On December 4, 2025 AvenCell Therapeutics, Inc., a leading clinical-stage cell therapy company focused on advancing both switchable and allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies, reported that the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have cleared the company’s IND and approved the Clinical Trial Application (CTA), respectively, for QUADvance (AVC-203-01), a Phase II/II trial of AVC-203 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies.
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AVC-203 is a CRISPR-engineered allogeneic CAR-T candidate designed to target and eliminate cells expressing receptors CD19 and/or CD20, which are known to be expressed in nearly all B-cell malignancies.
"We are excited to build on the early success and promising activity and safety of our ongoing clinical program of allogeneic CAR-T in AML (NCT05949125) by now advancing into B Cell Lymphoma with what we believe to be the most scientifically compelling allogeneic technology in the industry," said Andrew Schiermeier, AvenCell’s President & CEO. "To date, attempts at solving the key scalability and cost issues of autologous CAR-T therapy by engineering cells from unrelated donors have fallen short. Nevertheless, the obvious benefits of such an approach, including consistency and potency of an actual drug product – something in vivo approaches cannot provide – remain as compelling as ever. AvenCell remains focused on ensuring that any patient who can benefit from CAR-T therapy can receive it, through the massive scaling of supply and dramatic reductions in cost of goods, with a product that is as good or better than best-in-class autologous CAR-Ts."
About AVC-203
AVC-203 is a CRISPR-engineered allogeneic CAR-T therapy incorporating four key innovations:
Dual antigen targeting: AVC-203 CAR-T cells contain a receptor that simultaneously targets CD19 and CD20.
Immune evasion: CRISPR/Cas9 engineering enables donor cells to avoid both Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) and rejection by the patient’s immune system.
Improved T-cell fitness and off-the-shelf availability: Allogeneic manufacturing from healthy donors leverages better T-cell fitness and eliminates patient-specific production, enabling immediate treatment
Switchable targeting: A RevCAR receptor dimerized to the CD19/CD20 CAR enables flexible targeting of additional tumor antigens through bi- or tri-specific bridging proteins, allowing future target expansion beyond CD19/CD20.
Trial Designs and Objectives
The phase I/II study will be conducted at multiple sites in the US and Europe and will evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of AVC-203 in adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies. The phase Ia dose escalation study is expected to be followed by a phase Ib dose expansion study and a Phase II pivotal trial.
B-cell malignancies
B-cell malignancies — including non-Hodgkin lymphomas, multiple myeloma, and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) — account for the majority of blood cancers. Approximately 120,000 and 150,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States and Europe, respectively.
(Press release, AvenCell Therapeutics, DEC 4, 2025, View Source;302632517.html [SID1234661145])