From CAR-T to CAAR-T: Funding drives biotech into emerging space
The $50m (€43.8m) Series B financing will support the establishment of translational research and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
Cabaletta Bio, a biotechnology company, will use these capabilities to accelerate the development of its product pipeline.
Additionally, Cabaletta stated that the funds will be used to support the IND submission for DSG3-CAAR-T, and the initiation of its first clinical trial in patients with mucosal pemphigus vulgaris upon clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) is a form of immunotherapy that uses a patient’s modified T cells to produce chimeric antigen receptors on their surface. Chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) T-cells, work similarly but produce a chimeric autoantibody receptor on the surface of the T-cell to exhibit cytotoxicity against specific cells, such as autoreactive B cells in antibody-mediated autoimmune disease.
After the recent $50m funding, the company has raised $88m in total since May of 2018, according to Steven Nichtberger, CEO and chairman of Cabaletta.
Nichtberger told us, “From our series A round, Cabaletta was already sufficiently funded to reach clinical proof of concept in the DSG-CAART program. The additional funding will support the parallel development of additional products for patients, and consequently further secure Cabaletta’s leadership position in this new CAAR space.”
