Leman Biotech, a clinical-stage biotech company incubated by XtalPi (2228.HK), presented landmark data from its investigator-initiated trials (IIT) at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. The latest results demonstrate that Leman’s metabolically reprogrammed CAR-T therapy achieved a 100% Complete Remission (CR) rate in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) using an ultra-low dose—just one-thousandth (1‰) of a conventional CAR-T dosage.
This breakthrough, powered by XtalPi’s AI-driven drug discovery platform, signals a shift toward a new “outpatient” model for CAR-T therapy, potentially overcoming the long-standing barriers of high toxicity and exorbitant costs.
AI + Metabolic Reprogramming: Solving the CAR-T Bottleneck
Despite its success in hematological cancers, traditional CAR-T therapy faces three major hurdles: high relapse rates, limited efficacy in solid tumors, and high manufacturing costs. These issues stem from T-cell exhaustion—a state where cells lose their ability to proliferate and kill tumor cells.
Leman Biotech’s proprietary META 10 and META 10-AI platforms, developed in deep collaboration with XtalPi, address this by precisely regulating T-cell metabolism. By combining XtalPi’s AI algorithms with high-throughput screening, the partnership optimized core metabolic factors, increasing their binding affinity by several hundredfold. Furthermore, the team utilized AI-trained “ultra-high-definition” molecular modeling to identify antibodies capable of distinguishing subtle, single-amino-acid differences between tumor and healthy markers, significantly enhancing specificity and safety.
Clinical Breakthroughs in Autoimmune Disease and Hematology
The partnership’s synergy has yielded remarkable clinical results across multiple indications:
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): In 2025, Leman launched an IIT for moderate-to-severe SLE. The therapy achieved drug-independent CR in all treated patients (100% CR). Notably, this was achieved at 0.1% of standard doses, without the need for lymphodepletion or the interruption of existing immunosuppressants, and with significantly shortened hospital stays. This paves the way for a safer, “immune-reset” paradigm via outpatient administration.
- Hematological Malignancies: The metabolic-enhanced CD19 CAR-T therapy also achieved a 100% CR rate in over 20 patients with relapsed/refractory leukemia and lymphoma. The trial successfully included pediatric patients and those unresponsive to traditional CAR-T treatments, with no observed severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurotoxicity.
Redefining Accessibility and the “Universal Engine”
Leman Biotech’s technology was recently honored with the “Honorary Award” at the 2025 National Disruptive Technology Innovation Competition. By utilizing automated, small-scale production equipment, Leman aims to transform CAR-T from a “million-dollar injection” into an affordable, accessible cure.
“Leman’s rapid progress is a testament to the power of the XtalPi ‘AI + Robotics’ ecosystem,” said a spokesperson for XtalPi. “By providing both capital and deep technical empowerment, we have helped Leman turn foundational science from EPFL into a clinical reality that could redefine the economics of cell therapy.”
The META 10 platform is designed to be highly compatible, acting as a “plug-and-play” solution for various formats, including in vivo CAR-T, TCR-T, and TILs. Leman is currently expanding its pipeline into solid tumors, with trials for cervical, liver, and biliary tract cancers already underway, and a new IIT for glioblastoma expected to launch in Q1 2026.
About Leman Biotech
Founded by Professor Li Tang of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and XtalPi, Leman Biotech is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company. Its META 10 platform has been featured in top-tier journals including Nature, Nature Biotechnology, and The Lancet Haematology. To date, the company has raised over 400 million RMB in venture funding and grants to accelerate its mission of curing cancer through metabolic reprogramming.
