China’s National Medical Products Administration approved Carsgen Therapeutics Holdings Ltd.’s NDA for satricabtagene autoleucel (satri-cel, CT-041), marking the first global approval of a CAR T therapy for solid tumors. The autologous Claudin18.2-targeted CAR T was approved for patients with Claudin18.2-positive, HER2-negative advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who have failed at least two prior lines of therapy.

Treatment with first-generation CAR T cells regularly sent patients to the intensive care unit. Now, investigators are envisioning a future where CAR T treatment could occur on an outpatient basis. At Sunday’s late-breaking oral session of the 2026 Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA2026), Lei Fan told his audience that the first-in-human data “support further development of LB-2501 as a potential first-in-class, off-the-shelf, single infusion, no lymphodepletion, outpatient use CAR T therapy.” Fan is a professor of hematology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.

Oricell Therapeutics Holdings Ltd.’s glypican-3 (GPC3)-targeted autologous CAR T therapy, Ori-C101, is heading into a confirmatory registration phase II trial in patients with GPC3-positive advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, positioning it as the first GPC3-directed immune cell therapy – and the first CAR T therapy for liver cancer – to reach that stage of development.

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approved Curocell Inc.’s Rimqarto (anbalcabtagene-autoleucel; anbal-cel) April 29 as the first homegrown CAR T-cell therapy to treat patients with advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

Optimism rose for what could be the first CAR T therapy in autoimmune disease as Kyverna Therapeutics Inc. made public a positive primary analysis from its registrational trial, KYSA-8, of mivocabtagene autoleucel (miv-cel, KYV-101) in stiff-person syndrome. Kyverna plans to submit a BLA to the U.S. FDA in the first half of this year.

The already-thriving CAR T space took another big stride forward as Eli Lilly and Co. disclosed its plan to acquire Boston-based Kelonia Therapeutics Inc. for as much as $7 billion in cash, including an up-front payment of $3.25 billion, with the rest coming if clinical, regulatory and commercial goals are reached.

“Home-run” efficacy and what Cowen analyst Tyler Van Buren called “pristine” safety in the phase II Alpha3 study with CAR T therapy cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel) sent shares of Allogene Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ALLO) skyward to a $4.46 high, up nearly 64%, on April 13. Shares eventually closed at $3.06, up 34 cents.

Oricell Therapeutics Holdings Ltd closed a $110 million pre-IPO round to expand its global footprint and advance its lead candidate, a GPC3-targeted autologous CAR T therapy for liver cancer to registrational trials.

Quell Therapeutics Ltd. has delivered the first clinical data indicating its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T regulatory cell therapy, QEL-001, can enable liver transplant patients to be weaned off long-term immunosuppression.

Gilead Sciences Inc. is acquiring partner Arcellx Inc. at a value of up to $7.8 billion, consisting of $115 per share up front and a potential payment of $5 per share through a contingent value right.