The CART_Andalucía project continues to make steady progress. Following the successful completion of Phase 1, the initiative has now entered its next stage: Phase 2, which focuses on preclinical development. As of January 27, the contract for this new phase has been awarded to the UTE BBZS_CAR-T consortium, marking an important milestone for the project and the start of a new stage of laboratory activities.

This consortium—formed by BIAT GROUP, Biogipuzkoa, ZIP Solutions S.L., and Science & Innovation Link Office (SILO)—will now move forward with the experimental development of a novel CAR-T therapy designed to improve efficacy, reduce toxicity, and optimize immunogenicity for the treatment of lymphoid neoplasms, including lymphomas and leukemias.

Phase 2 represents a crucial step in the innovation pathway. During this stage, the consortium will focus on preclinical research and validation, working in the laboratory to evaluate the proposed therapeutic designs and refine the most promising prototypes. These activities are essential for building a robust non-regulatory preclinical dossier, which will support future stages of development and help the advance of the therapy toward clinical implementation.

For ZIP Solutions, part of BIAT Group (ticker BST), this phase will continue to leverage Click-CAR, ZIP’s proprietary platform based on split intein technology that enables the design of modular and controllable CAR therapies. The flexibility of this approach aims to enhance safety and effectiveness while expanding the possibilities for next-generation cellular immunotherapies.

The CART_Andalucía project is funded through the ERDF Operational Programme 2021–2027 of Andalusia and managed by the Progreso y Salud Foundation within the framework of the Public Procurement of Innovation strategy of the Andalusian Public Health System (SSPA). The initiative seeks to develop a new academic CAR-T therapy that could ultimately be implemented within the public healthcare system.

Progress in advanced therapies often requires overcoming complex scientific, technical, and organizational challenges. The start of Phase 2 reflects the collective effort of multidisciplinary teams working across institutions to move promising ideas from concept to tangible therapeutic solutions.

As the consortium begins this new stage of experimental work, the objective remains clear: to bring innovative and accessible CAR-T therapies closer to patients and hospitals in the Andalusian Public Health System.

CART_Andalucía continues to advance—step by step—toward the development of the next generation of cancer immunotherapies.

👉 Learn more about the project at the following link: https://www.car-tproject.com