Verismo Therapeutics to Present at iMig 2025

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Verismo Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CAR T company developing a novel KIR-CAR platform technology, today announced its participation and sponsorship of the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig) 2025 Conference. The company will highlight STAR-101, an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of Verismo's lead pipeline SynKIR™-110 in patients with advanced mesothelin-expressing cancers, including mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer, with more than 2,500 people diagnosed annually in the United States and 30,000 globally¹. Despite recent therapeutic advances, prognosis remains poor and most patients face limited options for long-term treatment. SynKIR™-110 targets mesothelin, a protein highly expressed on mesothelioma cells and a validated target for innovative immunotherapies, enabling it to recognize and attack the cancer cells. SynKIR™-110 was granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of mesothelioma in 2022 and 2023, respectively.   

"Mesothelioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treat, and it has historically been underserved in terms of new treatment development," said Daniel Sterman, M.D., Thomas and Suzanne Murphy Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Director of Division of Pulmonary Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center and an organizer of iMig 2025. "By sponsoring iMig and presenting the STAR-101 trial design, Verismo is demonstrating its commitment to advancing the science, addressing the unmet medical need, and supporting the global mesothelioma community." Dr. Sterman serves as the Medical Monitor for Verismo's STAR-101 clinical study.

STAR-101 (NCT05568680) is a multicenter, open-label, Phase 1 study designed to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of SynKIR™-110 in patients with advanced mesothelin-expressing tumors. The trial is the first to bring Verismo's multi-chain KIR-CAR platform into the clinic for solid tumors.

Verismo's sponsorship of iMig 2025 underscores its dedication not only to scientific innovation but also to supporting patients, clinicians, and advocates working to advance care in mesothelioma worldwide. 

Presentation Details:

• Title: SynKIR-CAR T Cell Advanced Research (STAR)-101 Phase 1 Clinical Trial for Patients with Advanced Mesothelin-expressing Mesothelioma, Ovarian Cancer, or Cholangiocarcinoma
• Session: Novel Combinations and Applications of Immunotherapy; Salon E
• Date/Time: Monday, October 27, 2025, 2:30 – 2:45 PM
• Presenter: Jun Xu, Ph.D., Executive Director of Translational Science, Verismo Therapeutics

About Verismo Therapeutics

Verismo Therapeutics, a subsidiary of HLB Innovation, is a pioneer in multi-chain KIR-CAR technology, with assets SynKIR™-110 (NCT05568680) and SynKIR™-310 (NCT06544265) currently in Phase 1 clinical trials. Verismo is the only company developing the KIR-CAR platform, using a modified NK cell-derived receptor and DAP12 pairing, designed to improve T cell functional persistence and reduce exhaustion, resulting in improved efficacy against challenging tumors. The KIR-CAR platform technology was developed specifically to address areas of high unmet medical need, including advanced solid tumors and B cell associated disorders and malignancies. For more information, visit: www.verismotherapeutics.com

About the KIR-CAR Platform

The KIR-CAR platform is a multi-chain CAR T cell therapy that has shown highly effective prolonged solid tumor treatment in otherwise CAR-resistant preclinical animal models with challenging tumor microenvironments.  Using NK cell derived KIR and DAP12 split signaling provides a novel paired activation and co-stimulation separate from the usual T cell stimulation pathways. KIR-CAR enables sustained chimeric receptor expression with improved long-term CAR T cell function and decreased T cell exhaustion. This results in CAR T cell resistance to tumor immunosuppression, prolonged functional persistence and improved tumor elimination. Together, this platform provides the potential for improving CAR T treatment in both solid and hematologic tumors.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but are not limited to, those statements regarding our expectations for the timing, progress, and results of clinical trials; potential regulatory approvals; anticipated benefits, safety, and efficacy of our product candidates; our product development strategies; and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, risks related to clinical trials, regulatory processes, market acceptance, financial projections, and our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates. Forward-looking statements in this release represent our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof, and we expressly disclaim any obligation to update these statements as new information becomes available, except as required by law.

¹ https://www.cdc.gov/united-states-cancer-statistics/publications/mesothelioma.html; https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/cancers/18-mesothelioma-fact-sheet.pdf

Media Contact, Verismo Therapeutics:

Pavel Aprelev, Ph.D.
[email protected]

SOURCE Verismo Therapeutics