Development

IASO Bio’s in vivo BCMA CAR-T posts 90% response rate in first human study

IASO Bio’s in vivo BCMA CAR-T posts 90% response rate in first human study

China-based IASO Biotechnology reported a 90% objective response rate (ORR) and 90% minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate in 10 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) treated with IASO206, its BCMA-targeted in vivo CAR-T cell therapy. Both rates reached 100% in the high-dose cohort. The first-in-human Phase I data were presented at the 2026 International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting.

Why it matters: In vivo CAR-T has only recently entered human testing, with clinical data so far limited to a handful of small Phase I programs. IASO206 adds one of the larger early efficacy datasets to date and provides further evidence that therapeutically active CAR-T cells can be generated directly in patients without individualized manufacturing or lymphodepleting chemotherapy.

As of the September 26, 2026 data cut-off, 10 patients had received IASO206 across three dose levels. Patients had received a median of three prior lines of therapy, 70% were triple-class exposed, 90% had high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities, and 70% had ultra-high-risk features.

Among the 10 efficacy-evaluable patients, nine responded, including three stringent complete responses, while nine achieved MRD negativity. One patient in the low-dose cohort who remained MRD-positive achieved a very good partial response. Follow-up remains limited, and IASO Bio said responses in several patients were continuing to deepen.

No dose-limiting toxicities, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), or treatment-related deaths were reported. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was Grade 1 in seven patients and Grade 2 in one, while two patients experienced no CRS. Two patients developed Grade ≥3 viral infections associated with hypogammaglobulinemia and recovered following intravenous immunoglobulin treatment.

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Approved BCMA CAR-T therapies remain autologous products that require leukapheresis, individualized ex vivo manufacturing, and lymphodepleting chemotherapy before treatment. IASO206 is intended to bypass those steps, although the current findings come from only 10 patients and a recommended Phase II dose has not yet been established.

IASO206 remains in Phase I development in R/R MM, with further dose characterization and selection of a recommended Phase II dose expected to guide the next stage of development. The program is part of an emerging in vivo CAR-T field that has only recently begun generating human efficacy data; Kelonia Therapeutics has also reported early clinical responses with KLN-1010, an in vivo BCMA CAR-T in multiple myeloma. Unlike approved autologous BCMA CAR-T products, these approaches are designed to generate CAR-T cells directly in patients, potentially avoiding leukapheresis, individualized manufacturing, and lymphodepleting conditioning.


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