RARE Daily

Cabaletta and Artisan Collaborate to Develop Next-Generation CAAR T Cell Therapies

July 7, 2020

Cabaletta Bio and Artisan Bio have signed a research and collaboration agreement to accelerate development of next-generation CAAR T cell therapies for patients with B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.

Chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) T cells are designed to selectively bind and eliminate only disease-causing B cells, while sparing the normal B cells that are essential for human health. CAAR T cells are based on the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell technology.

“This collaboration agreement with Artisan provides Cabaletta Labs with the potential to integrate this advanced gene editing and engineering technology into our next-generation CAAR T products as we continue to expand and enhance our CABA platform,” said Gwendolyn Binder, head of science and technology at Cabaletta Bio.

Cabaletta Bio’s CAARs are designed to direct the patient’s T cells to kill only the pathogenic cells that express disease-causing autoantibodies on their surface, potentially leading to complete and durable remission of disease while sparing all other B cell populations that provide beneficial immunity from infection. Its lead candidate is being evaluated in a phase 1 clinical trial as a potential treatment for patients with mucosal pemphigus vulgaris, a prototypical B cell-mediated autoimmune disease.

Artisan’s vision is to design, build, and deliver cells and precision engineering processes that advance cellular therapies across a broad range of human health indications. The company’s designer cell engineering and data analysis platform enables partners to more rapidly and cost effectively generate safer and more efficacious cell therapies. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Artisan will collaborate with Cabaletta to enhance certain Cabaletta pipeline products at specific targets using its platform technology and gene editing expertise. Cabaletta will be responsible for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the resulting modified cell therapy products. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Cabaletta’s approach for developing improved cell therapies is an excellent match for Artisan’s genome engineering platform, and we look forward to contributing to their efforts to improve patient outcomes,” said Tanya Warnecke, chief technology officer at Artisan Bio.

Photo: Tanya Warnecke, chief technology officer at Artisan Bio

Author: Rare Daily Staff

Stay Connected

Sign up for updates straight to your inbox.

FacebookTwitterInstagramYoutube