Verismo Highlights Novel KIR-CAR Clinical Data with $28 Million Investment

Verismo Therapeutics announced a $28 million investment on April 15, 2026 from HLB Innovation, its parent company, to advance clinical development of its killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) platform. The funding will support ongoing Phase I trials in both solid and hematologic malignancies, according to the company.¹

The investment comes ahead of a key clinical milestone for the company, as initial data from phase 1 trials (STAR-101 and CELESTIAL-301) of its two KIR-CAR programs, SynKIR-110 and SynKIR-310, respectively, in advanced solid tumors will be presented in a late-breaking plenary session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026. The conference will be held on April 20 in San Diego, Calif. SynKIR-110 is being studied in patients with advanced mesothelin-expressing solid tumors, and SynKIR-310 is in development for patients with relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

Next-generation cell therapies such as KIR-CAR aim to push beyond the limitations of traditional CAR-T approaches. New platforms aim to improve durability and efficacy, particularly in solid tumors for which clinical success has been limited.²

How does KIR-CAR technology differ from traditional CAR-T therapies?

Verismo’s KIR-CAR platform introduces a multi-chain receptor design that separates tumor targeting from T-cell activation, using a natural killer (NK) cell-derived receptor, KIR, paired with DAP12 signaling. According to the company, this design contrasts with conventional single-chain CAR-T therapies, which rely on CD3-based signaling and are often associated with T-cell exhaustion and limited persistence.¹

By decoupling these signaling pathways, KIR-CAR aims to reduce background activation and improve functional durability, which are key challenges that have constrained CAR-T efficacy, particularly in solid tumors. Preclinical data suggest the platform may overcome resistance mechanisms and enable deeper, more sustained anti-tumor responses.

"This investment from HLB Innovation comes at a pivotal moment for Verismo and for the KIR-CAR platform," said Bryan Kim, CEO and co-founder of Verismo Therapeutics, in a company press release.¹ "This funding ensures we have the resources to fully capitalize on that momentum—advancing our solid tumor and blood cancer programs toward the data readouts that will define the potential for multi-chain KIR-CAR cell therapy to provide durable results over current single-chain CAR Ts."

What is the clinical significance of upcoming KIR-CAR data?

The STAR-101 trial represents a first-in-human evaluation of KIR-CAR therapy in patients with mesothelin-expressing solid tumors, a setting with high unmet need and historically limited response to CAR-T treatments. Additional data from the SynKIR-310 program in relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma will further assess the platform’s applicability across hematologic malignancies.

The company’s late-breaking plenary presentation at the upcoming AACR meeting is expected to highlight the potential importance of these early clinical findings, particularly as the oncology field seeks next-generation approaches to address durability and resistance.

Preclinical data to be presented alongside clinical updates indicate that KIR-CAR constructs may outperform second-generation CAR-T therapies in lymphoma models and demonstrate activity in resistant tumor types, such as glioblastoma.

What does this mean for the future of cell therapy innovation?

The investment highlights growing interest in alternative cell therapy architectures designed to overcome the biological limitations of first-generation CAR T-therapies. As the field evolves, multi-chain and NK-inspired signaling approaches are emerging as potential strategies to expand efficacy into solid tumors while maintaining activity in blood cancers.

If clinical data support these early findings, KIR-CAR could represent a meaningful step forward in addressing one of the most persistent challenges in oncology, that of achieving durable responses across diverse tumor types.

With initial human data emerging, the platform’s performance in early trials will be closely watched as an indicator of whether next-generation cell therapies can redefine treatment potential beyond current CAR-T paradigms.

References

1. Verismo Therapeutics. Verismo Therapeutics announces $28 million investment from HLB innovation to accelerate KIR-CAR clinical development. Published April 15, 2026. Accessed April 15, 2026. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verismo-therapeutics-announces-28-million-investment-from-hlb-innovation-to-accelerate-kir-car-clinical-development-302742411.html
2. Wang E, Wang LC, Tsai CY, et al. Generation of potent T-cell immunotherapy for cancer using DAP12-based, multichain, chimeric immunoreceptors. Cancer Immunol. Res. 2015;3(7):815-26. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-15-0054