Clinical trial · Interventional
Ex-vivo Delivery of Rituximab to Prevent PTLD in EBV Mismatch Lung Transplant Recipients: A Pilot Trial
Ex-vivo Delivery of Rituximab to Prevent Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease in Epstein-Barr Virus Mismatch Lung Transplant Recipients: A Pilot Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) can present as a type of malignancy that limits patient and graft survival after solid organ transplantation. Many early PTLDs are driven by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Once acquired, EBV virus establishes latency in B-cells and can reactivate under immunosuppression. The highest risk transplant type to develop PTLD are lung transplants who have newly acquired EBV from their donors (D+/R-). There are no good modalities to prevent PTLD from developing after transplant. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that depletes B-cells thereby also reducing the burden of EBV. However, rituximab can have toxicities when given intravenously including infusion reactions and increased risk of reactions. Furthermore, more than one dose is usually required. The Toronto Transplant program has developed a technology called ex vivo lung perfusion that repairs lungs outside of the body. Preliminary work has shown that rituximab given through the EVLP circuit can coat B-cells. We have also shown that there is no toxicity to the lung by giving rituximab. The current highly novel study proposes to treat donor lungs ex-vivo with rituximab in order to decrease the amount of B-cells and EBV in the graft. These lungs will then be transplanted into EBV negative patients with the hope that transmission of EBV would be reduced or prevented. Ten patients will be included in the current trial. Outcomes include safety, EBV viral load, and B-cell measurements in biopsies.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epstein-Barr Virus Infections | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rituximab | Biological | Rituximab | ALIAS |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Rituximab + Ex-vivo lung perfusion
- description
- Donor lungs deemed suitable for such patients will undergo ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) as per standard practice. In clinical practice almost all adult donor lungs are EBV seropositive. If in the rare case the donor lung is EBV seronegative, then the lung transplant candidate/recipient will no longer need to be part of the study. Therefore, for EBV seropositive lungs meant for an EBV seronegative recipient, one dose of rituximab (500mg) will be added to the EVLP perfusate and be allowed to circulate for 3-4 hours. Lungs will then be transplanted as per standard procedure.
- interventionNames
- Biological: Rituximab
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Number of patients with Primary Graft Dysfunction
- timeFrame
- 1 week post-transplant
- description
- Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) will be measured using previously defined criteria: PGD2 will be a PaO2:FiO2 of 200-300 mmHg with pulmonary edema on chest radiograph whereas PGD3 will be a PaO2:FiO2 of \<200 mmHg with pulmonary edema on chest radiograph or use of ECMO.
Secondary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \>=18 years * Listed for single or double lung transplantation * EBV (EBNA IgG and/or VCA IgG) seronegative (tested within the last 12 months) Exclusion Criteria: * EBV seropositivity at any time prior to transplant * History of Cancer (eg, lymphoma) * History of receiving rituximab or allergy to rituximab * Underlying immunodeficiency (eg, common variable immune deficiency) * Unable or unwilling to comply with study procedures
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available