Liberate Bio has obtained both exclusive and non-exclusive licences for patents related to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) designs tailored for myeloid cells, such as monocytes and macrophages.
The licences sourced from Carisma Therapeutics and the University of Pennsylvania include methods and constructs specifically engineered for function within these immune cell populations.
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The designs complement Liberate Bio’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery platform, which enables the selective programming of macrophages and monocytes in vivo.
With both the optimised CAR-sequence intellectual property and its cell-selective LNP technology, Liberate Bio is now positioned to advance in vivo CAR-M therapies into clinical assessment.
Liberate Bio’s Raptor platform conducts direct screening of LNPs in non-human primates to discover delivery vehicles aimed at extrahepatic immune cells.
The company has previously disclosed that its lead LNP resulted in more than 99% depletion of circulating B cells in non-human primates by selectively programming monocytes and macrophages.
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By GlobalDataLiberate Bio’s chief scientific officer Walter Strapps said: “This licensing agreement meaningfully strengthens our clinical programmes. Myeloid cells have unique biology distinct from T cells, and CAR constructs optimised for their activation and persistence are essential.
“By combining validated methods for CAR designs with our myeloid-selective LNP platform, we are building a differentiated and highly integrated approach to in vivo cell therapy.”
Liberate Bio CEO Shawn Davis said: “In vivo CAR-M represents a new chapter in immune reprogramming. By uniting best-in-class delivery with optimised myeloid CAR designs, we are establishing a durable foundation for a scalable and potentially safer alternative to CAR-T — one capable of reaching broader patient populations across autoimmune and oncology indications.”
The company intends to progress its initial in vivo CAR-M candidate into investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies, targeting initial clinical evaluation via an investigator-initiated trial in the latter half of 2026.
