A Study of CC-97540, CD-19-Targeted Nex-T CAR T Cells, in Participants With Severe, Refractory Autoimmune Diseases (Breakfree-1)

The purpose of this study is to establish the tolerability, preliminary efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of CC-97540 in participants with severe, refractory autoimmune diseases (Breakfree-1).


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria

- Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) defined as follows:.

i) Fulfilling the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) / American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria of SLE.

ii) Presence of anti-dsDNA, anti-histone, anti-chromatin, anti-Ro (anti-SS-A), anti-La (anti-SS-B), or anti-Sm antibodies at screening.

- SLE disease activity.

i) Active disease at screening, with recent ≥ 1 major organ system with a BILAG A score (excluding musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous, and/or constitutional organ system).

ii) Inadequate response to glucocorticoids and to at least 2 of the following treatments, used for at least 3 months each: cyclophosphamide, mycophenolic acid or its derivatives, belimumab, azathioprine, anifrolumab, methotrexate, rituximab, obinutuzumab, cyclosporin, tacrolimus or voclosporin.

- Diagnosis of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (IIM) defined as follows:.

i) Fulfilling the 2017 EULAR/ACR classification criteria for probable or definite IIM.

ii) Participant diagnosed with the following IIM subgroups: dermatomyositis (DM), immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS), and polymyositis (PM).

iii) Presence of at least 1 myositis specific (MSA), associated antibody (MAA), or ANA at screening or prior to screening.

- IIM disease activity.

i) Severe muscle AND/OR skin involvement.

ii) Proof of activity as documented by:.

A. An active myositis-associated rash OR.

B. A recent muscle biopsy OR.

C. An elevated CK \> 3 times the upper limit of normal OR.

D. Participants diagnosed IIM AND progressive Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)

iii) Inadequate response to glucocorticoids and at least 2 of the following treatments used for at least 3 months: azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, MMF, cyclophosphamide, leflunomide, IVIG, and rituximab.

- Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) defined as follows:.

i) Fulfilling 2013 EULAR/ACR classification criteria for SSc.

ii) Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) positive at screening or prior to screening.

- SSc disease activity.

i) Participants diagnosed with diffuse cutaneous SSc OR diffuse or limited cutaneous SSc AND progressive ILD, AND.

ii) Inadequate response to at least 1 of the following treatments used for at least 3 months: mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, rituximab, nintedanib, azathioprine, tocilizumab, or intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG).

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of drug-induced SLE rather than idiopathic SLE.
* Other systemic autoimmune diseases (eg, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc) are excluded. Participants with type I autoimmune diabetes mellitus, thyroid autoimmune disease, Celiac disease, or secondary Sjögren's syndrome are not excluded.
* SLE overlap syndromes including, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and mixed connective tissue disease, are excluded.
* Present or recent clinically significant CNS pathology, within 12 months.
* IIM disease activity.

  i) Other forms of IIM: Inclusion Body Myositis, Amyopathic DM, any form of juvenile myositis.

ii) Myositis other than IIM, eg, drug-induced myositis and PM associated with HIV.

iii) Participants with severe muscle damage (Physician VAS for muscle damage in Myositis Damage Index \> 7 cm on a 10 cm scale), permanent weakness due to a non-IIM cause (eg, stroke), or myositis with cardiac involvement.

- SSc disease activity.

i) SSc related PAH requiring active treatment.

ii) Rapidly progressive SSc related lower GI (small and large intestines) involvement (requiring parenteral nutrition); active gastric antral vascular ectasia.

iii) Prior scleroderma renal crisis.

- Other protocol-defined Inclusion/Exclusion criteria apply.