRAd-S-pk7ExperimentalNSC-CRAd-S-pk7 1·50 x 10⁸ NSCs loaded with1·875 x viral particles administered intra-tumorally on Day 0 and Day 15, then every 4 weeks for up to 6 total doses.
Receives: Biological: NSC-CRAd-S-pk7

What is being measured

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

  1. Dose-limiting toxicity of repeat NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 dosing

    Determination of the dose limiting toxicity of repeated dosing of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7

    Measured: 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Objective response to therapy

    Objective response to therapy as determined by Immune Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (iRANO) criteria

    Measured: 5 years

  2. Overall survival

    Overall survival time from the first study product injection to death

    Measured: 5 years

  3. Progression-free survival

    Time from the first study product injection to first confirmed disease progression as determined by objective tumor response

    Measured: 18 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted13 Dec 2023
  2. Study start27 Jun 2025
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2030 (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 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Study participants will receive up to 6 doses of NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 in addition to standard of care radiation and temozolomide.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06169280
Sponsor's protocol ID
NU 23C02
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
5 Dec 2023
Last updated
16 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: No individual participant data (IPD) will be shared with other researchers.

Publications

  • Ahmed AU, Thaci B, Tobias AL, Auffinger B, Zhang L, Cheng Y, Kim CK, Yunis C, Han Y, Alexiades NG, Fan X, Aboody KS, Lesniak MS. A preclinical evaluation of neural stem cell-based cell carrier for targeted antiglioma oncolytic virotherapy. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Jul 3;105(13):968-77. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djt141.

    PubMed 23821758
  • Ahmed AU, Thaci B, Alexiades NG, Han Y, Qian S, Liu F, Balyasnikova IV, Ulasov IY, Aboody KS, Lesniak MS. Neural stem cell-based cell carriers enhance therapeutic efficacy of an oncolytic adenovirus in an orthotopic mouse model of human glioblastoma. Mol Ther. 2011 Sep;19(9):1714-26. doi: 10.1038/mt.2011.100. Epub 2011 May 31.

    PubMed 21629227
  • Fares J, Ahmed AU, Ulasov IV, Sonabend AM, Miska J, Lee-Chang C, Balyasnikova IV, Chandler JP, Portnow J, Tate MC, Kumthekar P, Lukas RV, Grimm SA, Adams AK, Hebert CD, Strong TV, Amidei C, Arrieta VA, Zannikou M, Horbinski C, Zhang H, Burdett KB, Curiel DT, Sachdev S, Aboody KS, Stupp R, Lesniak MS. Neural stem cell delivery of an oncolytic adenovirus in newly diagnosed malignant glioma: a first-in-human, phase 1, dose-escalation trial. Lancet Oncol. 2021 Aug;22(8):1103-1114. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00245-X. Epub 2021 Jun 29.

    PubMed 34214495
  • Kim CK, Ahmed AU, Auffinger B, Ulasov IV, Tobias AL, Moon KS, Lesniak MS. N-acetylcysteine amide augments the therapeutic effect of neural stem cell-based antiglioma oncolytic virotherapy. Mol Ther. 2013 Nov;21(11):2063-73. doi: 10.1038/mt.2013.179. Epub 2013 Jul 25.

    PubMed 23883863
  • Stupp R, Mason WP, van den Bent MJ, Weller M, Fisher B, Taphoorn MJ, Belanger K, Brandes AA, Marosi C, Bogdahn U, Curschmann J, Janzer RC, Ludwin SK, Gorlia T, Allgeier A, Lacombe D, Cairncross JG, Eisenhauer E, Mirimanoff RO; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Brain Tumor and Radiotherapy Groups; National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. Radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide for glioblastoma. N Engl J Med. 2005 Mar 10;352(10):987-96. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa043330.

    PubMed 15758009

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 in people with Glioma, Malignant and New Diagnosis Tumor, run by Northwestern 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 11 inclusion and 7 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 16 Oct 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 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

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

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Dose-limiting toxicity of repeat NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 dosing (time frame: 8 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06169280, which also lists 5 linked publications.

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 16 Oct 2026.

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