Benzinga | Dec 8, 2020 04:31PM EST

Cabaletta Bio Announces First Patient Dosed In DesCAARTes Trial Of DSG3-CAART For Treatment Of Mucosal-Dominant Pemphigus Vulgaris

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cabaletta Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:CABA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of engineered T cell therapies for patients with B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the DesCAARTes(tm) Phase 1 clinical trial of DSG3-CAART for the treatment of patients with mucosal-dominant pemphigus vulgaris (mPV).

"This is an important milestone in the development of our lead product candidate, DSG3-CAART, for patients with mucosal pemphigus vulgaris and for patients with B cell mediated autoimmune diseases more generally. We believe this is the first time a highly targeted, antigen specific cell therapy has been dosed in a patient with autoimmune disease. The study is designed to provide insights into the clinical effect of our precision CAAR T cell therapy in patients suffering from mPV," said David J. Chang, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Cabaletta Bio. "Currently available therapies for mPV patients, including steroids, typically induce broad immunosuppression, offer modest efficacy and/or are associated with frequent relapses. DSG3-CAART therapy, which is engineered to target and specifically eliminate the cells responsible for generating disease-causing autoantibodies while preserving the healthy immune system, provides mPV patients the potential of a deep and durable response, perhaps even a cure."

"This is a huge accomplishment that will advance the entire field of cell therapy," stated Carl H. June, M.D., who is a member of the Cabaletta Bio Scientific Advisory Board and the Richard W. Vague Professor of Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, "The precise CAAR T technology which was discovered at Penn and is being developed by Cabaletta Bio builds on the legacy of commercially-approved CAR T therapies, to offer the promise of deep and durable responses beyond oncology to patients with autoimmune diseases."