Kyverna Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Charité to Fund Research into B-Cell and Plasma Cell-Targeting Therapies in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases

The research project includes study of immunological consequences in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases treated at Charité with current and novel treatment approaches, including KYV-101

The funding will also cover research on CAR T-Cell Therapy and is expected to expand knowledge on immunological impact of current and novel treatment approaches

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyverna Therapeutics ("Kyverna"), a clinical-stage cell therapy company with the mission of engineering a new class of therapies for serious autoimmune diseases, today announced the signing of a multi-year research funding agreement with Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology to investigate the impact of B- and plasma cell-targeting therapies – including CAR T cells –  on the immunologic profile and clinical outcomes of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. Circulating and tissue resident B cell and plasma cell subsets as well as T cells and other immune cells will be profiled before and after the respective therapies in peripheral blood.

The two entities will share ownership of any results stemming from the research efforts subject to the agreement.

"We see this opportunity as a further demonstration of how physician scientists at Charité can effectively collaborate with leading biotech companies in studying and understanding changes in the molecular and cellular immune signature of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases that receive different B-cell and Plasma cell-targeting therapies as part of their routine treatment at our Institution," said Prof. Dr. Gerhard Krönke, Director of the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, and Charité's Project Manager.

"Our collaboration with Dr Krönke and his team at Charité will help advance knowledge on B-cell driven diseases, which will increase our understanding of how patients suffering from autoimmune diseases can further benefit from our potentially life-saving therapies," said Peter Maag, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Kyverna Therapeutics.

About KYV-101      
KYV-101 is an autologous version of a novel, fully human clinical-stage anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell construct with properties well suited for use in B cell-driven autoimmune diseases such as lupus nephritis and other B-cell driven autoimmune diseases. In a 20-patient Phase 1/2 study in oncology, expected anti-lymphoma activity was associated with a significant reduction of cytokines released that translated into a strong reduction of cytokine-driven side effects such as the rate of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS)¹. The fully human anti-CD19 CAR also translated into reduced immunogenicity that favorably impacted cell persistence at one month. Kyverna recognized that these properties singled out KYV-101 as a product ideally poised for use in autoimmune disease patients, and the company obtained exclusive, worldwide licenses from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to use this CD19 construct in both autologous and allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies. 

About Kyverna Therapeutics
Kyverna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage cell therapy company with the mission of engineering a new class of therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The Kyverna therapeutic platform combines advanced T-cell engineering and synthetic biology technologies to suppress and eliminate the autoreactive immune cells at the origin of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Kyverna's pipeline includes KYV-101, a fully human, autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy with properties well suited for use in B cell-driven autoimmune diseases and KYV-201, a fully human, allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy. By offering more than one mechanism for taming autoimmunity, and with patients currently in treatment for multiple indications in the U.S. and Europe, Kyverna is positioned to act on its mission of transforming how autoimmune diseases are treated. For more information, please visit https://kyvernatx.com.

Media Contact:

Kyverna:
Christian Pflaumer
+1 (917) 841-4525
[email protected]

Charite:
[email protected] 

References: 

1. Brudno et al., Nature Medicine 2020; 26:270-280.

SOURCE Kyverna Therapeutics