Starna Therapeutics Raises $44 Million After Reporting Promising In Vivo CAR-T Data

SUZHOU, CHINA — October 22, 2025 — Biotech startup Starna Therapeutics announced preliminary clinical success and the close of a $44 million Series B funding round. In an exclusive Endpoints News interview, Starna executives revealed early results from investigator-initiated studies (IITs) showing complete elimination of circulating B cells—the target cells in autoimmune diseases and blood cancers—following a single, low-dose infusion of their treatment in a small, undisclosed number of lupus patients and a single non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient.

“Based on our flow cytometry data, there’s zero B cells per microliter in the blood within 72 hours after our first dose,” said Elliott Sun, Chief Business Officer at Starna. This early efficacy signal led to the rapid closing of the Series B round, which was co-led by LYFE Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, and Hillhouse.

A New Wave of Investment and Clinical Strategy

Starna’s fundraising is the latest in a spree of fevered investments in the in vivo CAR-T space, which promises to bypass the complexity and cost of traditional ex vivo cell engineering. The field has attracted massive deals this year, including recent acquisitions by pharmaceutical giants like AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Gilead Sciences.

Starna’s early clinical data, though preliminary and not yet published, were generated via investigator-initiated studies (IITs) in China. This strategy allows developers to quickly gather human data without waiting for formal clearance from national drug regulators—a tactic growing in popularity across both Asian and Western biotechs.

In the ongoing IITs, patients showed “very good B cell depletion” in biopsy results without the need for chemotherapy pre-treatment, which is standard for traditional CAR-T. The treatments were also described as safe, causing only “super mild cytokine release.”

Platform Focus and Future Plans

Founded in 2021 by veterans of mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) development, Starna initially focused on expanding LNP delivery beyond the liver to organs like the CNS, lung, and spleen. The company has now narrowed its mission to its proprietary in vivo CAR-T program.

Starna’s platform uses LNPs that target the spleen and feature full antibodies on the surface to home in on killer T cells. It also includes an internal microRNA kill switch within the mRNA payload to prevent off-target production in the liver.

Looking ahead, Starna plans to focus heavily on autoimmune disease, aiming to treat six lupus patients by the end of the year. The new funding will support the company’s efforts to begin Phase 1 studies in both China and the US next year, pending regulatory approval.

The company is also pushing the technology envelope, planning to test three versions of its therapy, including a “dual-CAR” approach targeting both CD19 and BCMA, and a next-generation therapy based on circular RNA.