Cartesian Therapeutics Announces Strong Efficacy Signal in Phase 2 Trial of Descartes-08 in Patients with SLE and Expansion of Clinical Development into Myositis

Core Insights - Cartesian Therapeutics announced positive initial data from the Phase 2 open-label trial of Descartes-08 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), showing a 100% LLDAS response rate at Month 3 follow-up [1][2][6] - The company plans to pause further development of Descartes-08 in SLE to focus on opportunities in myasthenia gravis (MG) and myositis [4][11] Group 1: Clinical Trial Results - In the ongoing Phase 2 trial, 100% of participants who reached Month 3 follow-up achieved Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) response, indicating low disease activity [6] - Disease remission, defined by the DORIS response, was reported in 2 out of 3 patients at Month 3 [6] - Descartes-08 demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with no cases of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) reported [6] Group 2: Future Development Plans - Cartesian plans to initiate a seamless adaptive clinical trial design for myositis, with a pivotal trial expected to commence in the first half of 2026 [7][8] - The upcoming myositis trial will assess Descartes-08 against placebo in patients with moderate to severe multi-refractory dermatomyositis and antisynthetase syndrome [8] - The company aims to file an investigational new drug application (IND) for the myositis trial by the end of 2025 [8] Group 3: Financial Outlook - Following the pause in development of Descartes-08 in SLE and Descartes-15 in multiple myeloma, the company expects its current cash resources to support operations through mid-2027 [11]