Evaluation of Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Arnovie101, an mRNA-LNP-Based In Vivo CAR-T Therapy, for the Treatment of B Cell-Mediated Autoimmune Diseases (SLE and AIHA)

Evaluation of Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Arnovie101, an mRNA-LNP-Based In Vivo CAR-T Therapy, for the Treatment of B Cell-Mediated Autoimmune Diseases (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia)

This is an open lable and single arm study designed to evaluate the safety, PK and PD of Arnovie101 in B cell-mediated Autoimmune Disease

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA)
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Arnovie101 Infusion Intravenous

Detailed Description

This is a prospective, exploratory clinical trial of Arnovie101 injection, an mRNA-LNP-based in vivo CAR-T therapy, in subjects with B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases (SLE, AIHA). The objective is to evaluate its safety, PK, and PD in these conditions.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 5
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Yajing Zhang, M.D.; Phone Number: +86 10-83605002; Email: yajing_cart66@126.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Teresa Yang; Phone Number: +86 13902947747; Email: muyizi.yang@circunited.com

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing Municipality
    • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
      • Recruiting
      • Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital
      • Principal Investigator: Yajing Zhang, M.D.
      • Contact: Yajing Zhang, M.D.; Phone Number: +86 10-83605002; Email: yajing_cart66@126.com
      • Contact: Teresa Yang; Phone Number: +86 13902947747; Email: muyizi.yang@circunited.com
      • Principal Investigator: Liping Jing

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Ability to voluntarily sign informed consent, including compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the Informed Consent Form (ICF) and this protocol.
2. Male or female, aged 18 to 60 years (inclusive) at screening.

3. Participants with relapsed/refractory SLE with at least 6 months of disease history and meeting the following criteria:

   A. Confirmed diagnosis of SLE according to the 2012 SLICC or 2019 EULAR/ACR revised criteria. SLEDAI-2K score ≥6 at screening. If the score includes low complement and/or anti-dsDNA antibodies, the clinical symptom score of SLEDAI-2K (excluding low complement and/or anti-dsDNA antibodies) should be ≥4. Poor response to standard therapy (at least two first-line treatments, including corticosteroids and immunosuppressants) and disease relapse after treatment.

   B. SLE: Stable standard therapy (including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, biologics, and glucocorticoids; oral glucocorticoid dose of prednisone or equivalent ≥7.5 mg/day and ≤30 mg/day; if combined with an immunosuppressant, no minimum daily dose requirement) for at least 8 weeks before screening, with current dose stable for at least 2 weeks and expected to remain stable during the study. Prior use of at least two immunosuppressants including hydroxychloroquine.

   C. Life expectancy >6 months.

4. Participants with AIHA meeting the following criteria:

   A. Participants with AIHA or Evans syndrome who have failed ≥3 lines of therapy.

   B. Failure of ≥3 lines of therapy must meet all of the following: hemoglobin <10 g/dL with symptoms of anemia; failure of first-line corticosteroid therapy; failure of second-line rituximab therapy; failure of any one or more third-line regimens (splenectomy, cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, fludarabine, bortezomib, etc.).

   C. Life expectancy >3 months.

5. Adequate organ function:

   A. Renal function: Calculated creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault) ≥30 mL/min without hydration support.

   B. Bone marrow function: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.0×10⁹/L, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) ≥0.1×10⁹/L, hemoglobin (Hb) ≥60 g/L, platelet count (PLT) ≥20×10⁹/L. Coagulation: International normalized ratio (INR) or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤1.5×ULN. Note: No blood transfusion, white blood cell growth factors (e.g., colony-stimulating factors), erythropoietin, or thrombopoietin within 7 days before the laboratory assessment.

   C. Hepatic function: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤2.5×ULN, total bilirubin <2.0 mg/dL (for participants with Gilbert's syndrome, total bilirubin <3.0 mg/dL; except when caused by SLE itself).

   D. Pulmonary function: Dyspnea ≤CTCAE grade 1 and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) ≥92% on room air (measured by pulse oximeter).

6. Female participants must meet the following criteria: 1) Not pregnant or breastfeeding; 2) Surgically sterile or postmenopausal for ≥2 years, or if of childbearing potential (including those postmenopausal <2 years), have a negative serum pregnancy test (β-hCG) and agree to use effective contraception (e.g., condom, spermicide, or intrauterine device) during the study and for at least 12 months after the last dose. Use of progesterone-only contraceptives is not permitted; 3) Agree not to breastfeed during the study and for at least 12 months after the last dose.
7. Male participants must meet the following criteria: If not surgically sterile and engaging in sexual activity that could lead to pregnancy, agree to use effective contraception (e.g., condom, spermicide) during the study and for at least 12 months after the last dose, and refrain from donating semen or sperm during the study and for 12 months after the last dose.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of an unresected thymoma.
2. Pregnant or lactating women.
3. History of active severe or unstable neuropsychiatric SLE, including but not limited to poorly controlled seizures, psychosis, acute confusional state, cerebrovascular accident, demyelinating syndrome, cranial neuropathy, or active central nervous system vasculitis.
4. Presence of clinically significant central nervous system disease or pathology before screening, including but not limited to: cerebrovascular accident, aneurysm, epilepsy, convulsions/seizures, aphasia, stroke, severe brain injury, dementia, Parkinson's disease, cerebellar disease, organic brain syndrome, or psychosis.
5. History of major organ transplantation (e.g., heart, lung, kidney, liver) or hematopoietic stem cell/bone marrow transplantation.
6. Presence of known active infection at screening, including active tuberculosis, active or infectious pneumonia, or recurrent peptic ulcer; requiring hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics within 4 weeks before screening, or oral antibiotics within 2 weeks before screening; history of herpes zoster within 12 weeks before screening; history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or positive HIV antibody test; positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and/or positive anti-hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) with detectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA above the lower limit of detection; positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody with detectable HCV RNA above the lower limit of detection; positive syphilis antibody with active infection.
7. History of any of the following cardiovascular diseases within 6 months before screening: New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II or higher heart failure, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, uncontrolled or symptomatic atrial arrhythmias (e.g., second-degree type II atrioventricular block, third-degree atrioventricular block, symptomatic bradycardia with ventricular rate <50 bpm), any ventricular arrhythmia, or other clinically significant heart disease. QTcF >480 ms (Fridericia's formula), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% by echocardiography at screening, or other significant electrocardiogram abnormalities.
8. Malignancy within 5 years before signing the ICF, except for: curatively treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin, superficial bladder cancer, localized prostate cancer, biopsy-proven cervical carcinoma in situ or cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion detected by Pap smear, and completely resected ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.
9. Previous treatment with B-cell targeted therapies such as belimumab, rituximab, telitacicept; anti-CD22 agents (e.g., epratuzumab); anti-CD52 agents (e.g., alemtuzumab), or other similar biologics; TNF-α antagonists, IL-6 antagonists, IL-1 antagonists, selective T-cell costimulation modulators, etc., with less than 5 half-lives before screening.
10. Use of any other investigational drug for SLE in a clinical trial within 4 weeks before screening.
11. Presence of other serious diseases, including liver disease, neurological/psychiatric disorders, endocrine system disorders, hematological disorders (including moderate-to-severe dyslipidemia and related conditions), which in the investigator's judgment would affect participation in this study.
12. Receipt of non-biologic investigational drugs (e.g., BTK inhibitors, JAK inhibitors), intravenous immunoglobulin, or plasma exchange within 4 weeks or 5 half-lives (whichever is shorter) before screening.
13. Vaccination within 30 days before the first dose of study drug.
14. Prior treatment with mRNA-LNP or other LNP-based drugs within 2 years before the first dose of study drug.
15. History of asthma, severe allergic reactions, or known allergy to any active or inactive ingredient of the study drug (including background therapy).
16. Prior CAR-T cell therapy.
17. Major surgery within 4 weeks before the first dose of study drug, or minor surgery within 2 weeks before the first dose.
18. Severe mental disorder or suicidal tendency.
19. Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes the participant unsuitable for this study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arnovie101 treatment group; Participants will receive Arnovie101 infusion (a nanobody-modified LNP encapsulating mRNA for in vivo CAR-T therapy) at the specified dose level and on the specified study days.	Drug: Arnovie101 Infusion Intravenous; Dosing will begin at a lower dose level and may be escalated to dose levels considered safe and potentially effective according to the study protocol.; Other Names: in vivo CAR-T

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Incidence of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT)	Up to 12 months
Incidence and severity of adverse event (AE) and serious adverse event (SAE)	Up to 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline of SLEDAI-2K score after Arnovie101 administration in participants with relapsed/refractory SLE.	Assessment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 from baseline administration at various timepoints up to month 12 follow-up visit. A total score can fall between 0 and 105, with a higher score representing a more significant degree of disease activity.	Up to 12 months
Quantify the clinical activity of Arnovie101 in patients using Physician Global Assessment (PGA) in participants with relapsed/refractory SLE.	Assessment of Physician Global Assessment (PGA) from baseline administration at various timepoints up to month 12 follow up visit. A total score can fall between 0.0 and 3.0, with a higher score representing a more significant degree of disease activity.	up to 12 months
Proportion of participants achieving lupus low disease activity status (LLDAS) in participants with relapsed/refractory SLE.	Proportion of participants who achieve LLDAS at scheduled visits through Month 12.	up to 12 months
Proportion of patients achieving DORIS remission after Arnovie101 administration in participants with relapsed/refractory SLE.	Assessment of DORIS response rate at various timepoints up to the month 12 follow-up visit.	up to 12 months
Changes in serological markers after Arnovie101 administration in participants with relapsed/refractory SLE.	Assessment of changes in anti-dsDNA antibodies, antinuclear antibodies (ANA), complement C3 and C4 levels at each visit.	up to 12 months
Percentage of patients with hematological response after Arnovie101 administration in participants with refractory AIHA	Hematological response is mainly evaluated by hemoglobin (Hb), laboratory Indicators of hemolysis (serum haptoglobin, total bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase) and reticulocyte count. baseline is defined as the last blood count and hemolysis assessment before the first treatment, provided a red blood cell transfusion interval of ≥7 days; if the transfusion interval requirement is not met, the last measurement before red blood cell transfusion is used as baseline; proportion of participants achieving complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR) at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year after the first dose.	up to 12 months
Changes in serological markers after Arnovie101 administration in participants with refractory AIHA.	Assessment of changes in anti-human globulin (Coombs test) levels at each visit.	up to 12 months
B cell counts in peripheral blood	Assessment of B cell ratio and counts (B cell counts per μl peripheral blood) and B cell subsets(naive B cell, memory B cell) by flow cytometry (FACS) in peripheral blood.	up to 12 months
In vivo CAR-T cell production	CAR-T production in the peripheral blood of participants, by flow cytometry (FACS), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in peripheral blood.	up to 12 months
Change of cytokines	Quantify the levels of cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6) in the peripheral blood.	up to 12 months
Change of inflammatory markers	Quantify the levels of inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR) in the peripheral blood.	up to 12 months
Immunogenicity of Arnovie101	Detection of incidence of anti-drug antibodies (ADA)	up to 12 months
Cationic lipids in whole blood	Detection of cationic lipids in whole blood using mass spectrometry (MS) or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).	up to 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Circunited BioPharma (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
• Collaborators: Boji Medical Technology Co., Ltd.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 7, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 20, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 1, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 1, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: SLE; AIHA; autoimmune diseases; mRNA-LNP; in vivo CAR-T
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Connective Tissue Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Hematologic Diseases; Anemia, Hemolytic; Anemia; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Autoimmune Diseases; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune
• Other Study ID Numbers: BOJI2026007

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No