On April 27, 2026 Strand Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering programmable mRNA medicines, reported it will present preclinical data from its in vivo CAR-T program at the 2026 American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, taking place May 11-15 in Boston.
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Ashlesha Odak, PhD, Principal Scientist of Advanced Cell Engineering, will present findings addressing a central challenge in the field: generating CAR-T cells directly in the body without ex vivo cell engineering. The data demonstrate that Strand’s programmable EverScript circular RNA (circRNA), combined with a targeted lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery approach, can generate functional CAR-T cells in vivo following intravenous administration, achieving robust target cell elimination across humanized mouse models and non-human primates.
Strand Signal Stack technology integrates an optimized EverScript circRNA backbone, enhanced CAR architecture, and a targeted LNP delivery approach capable of reaching T cells systemically without the manufacturing complexity of conventional ex vivo CAR-T approaches. The broader Strand Signal Stack technology also includes SignalLock, Strand’s proprietary microRNA (miRNA)-responsive regulatory sequences designed to modulate CAR protein expression in off-target cell types, thereby building safety controls directly into the construct while minimizing unintended immune activation and helping to support repeat dosing.
Together, these advances establish a programmable circRNA platform with the potential to enable scalable in vivo CAR-T therapies across cancer, autoimmune diseases, and beyond.
"Generating functional CAR-T cells inside the body has been a long-standing goal for the field, and the data show we can do it with delivery precision and programmable safety controls it requires," said Jake Becraft, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strand Therapeutics. "In vivo CAR-T is a natural extension of what we have been building, and the NHP data is exactly the kind of validation that moves this program forward."
"These results reflect years of work optimizing every layer of this platform, from the circRNA backbone and CAR architecture to the microRNA targeting system and built-in safety controls," said Tasuku Kitada, PhD, MBA, Co-founder, President, and Head of R&D of Strand Therapeutics. "What excites us is the breadth of what this unlocks. The same programmable architecture driving CAR-T activity in oncology has clear implications for autoimmune disease and beyond, and this data moves us meaningfully closer to both."
Abstract Title: Programmable circRNA-tLNP platform enables efficient in vivo CAR-T cell programming and robust activity in a NHP model
Session Type: Oral
Session Name: LNPs for in vivo CAR-T applications
Date and Time: Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 9:00-9:15 am ET
Location: MCEC Room 210 ABC (Level 2)
Full abstract details are available on the ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting website.
(Press release, Strand Therapeutics, APR 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234664816])