Bispecific CAR Targeting CD19 and CD20 for Cancer Treatment

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Peptides (C07K)

Published April 7th, 2026

Detected April 7th, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted Patent US12594321B2 to Novartis AG for a bispecific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 and CD20 for cancer treatment. The patent covers CAR proteins, encoding nucleic acids, vectors, and methods for treating diseases associated with CD20 or CD22 expression using modified T or NK cells. The patent includes 18 claims and lists 6 inventors.

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What changed

USPTO issued Patent No. US12594321B2 to Novartis AG on April 7, 2026, granting exclusive rights to a bispecific CAR molecule that binds both CD19 and CD20 antigens. The patent covers the CAR construct, encoding nucleic acid molecules, viral vectors, and recombinant T or NK cells expressing the CAR. The 18 claims extend to methods of treating cancers associated with CD20 or CD22 expression using the modified cells.

Pharmaceutical companies developing CAR-T or bispecific immunotherapy platforms should review this patent to assess potential licensing needs or freedom-to-operate implications. Competitors in the CD19/CD20 bispecific space should conduct freedom-to-operate analyses and evaluate design-around options. The patent's broad coverage of CAR components including binding domains, hinge regions, and intracellular signaling domains may affect future pipeline decisions.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Bispecific chimeric antigen receptor that binds CD19 and CD20, encoding nucleic acid molecules thereof and methods of use thereof to treat cancer

Grant US12594321B2 Kind: B2 Apr 07, 2026

Assignee

Novartis AG

Inventors

Barbara Brannetti, Jennifer Brogdon, Boris Engels, Brian Walter Granda, Ming Lei, Jimin Zhang

Abstract

The invention provides compositions and methods for treating diseases associated with expression of CD20 or CD22. The invention also relates to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific to CD20 or CD22, vectors encoding the same, and recombinant T or natural killer (NK) cells comprising the CD20 CAR or CD22 CAR. The invention also includes methods of administering a genetically modified T cell or NK cell expressing a CAR that comprises a CD20 or CD22 binding domain.

CPC Classifications

A61K 40/11 A61K 40/31 A61K 40/4221 A61K 2039/505 A61K 2239/48 A61K 2039/804 A61K 35/17 A61P 35/00 A61P 35/02 C07K 16/2803 C07K 16/2887 C07K 2317/622 C07K 2317/56 C07K 2319/03 C07K 2319/33 C07K 14/7051 C12N 5/0636 C12N 5/0646 C12N 15/85 C12N 15/63 C12N 15/86 C12N 2510/00 C12N 2740/10043 C12N 2740/15043