ARI0003: Co-transduced CD19/BCMA dual-targeting CAR-T cells for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

CD19 CAR-T therapy has achieved remarkable responses in relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). However, challenges persist, with refractory responses or relapses after CAR-T administration linked to CD19 loss or downregulation. Given the co-expression of CD19 and BCMA in NHL, we hypothesized that dual targeting could enhance long-term efficacy. We optimized different dual-targeting approaches, including co-transduction of two lentiviral vectors, bicistronic, tandem, and loop and pool strategies, based on our academic anti-CD19 (ARI0001) and anti-BCMA (ARI0002h) CAR-T cells. Comparison with anti-CD19/CD20 or anti-CD19/CD22 dual targeting was also performed. We demonstrate that anti-CD19/BCMA CAR-T cells can be effectively generated through the co-transduction of two lentiviral vectors after optimization to minimize competition for cellular resources. Co-transduced T cells, called ARI0003, effectively targeted NHL tumor cells with high avidity, outperforming anti-CD19 CAR-T cells and other dual-targeting approaches both in vitro and in vivo, particularly in low CD19 antigen density models. ARI0003 maintained effectiveness post-CD19 CAR-T treatment in xenograft models and in spheroids from relapsed CART-treated patients. ARI0003 CAR-T cells were effectively manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions, with a reduced risk of genotoxicity compared to other dual-targeting approaches. A first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial (CARTD-BG-01; this study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov [NCT06097455]) has been initiated to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ARI0003 in NHL.