PHILADELPHIA, April 21, 2026
Verismo Therapeutics has unveiled compelling preclinical and early clinical findings for SynKIR™-310, its investigational multi-chain KIR-CAR cell therapy, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego. The newly presented data demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity, reduced cytokine release, and encouraging early clinical efficacy in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). The results further validate Verismo’s proprietary KIR-CAR platform, which introduces a natural “on-off” immune signaling mechanism designed to reduce T-cell exhaustion while maintaining durable anti-tumor responses. Alongside promising laboratory findings, investigators also reported an ongoing complete clinical response lasting more than six months in a patient enrolled in the Phase 1 CELESTIAL-301 trial, highlighting the potential of this first-in-class immuno-oncology approach for hematologic cancers.
Preclinical Findings Demonstrate Enhanced Anti-Tumor Activity
The AACR 2026 presentation showcased new in vivo preclinical data comparing SynKIR™-310 with conventional single-chain CAR-T therapies, including analogs of currently approved CAR-T products. In B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma xenograft models, the investigational therapy demonstrated significantly stronger anti-tumor activity while producing lower cytokine release, an important indicator of potentially improved safety. Importantly, the therapy maintained comparable T-cell persistence, suggesting that its innovative multi-chain receptor architecture may overcome one of the major limitations of traditional CAR-T treatments—chronic T-cell exhaustion. By separating antigen recognition from T-cell activation, the KIR-CAR platform enables a more physiologic immune response that may improve treatment durability without excessive immune activation. These encouraging findings support continued clinical development of SynKIR™-310 as a next-generation cell therapy for difficult-to-treat hematologic malignancies.
Early Clinical Response Strengthens Phase 1 Development
Complementing the preclinical results, Verismo also presented early clinical observations from its ongoing Phase 1 CELESTIAL-301 first-in-human clinical trial, which is evaluating SynKIR™-310 in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas, including follicular lymphoma. Investigators reported that a 70-year-old patient with follicular lymphoma, treated at the lowest dose level, achieved a complete tumor response within 28 days, with the remission remaining ongoing after more than six months of follow-up. Although based on a single patient, the durable response provides an encouraging early proof-of-concept supporting the therapeutic potential of the KIR-CAR platform. The CELESTIAL-301 study continues enrolling patients with or without prior CD19 CAR-T therapy, expanding opportunities to evaluate the therapy across multiple B-cell malignancies.
Advertisement
Novel KIR-CAR Platform Targets Next Generation Cell Therapy
SynKIR™-310 is an investigational autologous engineered cell therapy developed using Verismo’s proprietary KIR-CAR platform, the only clinical-stage technology utilizing a multi-chain natural killer (NK) cell-derived receptor architecture designed to improve immune persistence and minimize exhaustion. Unlike conventional CAR-T therapies that rely on continuous activation signaling, KIR-CAR technology incorporates a natural immune “on-off” switch, allowing T cells to remain active longer while reducing background activation and excessive cytokine production. The clinical program has also received strong external validation through support from the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI), which has committed up to $4.05 million to accelerate the development of SynKIR™-310 and expand enrollment in the ongoing clinical trial. As development progresses, Verismo aims to establish its KIR-CAR platform as a transformative technology capable of delivering more durable, safer, and more effective cell therapies for both hematologic cancers and solid tumors.
Source: Verismo Therapeutics Press release
