CARsgen Therapeutics and Dispatch Bio have announced a groundbreaking collaboration to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial in China, combining a novel oncolytic virus platform with CARsgen’s CAR-T therapy to target solid tumors. The alliance leverages CARsgen’s zevorcabtagene autoleucel (zevor-cel), an autologous CAR-T cell therapy approved in China for multiple myeloma, together with Dispatch’s “Flare” platform, which uses a tumor-specific virus (DV-10) to tag cancer cells with a synthetic antigen and modulate the tumor microenvironment. This first-of-its-kind trial aims to overcome the formidable barriers that have historically limited CAR-T efficacy in solid cancers, and could mark a pivotal advance in cancer immunotherapy if successful.
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CAR-T Meets Oncolytic Virus: A Novel Strategy for Solid Tumors
CARsgen and Dispatch Bio’s partnership centers on an investigational product, DISP-11, which combines two components for a sequential attack on solid tumors:
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Tumor-Targeted “Flare” Virus (DV-10): First, patients will receive Dispatch’s DV-10, a tumor-specific virus engineered to deliver a modified form of the B-cell maturation antigen (dBCMA) along with immune-boosting factors IL-18 and CXCL9, directly into the cancer. This oncolytic virus “paints” a universal synthetic antigen onto tumor cells and reprograms the tumor microenvironment to be more T-cell friendly. By infecting cancer cells, DV-10 tags them with dBCMA and secretes IL-18/CXCL9 to recruit and activate T cells within the tumor site.
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BCMA-Targeted CAR-T Cells (Zevor-cel): A few days after the virus, patients are infused with CARsgen’s zevor-cel – a CAR-T cell therapy that targets BCMA. Now, the CAR-T cells can recognize and attack the DV-10–tagged tumor cells, effectively treating the solid tumor as if it were a BCMA-expressing cancer. In essence, the Flare platform converts “invisible” solid tumors into visible targets for CAR-T cells, much as CAR-T therapy already works in B cell cancers.
This two-step virus-plus-CAR-T approach is designed to tackle the twin challenges of solid tumors: the lack of unique target antigens and a suppressive tumor microenvironment. “Dispatch’s Flare platform offers a differentiated and highly complementary approach to expanding where and how CAR T can be applied, particularly for solid tumors lacking specific targets,” noted Dr. Zonghai Li, CARsgen’s CEO. By installing an artificial antigen (dBCMA) on tumor cells and simultaneously reshaping the TME with pro-inflammatory signals, the Flare strategy aims to let CAR-T cells infiltrate and persist in tumors that otherwise repel them.
Zonghai Li/LinkedIn
Overcoming CAR-T Challenges in Solid Tumors
CAR-T cell therapy has revolutionized hematologic cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, but solid tumors have remained an elusive frontier. Key obstacles include:
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Lack of Tumor-Specific Antigens: Unlike B-cell malignancies (where antigens like CD19 or BCMA can be targeted with acceptable off-tumor effects), most solid tumors lack antigens uniquely expressed on cancer cells. Many solid tumor targets are also found on healthy tissues, raising safety concerns. “There isn’t that ability [to simply] knock out a whole lineage in solid tumors; you have to find a specific target present on the tumor and not normal tissue – a very small list,” explains Dr. Barbra Sasu, Dispatch Bio’s CSO. Antigen heterogeneity and loss in tumors further limit single-target approaches (Escobar et al., 2025).
Barbra Sasu/LinkedIn
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Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment (TME): Solid tumors create a hostile TME rife with inhibitory cells (Tregs, myeloid cells), physical barriers, and factors that exclude or disable T cells. Even when CAR-T cells are infused, very few reach the tumor and remain active. In fact, studies show <1% of CAR-T cells successfully infiltrate solid tumor sites, versus >50% accumulating in blood cancers (Vo et al., 2025). The TME’s lack of supportive cytokines and poor T-cell infiltration are major reasons CAR-T therapies have shown limited success in solid tumors so far.
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Poor Trafficking and Persistence: Solid tumors often physically impede T cell entry and can induce T-cell exhaustion. Without sufficient numbers and persistence of CAR-T cells inside the tumor mass, sustained tumor killing is hard to achieve (Escobar et al., 2025).
To address these challenges, researchers are innovating next-generation strategies, from “armored” CAR-T cells that secrete cytokines, to viral vectors and bispecific adapters that retarget T cells to tumors. Dispatch Bio’s Flare platform is emblematic of this innovation wave, combining a tumor-selective virus and an engineered CAR-T in a synergistic cycle.
“A cancer-specific virus can seed the ground in the tumor for a CAR T to enter and function effectively… The two in combination feed off each other,” Dr. Sasu says, noting that as CAR-T cells kill virus-infected tumor cells, they release a further wave of virus, leading to a “slow burn from the inside out” in preclinical models. By iteratively infecting and destroying tumor cells, the virus and CAR-T amplify each other’s effects – something a CAR-T or virus alone could not achieve in solid tumors.
Preclinical Evidence Backs the “Flare + CAR-T” Approach
Early preclinical data lend strong support to this novel approach. At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2025) meeting, Dispatch Bio presented findings demonstrating that DV-10 effectively labels tumor cells and reshapes the TME, enabling BCMA-specific CAR-T cells to mount potent attacks on solid tumor models. Key results reported include:
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Robust Tumor Cell Tagging: The Flare virus consistently infected multiple epithelial tumor models, causing strong expression of the synthetic BCMA antigen on tumor cells. This “universal” tagging was achieved without marking healthy cells, indicating high tumor selectivity.
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Immune Microenvironment Reprogramming: DV-10’s delivery of IL-18 and CXCL9 in the tumor led to local immune activation. Tumors showed increased T cell infiltration and inflammatory signals, with reduced immunosuppressive elements (e.g. fewer pro-tumoral macrophage and fibroblast signatures), essentially turning “cold” tumors “hot” for immune attack.
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Potent Anti-Tumor Responses: In combination with a BCMA CAR-T (in preclinical tests, the FDA-approved ide-cel was used), the virus+CART regimen produced deep tumor regressions. Dispatch reported tumor clearance in vitro and in vivo across several solid tumor models, with no damage to normal tissues observed. One study showed the dual treatment cured >80% of mice with aggressive melanoma and glioma tumors, whereas CAR-T alone was ineffective (Evgin et al., 2022). The CAR-T cells not only eradicated tumors but also persisted as memory cells, giving lasting protection in mice upon re-challenge (Evgin et al., 2022).
These data underscore the safety, specificity and therapeutic promise of the Flare platform. “Delivering engineered targets specifically to tumor cells allows us to control antigen specificity, while also reprogramming the tumor microenvironment,” noted Dr. Lexus Johnson of Dispatch Bio.
Lexus Johnson/LinkedIn
The China Trial: Zevor-cel Goes Beyond Myeloma
Under the new collaboration, CARsgen and Dispatch will initiate a Phase 1 trial in China in 2026 to evaluate the virus-plus-CAR-T therapy, designated DISP-11, in patients with epithelial-origin solid tumors. Notably, epithelial cancers account for roughly 90% of all solid tumors , including common types like carcinomas of the lung, breast, colon, prostate, stomach, etc. This suggests the trial will be a broad “basket” study, enrolling patients across multiple tumor types to test the platform’s versatility. According to the protocol, participants will receive an initial dose of DV-10 virus, followed a few days later by an infusion of zevor-cel CAR-T cells.
Zevor-cel (also known by development code CT053) is CARsgen’s fully human, autologous CAR-T product targeting BCMA. It was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration in early 2024 for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, after demonstrating significant efficacy in clinical trials. As one of the first domestically developed CAR-T therapies to reach the Chinese market, zevor-cel provides a clinically validated and regulatory-approved CAR-T backbone for this new combination. Using an established CAR-T therapy should streamline trial logistics and safety monitoring, since zevor-cel’s manufacturing process and toxicity profile (e.g. cytokine release syndrome management) are well characterized.
For CARsgen, repurposing zevor-cel beyond myeloma represents a bold expansion of its utility. Essentially, Dispatch’s virus teaches zevor-cel a new trick, to hunt down solid tumors by making them express BCMA. “We can take that CAR T, which was designed for myeloma, and use it to make something we can use in all epithelial solid tumors,” Dr. Sasu explained.
Importantly, Dispatch engineered the dBCMA “Flare” antigen to stay anchored on tumor cells (removing BCMA’s normal shedding domain) and to be immunologically inert aside from marking the cell. This means zevor-cel should recognize and bind the tagged tumor cells as effectively as it does myeloma cells, without the complications of BCMA shedding or off-target signaling. In essence, solid tumors are made to look like myeloma targets from the CAR-T’s perspective.
The upcoming trial will primarily assess safety and dosing of the combination in humans, as well as look for early signs of anti-tumor activity across different cancers. Given the novelty, cautious dose escalation of the virus is expected. Investigators will need to monitor for any unexpected inflammatory reactions from the virus, interactions between the virus and CAR-T, and typical CAR-T related toxicities. If the approach shows an acceptable safety profile and even modest tumor responses, it would be a proof-of-concept milestone, the first time a CAR-T therapy demonstrates activity across diverse solid tumors by means of a targeting virus.
Outlook: A New Frontier in Cancer Immunotherapy
For oncology professionals, this collaboration is a clear signal that the field is pushing beyond traditional boundaries to conquer solid tumors. By fusing two cutting-edge immunotherapy modalities, CARsgen and Dispatch Bio are pioneering a multi-pronged attack on cancers that have long defied T-cell-based therapies. The ultimate beneficiaries, if this approach succeeds, will be patients with refractory solid tumors who today have few options. Imagine a future where a patient with metastatic pancreatic or lung cancer – diseases nearly invisible to current CAR-T cells – could receive a tailored virus plus a CAR-T infusion and see their tumors regress. That kind of outcome would redefine what is possible in cancer care.
Of course, significant hurdles remain. The upcoming trials will tell whether the elegant biology seen in mice translates to human patients. Safety will be closely watched; even a controlled immune activation could tip into severe inflammation or autoimmunity if not properly managed. The timing and dosing of the two components will need optimization. Nonetheless, the scientific rationale is strong, and the backing of two experienced teams provides optimism. “This partnership reinforces the growing confidence in Flare’s potential across a variety of immunotherapies,” said Dr. Sabah Öney of Dispatch.
Sabah Öney/fredhutch.org
In summary, the CARsgen-Dispatch Bio collaboration exemplifies the next generation of cancer immunotherapy, where combination strategies aim to unlock new indications for CAR-T cells. It highlights China’s rising role in biotech innovation and the value of cross-border partnerships in accelerating progress. As Phase 1 studies launch in both the US and China, the oncology world will be watching closely. A successful outcome could open the floodgates to universal CAR-T solutions for solid tumors. Turning a long-sought dream into reality, and bringing new hope to patients worldwide.