KUR-502

KUR-502 is an allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapy consisting of natural killer T (NKT) cells, engineered with a retroviral vector to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for CD19, interleukin-15 (IL-15), and a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to downregulate beta-2 microglobulin and CD74, thus reducing HLA class I and II expression. The NKT cells are derived from healthy, HLA-unmatched donors and expanded ex vivo to high purity. KUR-502 is administered to patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, including B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The therapy is designed to target CD19-expressing malignant B cells, leveraging both direct CAR-mediated recognition and intrinsic NKT cytotoxicity, with additional modifications to reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease and enhance persistence and activity in vivo. Early clinical studies show promising response rates and a favorable safety profile without immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome or graft-versus-host disease[1][4][8].

Other names

CAR-NKT therapy