Umoja Unveils Dual-Target In Vivo CAR T for Multiple Myeloma

SEATTLE, WA – April 27, 2026 – Umoja Biopharma today announced it will present preclinical data for a novel immunotherapy, UB-VV500, at the upcoming American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting. The treatment represents what the company calls the industry’s first in vivo CAR T cell therapy designed to attack multiple myeloma by simultaneously targeting two different proteins, BCMA and GPRC5D.

This dual-targeted approach, engineered to be generated directly inside the patient's body, aims to address one of the most significant challenges in modern cancer care: treatment resistance. By unveiling the science behind UB-VV500, Umoja is signaling a strategic move to overcome the limitations of current therapies and potentially redefine the treatment landscape for patients with this complex blood cancer.

“Development in multiple myeloma is moving beyond single-targeted approaches toward dual-targeting and combination strategies, particularly as patients progress through existing BCMA-directed therapies,” said Andrew Scharenberg, M.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Umoja Biopharma. “We believe the future of multiple myeloma immunotherapy will be shaped by combination products that are designed from the ground-up to more effectively address antigen escape and disease heterogeneity while aiming to deliver greater and more durable efficacy.”

The Challenge of a Shifting Target

The treatment of multiple myeloma has been transformed over the last decade by the arrival of immunotherapies, particularly those targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a protein found on the surface of most myeloma cells. These therapies, including CAR T cells and bispecific antibodies, have produced unprecedented response rates in patients with relapsed or refractory disease.

However, their success is often transient. A significant portion of patients eventually relapse as their cancer evolves to survive. A primary mechanism for this resistance is known as “antigen escape,” where cancer cells reduce or completely lose the BCMA target, rendering the highly specific therapy ineffective. This leaves physicians and patients with dwindling options.

The clinical reality has pushed the field toward more sophisticated strategies. The consensus among leading hematologists is that hitting cancer from multiple angles simultaneously can prevent these escape routes. GPRC5D, another protein found on myeloma cells but with a different expression pattern than BCMA, has emerged as an ideal second target. By aiming at both BCMA and GPRC5D, a therapy could theoretically corner the cancer, making it much harder for malignant cells to evade destruction.

A New Paradigm: In Vivo Engineering

Umoja’s UB-VV500 embraces this dual-targeting philosophy but adds a revolutionary delivery method. Conventional CAR T cell therapy is an ex vivo process: a patient's T cells are harvested, shipped to a centralized lab, genetically engineered to recognize cancer, multiplied into the billions, and then infused back into the patient. While effective, this process is logistically complex, time-consuming, and prohibitively expensive, limiting its accessibility.

UB-VV500 is built on Umoja's proprietary VivoVec™ platform, which is designed to perform this genetic engineering in vivo—directly within the patient. The platform uses an engineered lentiviral vector, which functions like a biological delivery vehicle. These particles are designed to seek out and deliver a genetic payload specifically to a patient's T cells after a simple infusion. This payload instructs the T cells to produce CARs against both BCMA and GPRC5D.

The potential advantages are profound. An off-the-shelf, in vivo approach could eliminate weeks or months of waiting time for critically ill patients, drastically reduce costs, and remove the manufacturing bottlenecks that currently restrict patient access. Furthermore, Umoja's platform is designed to generate CAR T cells without requiring the harsh lymphodepleting chemotherapy that typically precedes ex vivo CAR T infusion, potentially improving the safety profile.

“UB-VV500 is designed to realize that vision through our in vivo CAR T cell approach,” Dr. Scharenberg noted in the company's statement. The promise of this platform is not just theoretical. Umoja has published compelling preclinical data in non-human primates showing that its VivoVec™ technology can efficiently generate functional and persistent CAR T cells in vivo.

Umoja's Strategy in a Competitive Field

The race to develop the next generation of myeloma therapies is intense. Several companies and academic centers are pursuing dual-targeted CAR T therapies against BCMA and GPRC5D, using various ex vivo methods like co-infusing two separate CAR T products or engineering a single T cell to express two different CARs. Others are exploring combinations of approved single-agent drugs. This flurry of activity validates the dual-target hypothesis and establishes it as the next frontier in myeloma treatment.

Umoja’s strategic differentiator is its in vivo platform. While competitors focus on optimizing the ex vivo process, Umoja aims to leapfrog it entirely. The company is building a broad pipeline on its VivoVec™ technology, reinforcing its commitment to the platform. Three other programs are already in Phase 1 clinical trials: UB-VV111 targeting CD19 for B-cell malignancies, and UB-VV400/UB-VV410 targeting CD22 for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

“We are encouraged by our safety and early clinical results in our three ongoing Phase 1 programs—UB-VV111 for CD19 and UB-VV400/UB-VV410 for CD22—which use the same VivoVecTM in vivo platform that UB-VV500 is built upon,” Dr. Scharenberg added. “Dual-targeting is the future of patient care for multiple myeloma, and we expect UB-VV500 to be at the forefront of that movement.”

Umoja expects to advance UB-VV500 into a Phase 1 clinical trial by the end of 2026, with initial data from its other clinical programs anticipated in the second half of the year. The upcoming poster presentation at ASGCT, scheduled for May 13, will offer the scientific community its first detailed look at the preclinical evidence supporting this ambitious approach, providing a critical glimpse into what could be a significant step forward in the fight against multiple myeloma.