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Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov

RECRUITINGPhase 2INTERVENTIONAL

Modified Immune Cells (CD19 CAR T Cells) and Acalabrutinib for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma

A Phase 2 Study to Evaluate CD19-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T Cells Combined With Acalabrutinib for Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL)

Modified Immune Cells (CD19 CAR T Cells) and Acalabrutinib for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma (NCT04484012) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Recurrent Mantle Cell Lymphoma and Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma, sponsored by City of Hope Medical Center. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

This phase II trial investigates the side effects of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and acalabrutinib, and to see how well they work in treating patients with mantle cell lymphoma that has come back (relapsed) or does not respond to treatment (refractory). T cells are infection fighting blood cells that can kill cancer cells. The T cells given in this study will come from the patient and will have a new gene put in them that makes them able to recognize CD19, a protein on the surface of the cancer cells. These CD19-specific T cells may help the body's immune system identify and kill CD19 positive cancer cells. Acalabrutinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving CD19 CAR T cells together with acalabrutinib may kill more cancer cells.

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Recurrent Mantle Cell Lymphoma and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

With a target enrollment of 36 participants, this is a small study — typical of early-phase research, rare-disease trials, or pilot studies designed to generate preliminary signal before a larger study is launched.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Inclusion Criteria willing to sign a consent form and Willingness to Participate 1. All participants must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written willing to sign a consent form. 2. Participants must agree to allow the use of archival tissue from diagnostic tumor biopsies. - If unavailable, exceptions may be granted with Study PI approval. Note: For research participants who do not speak English, a short form consent may be used with a COH certified interpreter/translator to proceed with screening and leukapheresis, while the request for a translated full consent is processed. Age Criteria 3. Age 18 years and older. Performance Status 4. ECOG Performance status ≤ 2 or KPS ≥ 70% (Appendix A) Nature of Illness and Treatment-Related Criteria 5. Documented CD19+ MCL by flow cytometry or IHC (from biopsy) if prior CD19 directed therapy was previously used a. BM is optional at enrollment IF patient already has biopsy proven disease. 6. Participants must be currently receiving acalabrutinib and have been taking acalabrutinib for between 3 and 7 months prior to initiating screening procedures on the study and: 1. must have at least 1 prior regimen (not including single-agent corticosteroids) 2. best response to acalabrutinib therapy is MRD+ CR, PR or SD at the time of screening b (1) must have measurable disease by CT scan (≥ 1.5 cm) or evidence of blood, spleen, skin, gastrointestinal (GI) or bone marrow involvement Note: Participants who are on other BTK inhibitors, but will thereafter be switched to acalabrutinib prior to lymphodepletion, may be eligible provided that the duration of all BTK inhibitor therapy was ≤ 3-7 months 7. No contraindications to leukapheresis, steroids or tocilizumab Clinical Laboratory Criteria (To be performed within 28 days prior to enrollment) ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria Informed Consent and Willingness to Participate 1. All participants must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent. 2. Participants must agree to allow the use of archival tissue from diagnostic tumor biopsies. * If unavailable, exceptions may be granted with Study PI approval. Note: For research participants who do not speak English, a short form consent may be used with a COH certified interpreter/translator to proceed with screening and leukapheresis, while the request for a translated full consent is processed. Age Criteria 3. Age 18 years and older. Performance Status 4. ECOG Performance status ≤ 2 or KPS ≥ 70% (Appendix A) Nature of Illness and Treatment-Related Criteria 5. Documented CD19+ MCL by flow cytometry or IHC (from biopsy) if prior CD19 directed therapy was previously used a. BM is optional at enrollment IF patient already has biopsy proven disease. 6. Participants must be currently receiving acalabrutinib and have been taking acalabrutinib for between 3 and 7 months prior to initiating screening procedures on the study and: 1. must have at least 1 prior regimen (not including single-agent corticosteroids) 2. best response to acalabrutinib therapy is MRD+ CR, PR or SD at the time of screening b (1) must have measurable disease by CT scan (≥ 1.5 cm) or evidence of blood, spleen, skin, gastrointestinal (GI) or bone marrow involvement Note: Participants who are on other BTK inhibitors, but will thereafter be switched to acalabrutinib prior to lymphodepletion, may be eligible provided that the duration of all BTK inhibitor therapy was ≤ 3-7 months 7. No contraindications to leukapheresis, steroids or tocilizumab Clinical Laboratory Criteria (To be performed within 28 days prior to enrollment) 8. Total serum bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL Participants with Gilbert syndrome may be included if their total bilirubin is ≥ 3.0 x ULN and direct bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN. 9. Blood counts: * Absolute Neutrophil count (ANC ≥1000 cells/ul)\* * Growth factor use within 7 days prior screening is not allowed * Platelet count ≥75,000/ul. Transfusion with 7 days prior to screening is not allowed\* \*Exception: participants with bone marrow involvement do not need to meet this criteria 10. AST \< 3 x ULN 11. ALT \< 3 x ULN 12. Creatinine clearance of ≥ 50 mL/min per the Cockcroft-Gault formula 13. International Normalized Ratio (INR) OR Prothrombin (PT) ≤ 1.5 x ULN 14. Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) ≤ 1.5 x ULN 15. Female of childbearing potential: negative urine or serum pregnancy test. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required 16. Cardiac function (12 lead-ECG): QTc must be ≤ 480 msec 17. Left ventricular ejection fraction \>40% 18. Oxygen saturation 92% or above at room air or DLCO of 40% of best predicted Contraception 19. Participants of reproductive potential must agree to use highly effective birth control methods throughout therapy and for 2 months after final CAR T cell infusion and/or 2 days after final acalabrutinib dose, whichever is later (See Section 5.12 and Appendix B). Exclusion Criteria Previous therapies 1. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) within the last 6 months. 2. Autologous HCT within the last 3 months. 3. Prior failure of any BTK inhibitor therapy. (Participant WILL be allowed if, after administration of other BTK inhibitors they have switched to acalabrutinib prior to lymphodepletion, and if the duration of all BTK inhibitor therapy was ≤ 3-7 months). 4. Participants known to have mutations associated with resistance to BTK inhibitors from prior studies. Concomitant therapies 5. Concurrent use of systemic steroids or chronic use of immunosuppressant medications. Recent or current use of inhaled steroids is not exclusionary. Physiologic replacement of steroids (i.e., prednisone ≤ 7.5 mg /day, or hydrocortisone ≤ 20 mg /day) is allowed. During study participation, participants may receive systemic corticosteroids as needed for treatment-emergent comorbid conditions. 6. Approved anti-cancer therapies other than acalabrutinib are not allowed after enrollment, with the exception of steroids or involved field radiation to control progressive disease during cell manufacturing, prior to lymphodepletion/start of protocol therapy. 7. Requires treatment with a strong cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitor/inducer. 8. Unable to discontinue anticoagulation with warfarin or equivalent vitamin K antagonists (e.g., phenprocoumon) within 7 days of leukapheresis and remain off through end of study treatment. Other illnesses or conditions 9. Class III/IV cardiovascular disability according to the New York Heart Association Classification. Subjects with controlled, asymptomatic atrial fibrillation can enroll. 10. Participants with clinically significant arrhythmia or arrhythmias not stable on medical management. 11. Active auto-immune disease requiring systemic immunosuppressive therapy, including uncontrolled autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). 12. Suspected or confirmed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). 13. Requires major surgical procedure within 28 days prior to first dose of study drug. If a subject has major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from any toxicity and/or complications from the intervention before the first dose of study drug. 14. Participants with a known history or prior diagnosis of optic neuritis or other immunologic or inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system. 15. Known history of drug-specific hypersensitivity or anaphylaxis to either study agent. 16. Malabsorption syndrome, disease significantly affecting gastrointestinal function, or resection of the stomach or small bowel that is likely to affect absorption, symptomatic inflammatory bowel disease, partial or complete bowel obstruction, or gastric restrictions and bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass. 17. Known bleeding disorders (e.g., von Willebrand's disease or hemophilia) 18. History of stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 6 months prior to enrollment. 19. History of other malignancies, except for the following: malignancy surgically resected (or treated with other modalities) with curative intent, adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the breast or cervix uteri, basal cell carcinoma of the skin or localized squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; early stage prostate cancer on expectant management; malignancy treated with curative intent with no known active disease present for ≥ 3 years. 20. Lactating women. 21. Active chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) post-allogeneic HCT. 22. Uncontrolled active infection: * HIV positive or have active hepatitis B or C infection based on testing performed within 4 weeks of enrollment. * Hepatitis B or C serologic status: subjects who are hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) positive and who are surface antigen negative will need to have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result. Those who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) positive or hepatitis B PCR positive will be excluded. * Subjects who are hepatitis B core antibody positive (or have a known history of HBV infection) should be monitored quarterly with a quantitative PCR test for HBV DNA. HBV monitoring should last until 12 months after last dose of study drug. Any subject with a rising viral load (above lower limit of detection) should discontinue study drug and have antiviral therapy instituted and a consultation with a physician with expertise in managing hepatitis B. Subjects who are core Ab positive at study enrollment are strongly recommended to start Entecavir before start and until completion of study treatment. * Subjects who are hepatitis C antibody positive will need to have a negative PCR result. Those who are hepatitis C PCR positive will be excluded. * Subjects who are positive cytomegalovirus \[CMV\] DNA polymerase chain reaction \[PCR\]). * Subject with any active significant bacterial, fungal or viral (other than those listed) infections. 23. Any other condition that would, in the Investigator's judgment, contraindicate the subject's participation in the clinical study due to safety concerns with clinical study procedures. Noncompliance 24. Prospective participants who, in the opinion of the investigator, may not be able to comply with all study procedures (including compliance issues related to feasibility/logistics). * Eligibility should be confirmed per institutional policies.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Acalabrutinib

Given PO

BIOLOGICAL

CD19CAR-CD28-CD3zeta-EGFRt-expressing Tn/mem-enriched T-lymphocytes

Given IV

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Duarte, California, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT04484012), the sponsor (City of Hope Medical Center), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT04484012 clinical trial studying?

This phase II trial investigates the side effects of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and acalabrutinib, and to see how well they work in treating patients with mantle cell lymphoma that has come back (relapsed) or does not respond to treatment (refractory). T cells are infection fighting blood cells that can kill cancer cells. The T cells given in this study will come from the patient and will have a new gene put in them that makes them able to recognize CD19, a protein on the surface of the cancer cells. These CD19-specific T cells may help the body's immune system identify and k… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT04484012?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT04484012?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT04484012. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT04484012. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.