On July 24, 2026 Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESLA) ("Estrella" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing CD19 and CD22-targeted ARTEMIS T-cell therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported that the first patient has been successfully dosed in the dose-expansion phase of its ongoing STARLIGHT-1 Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating EB103, a CD19-redirected ARTEMIS T-cell therapy, in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
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Estrella’s dosing of the first patient in the dose-expansion cohort follows encouraging efficacy data from the dose-escalation cohort. At the 6-month assessment of evaluable Phase I patients with no CNS involvement, all patients who achieved complete response (CR) remained in CR.
"This marks an important milestone for Estrella and STARLIGHT-1," said Cheng Liu, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Estrella. "The sustained complete responses observed to date reinforce EB103’s potential to deliver best-in-class outcomes for patients with R/R B-cell NHL. We remain deeply committed to advancing EB103."
The expansion phase is designed as a multi-center, open-label study intended to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of EB103 at the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) in subjects (≥ 18 years of age) who have R/R B-cell NHL. Data from this expansion cohort will be used to determine the pivotal trial strategy for EB103. Current active sites include UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and Baylor Scott & White Research Institute. Further details of the trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov under NCT identifier: NCT06343311.
About EB103
EB103, a T-cell therapy, also referred to as Estrella’s "CD19-Redirected ARTEMIS T-Cell Therapy," utilizes ARTEMIS technology licensed from Eureka Therapeutics, Inc. ("Eureka"), Estrella’s parent company. Unlike a traditional CAR-T cell, the unique design of an ARTEMIS T-Cell, like EB103 T-cell, allows it to be activated and regulated upon engagement with cancer targets that use a cellular mechanism more closely resembling the one from an endogenous T-cell receptor. Once infused, EB103 T cells bind to and destroy CD19-positive cancer cells.
(Press release, Estrella Biopharma, JUL 24, 2026, View Source [SID1234669417])