Kyverna Therapeutics announces report describing the first use of KYV-101

Kyverna Therapeutics announced the publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of a report describing the first use of KYV-101, a fully human anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell product candidate, in a 69-year-old patient suffering from treatment-refractory stiff-person syndrome as part of a named-patient use in Germany for critically ill individuals who fail conventional therapies. “It is extremely encouraging to see this patient improving the self-reported, uninterrupted walking distance from less than 50 meters to several kilometers within three months after treatment,” said Simon Faissner, M.D., professor for translational neuroimmunology at the Department of Neurology, Ruhr University Bochum, St. Josef Hospital, in Germany, and lead co-author. “These dramatic improvements – if confirmed by further studies – may eventually provide renewed hope for a much-needed paradigm shift in the treatment of debilitating autoimmune diseases.” “It is remarkable to observe the transformational effects in a patient deemed refractory to available standard treatments. With the disease progressing over several years despite the best medical treatment, I recommended the CAR T-cell therapy approach,” said Ralf Gold, M.D., professor of Medicine, chair of Neurology at Ruhr University Bochum, St. Josef Hospital, in Germany, and senior co-author. “The absence of observed neurotoxicity and the measured impact on the pathogenic anti-GAD65 autoantibodies pave the way for additional studies to confirm the initial, promising findings.” “On the heels of recent case reports of the use of KYV-101 in multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis, we are excited to see positive outcomes of KYV-101 in a patient suffering from SPS,” said Peter Maag, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Kyverna. “These data underscore the dedication of the Kyverna village to patient care and scientific advancement.”