CRISPR Overhauls CAR-T Pipeline With Next-Gen Candidates, Autoimmune Expansion

CRISPR Therapeutics AG’s decision to transition from two earlier gene-edited allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies to next-generation candidates may have come at an opportune time, as concerns have arisen about potential risks of secondary T-cell malignancies arising from autologous CAR-Ts, which could be problematic for efforts to expand those therapies from hematology-oncology and into rheumatology. It also gives the company a chance to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded space in B-cell malignancies.

The Swiss biotech announced the changes to its CAR-T pipeline on 4 December, saying it would transition its development efforts from two existing candidates, the CD19-targeting CTX110 and the CD70-targeting...