Antion Biosciences develops safer, ready-to-use CAR T-cells for autoimmune disease

Antion Biosciences, a cell and gene therapy company based in Geneva, has announced the development of next-generation anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells aimed at treating B-cell driven autoimmune diseases. These diseases affect up to 10% of the global population, with the yearly burden of care surpassing $120 billion. Recent studies have shown that targeted CAR T-cell therapy is highly effective in severe autoimmune cases. Professor Dr. Georg Schett, recognized by Time Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Health, noted that many patients not only achieve drug-free remission but potentially a cure for their autoimmune diseases. This promising development has garnered interest from major players, including Novartis.

Dr. Marco Alessandrini, CEO of Antion, sees this as a significant shift in treating autoimmune diseases, providing a unique opportunity to develop life-transforming therapies for millions. He emphasizes the goal of anticipating future needs and creating a product that will endure over time.

Antion's "miCAR19" is a multiplex engineered therapeutic designed to address the limitations of current products. A primary focus is on patient safety, as chemotherapeutic pre-conditioning, standard in oncology CAR T-cell treatments, is often unacceptable for autoimmune diseases. Antion’s product is gene-engineered to eliminate the need for pre-conditioning and reduce hyperinflammatory risks. As an allogenic product, it allows for off-the-shelf availability and scalable manufacturing to meet global demand for this potentially curative therapy.

Dr. Alessandrini expressed that this development marks a new chapter for Antion. He is confident in the robustness of their technology platform, which has proven successful both internally and with partners. Accelerating the product to clinical trials is their top priority.

Antion Biosciences SA is a Swiss-based biotechnology firm dedicated to developing cell and gene therapy products for diseases with substantial unmet medical needs. Their proprietary technology platform supports a modular and tunable approach to multiplex engineering of therapeutic cells. By creating off-the-shelf and immune-privileged products, Antion aims to make these transformative therapies accessible to all patients.