California-based Tempest Therapeutics (Nasdaq: TPST) has secured an exclusive option to license China-based Hebei Senlang Biotechnology's CD7-targeted lentiviral in vivo CAR-T platform and associated product candidates, adding a clinical-stage lentiviral delivery system to complement its existing lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based approach. Financial terms of the option agreement were not disclosed.
Senlang's platform uses CD7-targeted lentiviral vectors to deliver CAR transgenes directly to endogenous T cells and natural killer cells, enabling generation of CAR-T and CAR-NK cells in vivo without the individualized cell collection and ex vivo manufacturing required for conventional autologous CAR-T therapy. The company is applying the platform to a BCMA/GPRC5D dual-targeting in vivo CAR-T candidate that is currently in Phase I dose escalation for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Tempest said the study has shown in vivo CAR-T generation and expansion to date, with dose escalation and enrollment continuing.
The September option agreement is the second transaction between the two companies in under two months. In July 2026, Tempest and Senlang announced a development collaboration for TPST-4003, Tempest's proprietary CD7-targeted mRNA/LNP in vivo CAR-T candidate, under which Senlang will conduct an investigator-initiated trial (IIT) in approximately 10 patients with myasthenia gravis or multiple sclerosis in China. That agreement carries milestone-based development fees of USD 1.5 million to USD 2.0 million per product, with Senlang receiving an exclusive option to negotiate China commercialization rights for TPST-4003 and Tempest retaining worldwide, perpetual rights to all generated data.
The option on Senlang's lentiviral platform extends Tempest's in vivo CAR-T delivery strategy across two distinct modalities: the LNP/mRNA approach, described by the company as supporting transient CAR expression, and the lentiviral approach, designed to support durable CAR-cell generation. Senlang's pipeline also includes additional candidates for hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases that would, upon option exercise, expand Tempest's portfolio beyond the lead multiple myeloma program.