BCMA CAR-iNKT cells with PD1 deletion

BCMA CAR-iNKT cells with PD1 deletion is an allogeneic, "off-the-shelf" cell therapy candidate developed by SPH Biotherapeutics for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM). The therapy utilizes invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, which express both an invariant T-cell receptor (TCR) and natural killer (NK) receptors, allowing for activation via lipid antigens (CD1d) and stress ligands without causing graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). These cells are engineered with a VHH-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and incorporate a proprietary PD-1 intracellular retention technology—a non-gene editing technique—to eliminate surface PD-1 expression. This modification is designed to enhance anti-tumor efficacy and overcome cell exhaustion within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.