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HepatitisPhase 2SHIELDNCT07744919

Severe Hepatitis Intervention With Emapalumab for Liver Disease

A Phase 2 study testing Emapalumab in people with Hepatitis, run by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at 1 site in United States.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The goal of this study is to see whether a medicine called emapalumab, a monoclonal antibody, is safe and works well for patients aged 1 year and older who have indeterminate severe hepatitis with T-cell activation and have not responded well to steroids or still need them. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 1 year to 30 years
Conditions the study is for
Hepatitis
What is being tested?
Emapalumab
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
28 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Sep 2026to Sep 2032
Phase
Phase 2
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 1 year to 30 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age: Participants must be ≥ 1 year of age at the time of screening.
  • Evidence of Severe Hepatic Injury of all etiology (not just iSH/ iSH-T): Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 1000 U/L documented within 7 days prior to enrollment.

Who cannot join

  • Any condition impairing informed consent/assent or protocol compliance
  • Inclusion Criteria (Intervention Cohort; patients who meet Intervention Cohort eligibility can bypass Screening Cohort enrollment):
  • Steroid-refractory, steroid-dependent, or relapse of hepatitis after stopping steroids and have an Indeterminate etiology of hepatitis based on standard of care, age appropriate evaluation
  • Age: ≥ 1 year
  • ALT ≥ 1000 U/L prior to initiation of any immune modulatory therapy
  • Evidence of T-cell activation at initial diagnosis, as indicated by one of the following:
Show all 33Show fewer
  • sIL2R > 2× upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • CXCL9 > 5× ULN
  • CD8+ T-cell infiltration in the liver
  • INR < 2.0 without evidence of hepatic encephalopathy
  • Exclusion Criteria (Intervention Cohort; patients who meet Intervention Cohort eligibility can bypass Screening Cohort enrollment):
  • Patients with known Liver failure (defined as INR >2 on two consecutive occasions without hepatic encephalopathy (HE), or INR ≥1.5 with evidence of HE)
  • Evidence of chronic liver disease or parenchymal nodularity as demonstrated on imaging (US, CT, or MRI)
  • Evidence of hepatic encephalopathy
  • Severe acquired aplastic anemia at presentation
  • Organ dysfunction assessment defined below:
  • Renal dysfunction: eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73m² or
  • Mechanical Ventilation
  • Persistent systemic infection despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy
  • Active infection with Hepatitis A, B, C, HIV, or herpes simplex virus
  • Active mycobacteria (typical and atypical), Histoplasma Capsulatum, Herpes zoster infections.
  • Patients with positive respiratory viral infection, including adenovirus, rhinovirus/enterovirus, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, only if they also have declining respiratory function needing positive pressure support. Suspected primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis based on patients with a history of consanguinity and/or central nervous system dysfunction or other clinical manifestations that is exaggerated compared to the degree of liver dysfunction (as judged by the site investigator and study team)
  • Diagnosis of Autoimmune Hepatitis, Wilson Disease, inborn error of metabolism, acute drug or toxin-induced liver injury, or ischemic liver injury
  • History of severe hypersensitivity or allergy to any component of this study regimen
  • History of confirmed malignancy
  • History of recreational drug use within the past 4 weeks, excluding cannabinoids
  • Therapy with an immunosuppressive agent or an experimental drug within the past 6 weeks
  • Pregnant, planning to become pregnant during study window, or breastfeeding at time of study entry
  • Patients of reproductive potential are not eligible unless they have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method (e.g. hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine device, or double-barrier method) for the duration of their study participation. Patients must maintain adequate contraception for at least 4 weeks after their last dose of emapalumab.
  • Live-virus vaccination within 4 weeks of study entry or anticipated need for a live or live attenuated vaccine within 4 weeks after the last dose of emapalumab
  • Peceived Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine within 12 weeks prior to screening
  • Patient or parent/guardian unable to give informed consent or unable to comply with the treatment protocol
  • Prisoners will be excluded

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, MD contact

404-727-8877

Shanmuganathan.Chandrakasan@emory.edu

United States1 site
  • Arthur M. Blank Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322

    Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, MD, 404-727-8877, Shanmuganathan.Chandrakasan@emory.edu

    Kate Silvis, Katherine.Silvis@choa.org

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase 2 Study of Emapalumab for Prevention of Liver Failure in Pediatric Indeterminate Severe Hepatitis Associated With T-Cell Activation: Severe Hepatitis Intervention With Emapalumab for Liver Disease

The goal of this study is to see whether a medicine called emapalumab, a monoclonal antibody, is safe and works well for patients aged 1 year and older who have indeterminate severe hepatitis with T-cell activation and have not responded well to steroids or still need them.

This study has a Screening Cohort and an Intervention Cohort.

The Screening Cohort will enroll patients with severe hepatitis of all etiologies to observe and collect research samples. Patients enrolled on the Screening Cohort will be asked to participate on the Intervention Cohort if they develop steroid-refractory/ dependent indeterminate severe hepatitis (iSH-T). Additionally, patients may bypass the Screening Cohort and enroll directly in the Intervention Cohort if they already meet its eligibility criteria. Patients in the Intervention Cohort will be treated with emapalumab.

Read the detailed description

This clinical protocol evaluates the use of emapalumab, an anti-IFN-γ monoclonal antibody, in children aged ≥1 year with steroid-refractory or steroid-dependent indeterminate severe hepatitis with T cell activation (iSH-T). This study aims to establish a safe and effective treatment pathway for a previously steroid-refractory/dependent subjects with iSH-T.

Pediatric severe acute hepatitis is a rare but serious disorder that can rapidly progress to liver failure. Previously healthy children who develop severe acute hepatitis can unpredictably progress to pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) over the course of days to weeks. Importantly, as many as 30-50% of all PALF cases have no specific causal etiology for their liver failure and are termed indeterminate PALF (iPALF) and are at the highest risk for liver transplantation. Work from the PALF study group investigators has identified that iPALF is a leading indication for liver transplantation in children. Additional investigation indicates that iPALF patients have significant T cell activation and CD8+ T cell infiltration of their hepatic tissue. There are reports using immunosuppression in iPALF and PALF with favorable results and it is also the subject of a current multicenter trial in children (NCT04862221).

Conditions
Hepatitis
Being tested
Emapalumab
Keywords
Hepatitis, Emapalumab, iSH-T, anti-IFN-gamma monoclonal antibody, Severe Hepatitis Associated with T-Cell Activation, Severe Hepatitis, Steroid-refractory hepatitis, steroid-dependent hepatitis, relapse hepatitis, Severe Hepatic Injury
Medical subject headings
Hepatitis

What participants receive

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

  • EmapalumabDrug

    Participants on the Intervention Cohort will receive a combination of immunomodulatory regimen using emapalumab and methylprednisolone (or prednisone equivalent), aimed at controlling severe immune-mediated hepatitis and preventing progression to liver failure.

Study groups in NCT07744919
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intervention CohortExperimentalParticipants on the Intervention Cohort will receive a combination of immunomodulatory regimen using emapalumab and methylprednisolone (or prednisone equivalent), aimed at controlling severe immune-mediated hepatitis and preventing progression to liver failure. Participants will be monitored closely for clinical improvement, laboratory normalization, and adverse events throughout the 56-day treatment period, with continued follow-up through Day 180 to assess long-term outcomes, including relapse, liver failure, survival, and safety.
Receives: Drug: Emapalumab

What is being measured

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

  1. Incidence of Liver Failure

    INR >2 on two consecutive occasions without hepatic encephalopathy (HE), or INR ≥1.5 with evidence of HE

    Measured: 30, 90, and 180 days after the start of emapalumab

Secondary outcomes (18)
  1. Complete Response (CR)

    A complete response (CR) is defined by normalization or near-normalization of liver injury markers and hepatic function. Patients achieving CR will demonstrate an ALT < 2.5X ULN together with an INR ≤ 1.2.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  2. Cytokine and Chemokine Profiling

    The cytokine milieu including interferon-γ, interferon-stimulated gene products, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-18, CXCL9, and others will be quantified to define the inflammatory environment at baseline and during treatment.

    Measured: through study participation/ up to 180 days

  3. Emapalumab Immunologic Effects

    Change in circulating activated CD8+ T cells from the initiation of emapalumab to Days 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, and 180 of study

    Measured: through study completion/ up to 180 days

  4. Incidence and Severity of Adverse Events

    Incidence of all adverse events of all grades as defined by CTCAE version 5.0

    Measured: from first emapalumab dose through study completion, up to 180 days

  5. Population Summary Measure

    The population summary measure will be the Complete Response rate, which will be estimated as the number of participants with Complete Response divided by the total number of participants in the efficacy sample population.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  6. Time to First Complete Response

    Time to first CR will be estimated using time-to-event methods. Death or liver transplant before CR will be treated as competing risks, and cumulative incidence functions will be used to estimate probabilities.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  7. Partial Response (PR)

    This is defined as an ALT decrease 50% from initiation of emapalumab, but ALT >2.5X ULN with INR< 1.2.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  8. Sustained Response Off Therapy (SR)

    ALT levels remaining < 2.5X ULN for at least two consecutive months after completion of emapalumab.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  9. Non-Response (NR)

    Patients are considered non-responders if clinically relevant worsening with progression to liver failure.

    Measured: After 4 doses of emapalumab/ about 2 weeks after start of therapy

  10. Proportion of Patients with Overall Response (CR or PR)

    The proportion of patients achieving overall response (OR, defined as CR or PR) will be reported at Week 8 with exact confidence intervals. Missing values will be treated as non-response

    Measured: from first dose of emapalumab to week 8 of therapy

  11. Time to First Overall Response (OR)

    Time to first OR will be analyzed using cumulative incidence methods, with death or liver transplant treated as competing risks.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  12. Sustained CR Off Therapy at Day 180

    The proportion of patients achieving a sustained CR off therapy (SROT) at Day 180 will be summarized with exact confidence intervals. Patients without Day 180 data or therapy information will be considered non-SROT.

    Measured: 180 days on study therapy

  13. Overall Survival with Native Liver

    Survival with native liver will be estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Survival probabilities and 95% confidence intervals will be presented at each landmark time point.

    Measured: days 30, 60, 90, and 180

  14. Proportion of Patients Receiving Liver Transplantation:

    Cumulative incidence of transplant will be calculated at Days 30, 90, and 180, with death as a competing risk.

    Measured: days 30, 90, and 180

  15. Change in Systemic Inflammatory Markers

    Longitudinal changes in sIL2R, and CXCL9 will be evaluated using mixed-effects models for repeated measures.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  16. Change in Circulating Activated CD8+ T Cells

    Changes in activated CD8+ T cells over time will be analyzed similarly with mixed-effects models, supplemented by graphical summaries.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  17. Corticosteroid Exposure and Time to Discontinuation

    Cumulative corticosteroid exposure (prednisone equivalents) will be summarized descriptively. Time to discontinuation will be estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods, with competing-risk analyses considering death or transplant.

    Measured: throughout study participation/ up to 180 days

  18. Incidence of Hepatitis Relapses

    Defined as ALT re-elevation with concurrent sIL2R and CXCL9 rise. Time-to-relapse will be summarized with cumulative incidence functions.

    Measured: After initial improvement during weaning or cessation of therapy, up to Day 180

Timeline

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

  1. First posted4 Aug 2026
  2. Study start1 Sep 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completionSep 2031 (estimated)
  4. Study completionSep 2032 (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
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
28 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07744919
Sponsor's protocol ID
SHIELD
Acronym
SHIELD
Status last verified
Jul 2026
First submitted
29 May 2026
Last updated
4 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Study participant research data, which is for purposes of statistical analysis and scientific reporting, will be stored. This will not include the participant's contact or identifying information. Rather, individual participants and their research data will be identified by a unique study identification number. The study data entry and study management systems used by clinical sites and research staff will be secured and password protected. Neither data nor specimens will be shared across participating sites. Deidentified data that supports the findings of this study will be made available by the Principal Investigator, upon reasonable request. At the end of the study, all records will continue to be kept in a secure location for as long a period as dictated by local IRB and Institutional regulations. All study databases will be de-identified and archived.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Emapalumab in people with Hepatitis, run by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta 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 2 inclusion and 33 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Aug 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?

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?

Contact Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, MD (404-727-8877, Shanmuganathan.Chandrakasan@emory.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Incidence of Liver Failure (time frame: 30, 90, and 180 days after the start of emapalumab). 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 4 Aug 2026.

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