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  • What We're Working On
Exploring a New Immune Cell Therapy for People with Autoimmune Diseases
New Immune Cell Therapy-PLS-715x405
Scientific Study Title:
Canadian-Made CD19 CAR-T Therapy for Children and Adults with Refractory Autoimmune Diseases, from the Canadian Led Immunotherapies Collaborative (CLIC-03 Trial)
Start Date:
  • 2025
End Date:
  • 2027
Research Category
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Why do this research?

Reason For Research

Systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus are serious autoimmune diseases that can cause damage to many organs including the skin, lungs and kidneys. Currently, available treatments do not work well for everyone, which means that many people continue to experience worsening disease, permanent organ damage and a reduced quality of life. In this project, we will study a new type of treatment that may better control these diseases by targeting the immune cells that cause them. If successful, it could reduce inflammation, slow or stop disease progression, and may even help reset the immune system, so that some patients no longer need long-term immune-suppressing medications.

What will be done?

Execution of Research

We will conduct a clinical trial to test a Canadian-developed CAR-T cell therapy in children and adults with systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. The study will focus on whether the treatment is safe and practical to use in these diseases. The results of this study will help our research team to decide whether to move forward with a larger study comparing this new treatment with the current standard treatments. Our long-term goal is to develop a more effective treatment option for people with serious autoimmune diseases.

How are equity, diversity and inclusion addressed?

Recruitment, enrollment, and participation will be conducted in a fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory manner to promote equitable access and representation across diverse patient populations.

The Research Team

Principal Investigators:

Natasha Kekre, BSc, MD, MPH, FRCPC (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)

Kevin Hay, MD, MSc, FRCPC (University of Calgary)

Rob Holt, BSc, PhD (BC Cancer Research Institute)

Marie Hudson, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Research Scientist, Arthritis Research Canada (McGill University; Jewish General Hospital and Lady Davis Institute)

Nancy Maltez, MD, FRCPC (The Ottawa Hospital)

 

Co-Investigators:

Sarit Assouline, MD, MsC, FRCPC (McGill University; Jewish General Hospital and Lady Davis Institute)

Harold Atkins, MD (The Ottawa Hospital)

Hannah Cherniawsky, MD, MSc, FRCPC (The Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program)

Dean Fergusson, PhD (University of Ottawa)

Angela Hu, MD, FRCPC (University of British Columbia)

Brad Nelson, PhD (University of Victoria)

Jennifer Quizi, PhD (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)

Who Funded This Research?

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

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