TRAC and Power3 (SPPL3) Genes Knock-out Allogeneic CD19-targeting CAR-T Cell Therapy in r/r B-NHL

ATHENA chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T, a CD19-directed CAR-T cell immunotherapy comprised of allogeneic T cells prepared for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (r/r) B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The cells are from healthy adult volunteer donors that are knocked out of TRAC and Power3 (SPPL3) genes ex vivo using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing components. In this study, a second-generation anti-CD19 CAR prototype was constructed, bearing murine FMC63 single-chain variant fragment (scFv) together with intracellular CD28 co-stimulatory and CD3ζ signaling domains linked by a CD28 sequence comprising the hinge and transmembrane domains.

This is a single center, prospective, open-label, single-arm, phase 1/2 study. A total of around 30 patients with r/r B-cell NHL will be enrolled in the study and receive allogeneic CD19-CAR-T cell infusion. Phase 1 (n=6 to 18) is a dose escalation part, and phase 2 (n=10 to 12) is a expansion cohort part. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ATHENA CAR-T cell therapy in patients with r/r B-cell NHL.