CARsgen and Dispatch Bio Announce Clinical Collaboration to Evaluate Flare Platform and Zevor-cel in Solid Tumors

SHANGHAI, PHILADELPHIA and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 2171.HK), a company focused on developing innovative CAR T-cell therapies, and Dispatch Bio, a biotech company engineering a universal treatment across solid tumors leveraging its first-in-class Flare platform, today announced a clinical collaboration to conduct a Phase 1 trial in China, planned to begin in 2026.

The trial will evaluate DISP-11, an investigational therapy leveraging Dispatch's first-in-class Flare platform – including DV-10, the company's novel tumor-specific virus – and CARsgen's zevorcabtagene autoleucel (zevor-cel, R&D code: CT053), an autologous B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeting CAR T-cell therapy, in patients suffering from solid tumors. Zevor-cel is approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

"CARsgen is working to transform outcomes for patients with solid tumors by advancing the potential of CAR T technologies," said Zonghai Li, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of CARsgen. "Dispatch's Flare platform offers a differentiated and highly complementary approach to expanding where and how CAR T can be applied, particularly for solid tumors lacking specific targets. We are excited to explore this combination as part of our broader efforts to unlock meaningful benefit for patients."

In the planned study, patients with solid tumors of epithelial origin, which account for 90% of all solid tumors, will first receive DV-10, followed by zevor-cel.

"We are working to expand the impact of the Flare platform, and this collaboration represents a step forward in a region with infrastructure for efficient and impactful oncology development and significant unmet medical need," said Sabah Oney, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Dispatch. "CARsgen's scientific rigor and track record of rapid clinical advancement make them an ideal partner. As our second collaboration with a company that has successfully commercialized a CAR T therapy, this partnership reinforces the growing confidence in Flare's potential across a variety of immunotherapies and will help shape our global development strategy."

About Zevor-cel

Zevor-cel is a fully human, autologous BCMA CAR T-cell product for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Zevor-cel was approved by the NMPA on February 23, 2024, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory MM who have progressed after at least three prior lines of therapy (including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent). Zevor-cel received Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) and Orphan Drug designations from the U.S. FDA in 2019.

About Dispatch's Flare Platform

Immunotherapies have had limited success in solid tumors due to the lack of tumor-specific targets and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Dispatch's first-in-class Flare platform addresses these barriers by systemically delivering a tumor-specific virus that paints a universal synthetic antigen (Flare) on tumor cells, enabling precise recognition by T cells, while reshaping the tumor microenvironment to support immune activity. At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2025 Annual Meeting, Dispatch presented preclinical findings on DV-10 in combination with a clinically validated BCMA-directed CAR T. These data, presented alongside additional preclinical findings supporting the Flare platform, underscore the safety, specificity and therapeutic promise of this approach.

About CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited

CARsgen is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing innovative CAR T-cell therapies to address the unmet clinical needs including but not limited to hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and autoimmune diseases. CARsgen has established end-to-end capabilities for CAR T-cell research and development covering target discovery, preclinical research, product clinical development, and commercial-scale production. CARsgen has developed novel in-house technologies and a product pipeline with global rights to address challenges faced by existing CAR T-cell therapies. Efforts include improving safety profile, enhancing the efficacy in treating solid tumors, and reducing treatment costs, etc. CARsgen's mission is to be a global biopharmaceutical leader that provides innovative and differentiated cell therapies for patients worldwide and makes cancer and other diseases curable.

About Dispatch Bio

Dispatch Bio was founded with a bold purpose: to help create a world where all cancer patients can be cured. To achieve this, the company is engineering a universal treatment across solid tumors, leveraging its first-in-class Flare platform. This novel approach combines the strengths of immunotherapy with a tumor-specific virus, both engineered to clear tumor cells with precision and power. Dispatch has operations in Philadelphia and San Francisco, with access to world-class researchers. To learn more, visit www.dispatchbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Forward-looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical fact or that do not relate to present facts or current conditions are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements express the Group's current views, projections, beliefs and expectations with respect to future events as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and factors beyond the Group's control. As a result, they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements and the forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those detailed under the heading "Principal Risks and Uncertainties" in our most recent annual report and interim report and other announcements and reports made available on our corporate website, https://www.carsgen.com. No representation or warranty is given as to the achievement or reasonableness of, and no reliance should be placed on, any projections, targets, estimates or forecasts contained in this press release.

Contact CARsgen
For more information, please visit https://www.carsgen.com/
Public Relations: [email protected]
Investor Relations: [email protected]

Contact Dispatch
Investor Contact: Naveen Bazaj -- [email protected]
Media Contact: Josie Butler, 1AB -- [email protected]

SOURCE CARsgen Therapeutics