anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor invariant natural killer T cells

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor invariant natural killer T cells (CAR19-iNKT) is an allogeneic, "off-the-shelf" cellular immunotherapy designed to treat CD19-positive B-cell malignancies, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma and B-cell leukemia. The therapy consists of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells—a unique, rare population of innate-like T cells—genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting the CD19 antigen. Unlike conventional CAR-T cells, iNKT cells possess a semi-invariant T-cell receptor (iTCR) that recognizes glycolipid antigens presented by the non-polymorphic CD1d molecule. This unique biology prevents the induction of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), enabling the use of healthy donor-derived cells for rapid, allogeneic administration. CAR19-iNKT cells exert a dual anti-tumor effect: the CAR directly targets CD19 on malignant B cells, while the endogenous iTCR targets CD1d-expressing cells, including tumor cells and immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). This therapy is being developed by Arovella Therapeutics in collaboration with Imperial College London.

Other names

CD19-specific CAR-NKT cellsCD-19-specific CAR-NKT cellsCD 19-specific CAR-NKT cellsCAR19-iNKT cellsCAR-19-iNKT cellsCAR 19-iNKT cellsanti-CD19 CAR-iNKT cellsanti-CD-19 CAR-iNKT cellsanti-CD 19 CAR-iNKT cells