Purpose

This clinical trial is designed to test whether a single image-guided intracerebral administration of inhibitory nerve cells, called interneurons (NRTX-1001), into subjects with drug-resistant unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), with or without mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), is safe (frequency of adverse events) and effective (seizure frequency). NRTX-1001 comprises human interneurons that secrete a neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 75 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Male or Female, age ≥18 to 75 2. Focal seizures, clinically defined as unilateral MTLE 3. Has failed to achieve seizure control despite adequate trials of at least 2 ASDs at appropriate doses 4. Currently on stable doses (at least 1 month) of approved ASDs 5. Single seizure focus confirmed within one hippocampus 6. Seizure frequency averages ≥4 per 28-day period, including at least 2 clinical focal seizures per 28-day period with objective manifestations or more severe types, over the 6 months prior to the Screening Visit. 7. Considered (by Investigator) to be a candidate for temporal lobectomy (TL) or Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) following evaluation at a qualified epilepsy surgery program (National Association of Epilepsy Centers [NAEC] Level 4).

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Epilepsy due to other and/or progressive neurologic disease 2. Evidence of seizure focus outside of the hippocampus or evidence of seizures of non- focal origin. 3. Significant other medical conditions which would impair safe participation 4. History of status epilepticus in the year prior to screening. A history of cluster seizures is permitted. 5. Primary or secondary immunodeficiency 6. Suicide attempts in the past year 7. Severe psychiatric disorders 8. Prior lobectomy or LITT procedure 9. MRI indicating potential malignant lesion 10. Pregnancy, or currently breastfeeding.

Study Design

Phase
Phase 1/Phase 2
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
This is a two-phase study. Phase 1 is an open-label, single arm, sequential dose escalation. Phase 2 is a parallel, randomized, 2-arm, sham controlled study.
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking Description
This is a two-phase study. Phase 1 is open-label and unmasked. Phase 2 is blinded with participant, part of investigator team, and outcomes assessor masked to treatment assignment.

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
NRTX-1001 (Phase 1)
Up to 28 subjects
  • Biological: NRTX-1001
    Biological: NRTX-1001 is an experimental neural cell therapy product candidate derived from an allogeneic human embryonic stem cell line. The stem cells were converted into inhibitory nerve cells that produce GABA.
    Other names:
    • GABA-secreting interneurons
Experimental
NRTX-1001 (Phase 2)
Up to 20 subjects
  • Biological: NRTX-1001
    Biological: NRTX-1001 is an experimental neural cell therapy product candidate derived from an allogeneic human embryonic stem cell line. The stem cells were converted into inhibitory nerve cells that produce GABA.
    Other names:
    • GABA-secreting interneurons
Sham Comparator
Sham Comparator(Phase 2)
Up to 10 subjects.
  • Procedure: Sham Comparator
    Sham Comparator

Recruiting Locations

UTHealth Houston
Houston, Texas 77030
Contact:
Eliana M Klier, PhD
713-500-5442
Eliana.Klier@uth.tmc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Neurona Therapeutics

Study Contact

Sheri Madrid, BS, BA
949-500-0027
sheri@neuronatx.com

Detailed Description

Subjects will undergo a single CT or MRI-guided intracerebral administration of human interneurons that secrete the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), into the temporal lobe region of the brain where the seizures are thought to arise. NRTX-1001 is intended to suppress the onset and spread of seizures. Safety, tolerability, and effects on reducing seizure frequency and epilepsy disease symptoms will be assessed at quarterly intervals for 2 years after the administration of NRTX-1001. After the two-year period, subjects will be followed with quarterly phone calls and annual visits in years 3 through 5, and then annual visits in years 6 through 15. Subjects will be placed on an immunosuppressant medication regimen for a duration of one year to partially suppress the subjects' immune system to promote the intended long-term persistence of NRTX-1001. This immunosuppressant medication is intended to be discontinued after the first year; however, the NRTX-1001 cells are intended to persist long-term.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.