mRNA Cancer Vaccine Candidate Announced

CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited today announced a collaboration agreement with Moderna Inc. to investigate CARsgen's investigational Claudin18.2 CAR T-cell product candidate (CT041) in combination with Moderna's investigational Claudin18.2 mRNA cancer vaccine.

CT041 (satricabtagene autoleucel) is CARsgen's autologous CAR T-cell product being investigated for potentially treating gastric, pancreatic, and other specified digestive system cancers.

It is currently in multiple ongoing clinical studies in China and North America.

"CT041 is the most advanced solid tumor CAR-T in development (pivotal phase II) and continues to show promise in treating gastric and pancreatic cancers. In our quest to make cancer curable, we are continuously exploring multiple modalities to eradicate tumors. Attacking tumors with CAR T-cell therapy in combination with a cancer vaccine could potentially provide greater clinical benefit to patients." said Dr. Zonghai Li, Founder, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer of CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited, in a press release on August 21, 2023.

Dr. Li added, "Moderna has clearly established itself as a scientific and commercial leader in mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics, and we are pleased to partner with Moderna to explore a potential synergism between our innovative therapies."

Moderna is developing an investigational off-the-shelf mRNA cancer vaccine that encodes for the Claudin18.2 protein, a tumor-associated antigen.

The collaboration contemplates conducting preclinical studies and a phase I clinical trial to evaluate CT041 in combination with Moderna's Claudin18.2 mRNA cancer vaccine.

"We are pleased to partner with CARsgen to explore the potential synergy of CAR-T with an investigational mRNA cancer vaccine that encodes for the Claudin18.2 protein. Claudin18.2 is a promising therapeutic target to potentially treat multiple cancer types with high unmet medical need. We continue to deliver on the promise of mRNA science to create a new generation of transformative medicines in oncology," added Dr. Lin Guey, Chief Scientific Officer of External Research Ventures, Moderna.

CARsgen is a biopharmaceutical company with operations in China, and the U.S. focused on innovative CAR T-cell therapies for treating hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.