Cartesian Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in First-In-Human Phase 1 Trial of Next-Generation mRNA CAR-T Cell Therapy
Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced the first patient has been dosed in its first-in-human Phase 1 trial of Descartes-15, the Company’s next-generation autologous anti-B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) mRNA-engineered chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (mRNA CAR-T).
“Advancement of Descartes-15 into the clinic marks an important step forward in our mission to deliver innovative mRNA cell therapies to patients with autoimmune diseases,” said Carsten Brunn, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cartesian. “We believe that Descartes-15, which was designed leveraging our novel mRNA platform, could serve as a highly potent next-generation cell therapy with the ability to be dosed in the outpatient setting without preconditioning chemotherapy. We look forward to advancing this important program into development for autoimmune indications with high unmet need.”
Descartes-15 is designed to have predictable and controllable pharmacokinetics, including technological advances that enhance CAR stability even in the presence of target-driven suppression of CAR. Similar to Descartes-08, the Company’s lead product candidate, Descartes-15 is designed to be administered without preconditioning chemotherapy and does not use integrating vectors. Relative to Descartes-08, Descartes-15 has been observed to achieve an approximately ten-fold increase in CAR expression and selective target-specific killing in preclinical studies.
The Phase 1 dose escalation trial (NCT06304636) will assess the safety and tolerability of outpatient Descartes-15 administration in patients with multiple myeloma. Following the Phase 1 dose escalation trial, the Company expects to subsequently assess Descartes-15 in autoimmune indications.
Cartesian Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company pioneering mRNA cell therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The Company’s lead asset, Descartes-08, is a potential first-in-class mRNA CAR-T in Phase 2b clinical development for patients with generalized myasthenia gravis and Phase 2 development for systematic lupus erythematosus, with a Phase 2 basket trial planned in additional autoimmune indications. The Company’s clinical-stage pipeline also includes Descartes-15, a next-generation, autologous anti-BCMA mRNA CAR-T. For more information, visit www.cartesiantherapeutics.com.
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