On June 1, 2026 Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:XBIO) ("Xenetic" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative immuno-oncology technologies addressing difficult to treat cancers, reported positive preclinical data will be presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting demonstrating that DNase I significantly enhances CAR-T cell expansion, persistence, and antitumor efficacy in aggressive hematologic cancer models.
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Presentation Details:
Session Title: Hematologic Malignancies – Plasma Cell Dyscrasia (Poster Session)
Abstract Title: Targeting cfDNA and NETs with DNase I to augment CAR-T cell function and antitumor efficacy
Poster Board: 410
Presentation Date & Time: June 1, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM CDT
Presenter: Alexey V. Stepanov, PhD
The poster presentation, titled "Targeting cfDNA and NETs with DNase I Augments CAR T-Cell Function and Antitumor Efficacy," highlights evidence that extracellular DNA and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) act as key drivers of CAR-T cell exhaustion and persistence, leading to therapeutic failure. The findings demonstrate that DNase I degrades these immunosuppressive barriers and restores CAR-T functionality.
In preclinical studies, DNase I efficiently degraded extracellular DNA, preserved CAR-T cell effector function, improved CD8-positive T cell ratios and reduced expression of exhaustion markers including PD-1, LAG-3 and TIM-3 across multiple rounds of tumor rechallenge in vitro.
In vivo, DNase I significantly enhanced CAR-T cell expansion and persistence following infusion in both NALM-6 B cell leukemia and Raji Burkitt lymphoma xenograft models. Combination therapy with DNase I resulted in improved tumor control, delayed relapse upon rechallenge and prolonged survival compared to CAR T-cell therapy alone.
The poster also includes translational observations from a pediatric patient with highly refractory Burkitt lymphoma, where DNase I co-administration was associated with marked CAR-T cell expansion and progressive reduction in tumor burden following prior CAR-T cell failure.
"These findings continue to strengthen the growing body of evidence implicating extracellular DNA and NETs as important contributors to immune suppression and therapeutic resistance in cancer," said James Parslow, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Xenetic Biosciences. "We believe these data highlight the potential for DNase I to serve as a differentiated adjunctive immuno-oncology strategy capable of improving CAR T-cell persistence and durability across difficult-to-treat hematologic malignancies."
The findings further support Xenetic’s broader DNase-based immuno-oncology platform designed to improve outcomes of existing cancer therapies, including immunotherapies and cell therapies, through targeting NET-driven immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment.
(Press release, Xenetic Biosciences, JUN 1, 2026, View Source [SID1234666321])