Cullinan shares T-Cell engager data showing autoimmune remissions
Cullinan Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CGEM) reported encouraging initial clinical data and outlined expanded development pathways for its portfolio of dual-targeting T-cell engagers, marking an expansion for the oncology-focused biotech into the autoimmune space.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company released multi-dose results for CLN-978, a CD19xCD3 bispecific T-cell engager aimed at systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The updates, featured alongside presentations at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2026 Congress, highlighted clinical remissions and deep tissue-level B-cell depletion in difficult-to-treat patient populations who had cycled through multiple prior standard therapies.
In the Phase 1 OUTRACE RA trial, new multi-dose data from two heavily pre-treated, poly-refractory patients demonstrated an immediate response curve.
One patient, who had explicitly failed prior treatment with the targeted biologic rituximab, achieved full clinical remission.
Their baseline disease score of 4 was slashed to 2.2 within four weeks of receiving CLN-978 and remained stable through an eight-week follow-up, an effect tied directly to a rapid reduction in arthritis-associated autoantibodies.
Concurrently, safety readouts from the first three SLE patients treated with the multi-dose regimen in the OUTRACE SLE trial tracked consistently with the tolerable profile established in early cohorts.
Patients experiencing lupus-induced kidney inflammation showed rapid, early improvements in proteinuria (excess protein in the urine).
Backed by these metrics, Cullinan finalized plans to initiate a dedicated Phase 2a expansion cohort evaluating CLN-978 specifically for lupus nephritis by early 2027.
