Safety and Efficacy of BiTE in Desensitization Therapy for Highly Sensitized Kidney Transplant Candidates With cPRA ≥ 90%

Summary

This study is a prospective, open-label, two-arm exploratory clinical trial aimed at evaluating the safety and efficacy of Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE) therapies in refractory, highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who have a calculated panel reactive antibody (cPRA) ≥ 90% and have waited for a transplant for over 5 years, despite receiving standard desensitization therapies (e.g., IVIG, plasmapheresis, rituximab), will be enrolled. A total of 20 participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either Blinatumomab (a CD19×CD3 BiTE) or Teclistamab (a BCMA×CD3 BiTE). The primary objective is to evaluate the desensitization response rate, defined as the reduction of cPRA to \< 20% or by ≥ 50% from baseline, assessed at multiple time points up to 1 year post-treatment. Secondary objectives include assessing the safety profile (such as the incidence of Cytokine Release Syndrome \[CRS\] and neurotoxicity), the extent of CD19+ B cell depletion, and the proportion of participants who successfully undergo kidney transplantation within 1 year.

Timeline

Start

2026-06-30

Primary completion

2029-12-31

Completion

2029-12-31

Publications

• Results Chandramohan D, Adisa O, Patel D, Ware E, Eleti N, Agarwal G. Outcomes of Kidney Transplantation in Highly HLA-Sensitized Patients Treated with Intravenous Immuno-Globulin, Plasmapheresis and Rituximab: A Meta-Analysis. Life (Basel). 2024 Aug 10;14(8):998. doi: 10.3390/life14080998.
• Results Anwar IJ, DeLaura IF, Gao Q, Ladowski J, Jackson AM, Kwun J, Knechtle SJ. Harnessing the B Cell Response in Kidney Transplantation - Current State and Future Directions. Front Immunol. 2022 Jun 9;13:903068. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.903068. eCollection 2022.
• Results Subklewe M, Magno G, Gebhardt C, Bucklein V, Szelinski F, Arevalo HJR, Hanel G, Dorner T, Zugmaier G, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Skapenko A, Schulze-Koops H. Application of blinatumomab, a bispecific anti-CD3/CD19 T-cell engager, in treating severe systemic sclerosis: A case study. Eur J Cancer. 2024 Jun;204:114071. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2024.114071. Epub 2024 Apr 22.
• Results Bucci L, Hagen M, Rothe T, Raimondo MG, Fagni F, Tur C, Wirsching A, Wacker J, Wilhelm A, Auger JP, Pachowsky M, Eckstein M, Alivernini S, Zoli A, Kronke G, Uderhardt S, Bozec A, D'Agostino MA, Schett G, Grieshaber-Bouyer R. Bispecific T cell engager therapy for refractory rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Med. 2024 Jun;30(6):1593-1601. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-02964-1. Epub 2024 Apr 26.
• Results Leon J, Aubert O, Devriese M, Alameda F, Charbonnier S, Fourgeaud J, Blein T, Nguyen TN, Troger A, Chhun S, Roelens M, Usureau C, Gons C, Roger C, Burger C, Le Stang MB, Cotteret C, Timsit MO, Fillatreau S, Rabant M, Taupin JL, Talbot A, Suarez F, Anglicheau D, Zuber J. B-cell maturation antigen-Targeted T-cell Engager Therapy Combined with B-cell Depletion for Treatment of Refractory HLA Sensitization. Kidney Int. 2026 Jun;109(6):1148-1154. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2026.01.020. Epub 2026 Feb 13.
• Results Bhoj VG, Kaminski M, Zhao H, Jackson K, Wang W, Liu C, Montgomery RA, Ali N, Mangiola M, Spitzer TR, Safa K, Pattanayak V, Taj R, Chiu J, Bui TM, Sonnenberg EM, Markmann JF, Milone MC, June CH, Siegel DL, Fraietta JA, Gonzalez V, Locci M, Palmer M, Monos D, Hwang WT, Sledge T, Bridges ND, Goldstein JS, Odim J, Sweet SC, Besharatian BD, Hussain SM, Brown NK, Kamoun M, Garfall AL, Naji A. Kidney Transplantation in Two Highly Sensitized Candidates after CAR T-Cell Therapy. N Engl J Med. 2026 Jun 4;394(21):2117-2125. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2513428.

Drugs

Indications