Pipeline

With multiple clinical and preclinical assets in development, our growing product pipeline is bringing RNA Cell Therapy to autoimmune indications and cancer.

Myastenia gravis and other AI/neuro

Descartes-08

First RNA Cell Therapy in an autoimmune disease

Lupus and other AI

Descartes-15

T-cell lymphoma

Descartes-17

Multiple myeloma

Descartes-25

First engineered MSC therapy in heme/onc

Autoimmunity

Descartes-33

Autoimmune

Myasthenia Gravis

Generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) is a debilitating autoimmune disease affecting over 60,000 people in the U.S. Treatment of gMG requires the chronic use of toxic immunosuppressants.

DESCARTES-08 is the first RNA CAR T-cell (rCAR-T) therapy for autoimmune diseases. DESCARTES-08 contains killer T-cells engineered to hunt down pathogenic plasma cells that secrete autoantibodies.

We are currently enrolling patients with gMG in a Phase 2b randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Cancer

Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer that affects 30,000 additional Americans each year. Currently, combination therapy and autologous transplant remain the standard of care. However, all known treatments of multiple myeloma eventually fail, leading to relapsed disease. DESCARTES-25 is the first off-the-shelf RNA Cell Therapy for cancer. The lead indication is multiple myeloma. DESCARTES-25 is designed to deliver two complementary antitumor proteins directly to the tumor: a novel bispecific antibody that binds B-cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) with femtomolar avidity and the potent antitumor cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12). DESCARTES-25 cells are further engineered with a membrane-bound homing protein that directs the cells to the tumor microenvironment for local delivery of their antitumor cargo.