Development of Armored targeted CAR-T cells for immune reset of T cell-mediated autoimmune diseasescore
iCARUS · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-04-01–2027-09-30
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call ERC-2025-POC · scheme HORIZON-ERC-POC · topic ERC-2025-POC. CORDIS record →
Objective
Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS) result in chronic pain, disability, and major socioeconomic burden, with estimated 20.9 million RA patients globally. Despite significant therapeutic advances, up to 20% of RA cases remain refractory, and MS frequently progresses despite treatment. Current therapies rely on systemic immunosuppression, require chronic dosing, and inadequately target tissue-resident pathogenic immune cells - resulting in persistent inflammation, progressive organ damage, and heightened infection risk. Our breakthrough solution is an inducible CAR T cell platform for Unleashing Suppression of inflammation (iCARUS). Unlike current CAR T therapies that indiscriminately deplete entire immune lineages, our approach combines selective depletion of pathogenic T cells with programmable local delivery of anti-inflammatory cytokines or cytokine blockers. This dual-action design enables targeted reset of pathological immune circuits, reprogramming of local tissue microenvironments, and durable disease remission without systemic immunosuppression. For patients, this platform promises a game changer in quality of life and lower infection risk. For payers, it provides a potentially curative, one-time treatment reducing lifelong healthcare costs.In this PoC, we will advance our ground-breaking technology from constitutive to inducible targeted CAR and cargo designs, guided by single-cell multiomics and advanced artificial intelligence. We will validate efficacy and safety in RA and MS murine models, paving the way for IND-enabling studies. This modular platform can be expanded to other autoimmune, neuroinflammatory, and fibrotic diseases, representing a new paradigm of precision immunotherapy where both the CAR and its therapeutic payload can be tailored to the disease context.
Beneficiaries (1)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE | IL | coordinator | €150,000 |
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