Tempest Doubles Down on In Vivo CAR-T with Second Delivery Platform
DENVER, Colo. (247marketnews.com) -- Tempest Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TPST) is moving aggressively to build a multi-platform in vivo CAR-T business, securing an exclusive option to license a clinical-stage CD7-targeted lentiviral technology just months before its own next-generation CAR-T program is expected to enter the clinic.
The agreement with Hebei Senlang Biotechnology gives Tempest an exclusive option covering Senlang’s CD7-targeted lentiviral vector platform and a portfolio of in vivo CAR-T candidates. The centerpiece is a BCMA/GPRC5D dual-targeting candidate already in Phase 1 dose escalation for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
The strategic appeal is straightforward: rather than collecting a patient's cells, engineering them outside the body and reinfusing them, the conventional autologous CAR-T model, in vivo CAR-T seeks to create therapeutic CAR immune cells directly inside the patient.
Senlang's lentiviral platform is designed to target CD7-positive T cells and natural killer cells, generating CAR-T and CAR-NK cells in vivo. Its lead candidate simultaneously targets BCMA and GPRC5D, two established multiple-myeloma targets.
Tempest says early observations at the highest currently evaluable dose demonstrated successful in vivo CAR-T generation and expansion. As of August 25, no Grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome had been observed. Enrollment and follow-up remain ongoing, and the company says the initial safety profile supports continued dose escalation.
The company is already developing its own CD7-targeted mRNA/lipid nanoparticle platform, with lead candidate TPST-4003 expected to enter a first investigator-initiated clinical study in the fourth quarter of 2026. That program combines CD7-targeted delivery with a dual-target CD19/BCMA CAR construct and is being developed for oncology and autoimmune applications.
CEO Matt Angel described the Senlang transaction as “an important step in building Tempest as a multi-platform in vivo CAR-T company focused on immune reset for oncology and autoimmune indications.”
The distinction between the two approaches could become central to Tempest's strategy. The company's LNP platform is designed for transient CAR expression, while the newly optioned lentiviral technology is intended to produce more durable CAR-cell generation. Tempest says having both approaches could allow it to match delivery technology to the biology and treatment requirements of different diseases.
The move also builds on a rapidly expanding pipeline. In July, Tempest unveiled its next-generation in vivo CAR-T strategy, targeting both cancer and autoimmune diseases, and announced plans for TPST-4003 to enter clinical testing later this year. The company has also reported positive interim results from its existing TPST-2003 CAR-T program, including a reported 100% complete response rate among 15 CAR-T-naïve efficacy-evaluable patients across two ongoing studies; those results remain interim clinical data and require further follow-up.
The latest agreement therefore represents more than another pipeline addition. It gives Tempest access to a clinical-stage in vivo CAR-T platform with human evidence, while its internally developed delivery technology approaches the clinic from a different direction.
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