Verismo Unveils Preclinical Data on Blood Cancer CAR-T with Enhanced Antitumor Efficacy and Safety at AACR

HLB Innovation announced on April 22 that its U.S. subsidiary Verismo Therapeutics presented preclinical data for its blood cancer CAR-T therapy, 'SynKIR-310', in a poster presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR 2026).

The presentation highlighted that SynKIR-310 demonstrated superior antitumor activity and an improved safety profile compared to conventional CAR-T therapies in a blood cancer mouse model.

Verismo made its presentation during the "Adoptive Cell Therapy 2" poster session on the 21st (local time), with Dr. Megan Blair, Head of In-Vivo Preclinical Research at Verismo, serving as the presenter.

On the 21st (local time), at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR 2026) held in San Diego, USA, Dr. Megan Blair, Head of In-Vivo Preclinical Research at VarySimo Therapeutics, presented a poster showcasing preclinical and early clinical signals of 'SynKIR-310.' HLB Innovation

The focus of the presentation was that SynKIR-310 has shown potential as a next-generation platform that can overcome the limitations of conventional single-chain CAR-T therapies in the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL).

SynKIR-310 is a therapy that applies a multi-chain KIR-CAR structure based on natural killer (NK) cell-derived receptors. By separating antigen recognition and T-cell activation signals, it implements an "on-off" mechanism that is triggered only when a tumor is detected. This design aims to minimize T-cell exhaustion and induce more sustained antitumor responses.

In preclinical studies, in an animal model (NSG mice) implanted with human-derived lymphoma cancer cells, SynKIR-310 demonstrated enhanced antitumor activity compared to conventional CD28-based CAR-T (axicabtagene ciloleucel) and 4-1BB-based CAR-T (tisagenlecleucel) therapies.

Furthermore, while maintaining T-cell persistence at a similar level, SynKIR-310 reduced cytokine production. Notably, SynKIR-310 was the only group among the comparators to achieve a 100% survival rate. This suggests that multi-chain KIR-CARs may offer a more favorable benefit-risk profile compared to conventional single-chain CAR-T therapies.

The poster presentation also attracted attention for revealing early data from the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial (CELESTIAL-301) of SynKIR-310. According to the presentation, a 70-year-old male patient with follicular lymphoma achieved complete remission (CR) just 28 days after receiving the lowest dose of SynKIR-310. This response was sustained through the last data cut-off at six months of follow-up, and monitoring is still ongoing.

CELESTIAL-301 is an open-label, multi-center Phase 1 clinical study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of SynKIR-310 in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Notably, the study also includes patients who have experienced relapse or refractory disease after prior CAR-T therapy, thereby assessing the potential of SynKIR-310 as a new treatment option.

Attendees at the event asked the most questions about the differentiating factors between SynKIR-310 and existing CAR-T therapies. In particular, they focused on the reasons why SynKIR-310 may outperform conventional single-chain CAR-T therapies. There were also inquiries about how SynKIR-310 addresses T-cell exhaustion and excessive cytokine secretion caused by tonic signaling.

Since KIR-CARs are originally derived from NK cell receptors, questions were also raised about potential future applications and formats if this technology is extended to NK cells beyond the current T-cell applications.

Laura A. Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Verismo, stated, "It is encouraging that we have secured preclinical results showing SynKIR-310 enhances antitumor activity while reducing cytokine production compared to conventional single-chain CAR-T therapies. In the CELESTIAL-301 clinical trial, we have also observed a case of complete remission, and it is positive that this response has been sustained for over six months."

She continued, "While single-chain CAR-T therapies have changed the paradigm for blood cancer treatment, a significant proportion of initial responders experience relapse within as early as six months after therapy. To address these unmet needs, Verismo has designed a multi-chain KIR-CAR with a natural 'on-off' switch, aiming to alleviate T-cell exhaustion and improve treatment durability."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.