Kernal Biologics, Inc., a venture-backed TechBio company pioneering novel therapeutics to program human cells directly inside the body, today announced it will showcase new data from its proprietary mRNA 2.0 platform at the 2026 American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting, being held May 11-15 in Boston.
The presentations will detail the two pillars of Kernal Bio’s in vivo CAR T approach: a specialized targeted lipid nanoparticle (tLNP) that selectively transduces resting T cells in situ, and a machine-learning-based design method for mRNA payloads that ensures translation occurs only within target cells.
“Our presence at ASGCT 2026 marks a pivotal milestone as we move closer to making in vivo CAR T a reality,” said Yusuf Erkul, M.D., MBA, cofounder and CEO, Kernal Bio. “Our latest data demonstrate that with mRNA 2.0, we’re successfully layering two checks-and-balances mechanisms — targeted LNP delivery and selective translation — to ensure the therapeutic payload is only active where and when intended. This selectivity is the key to making in vivo CAR T safe and scalable.”
“By programming T cells in situ, we’re breaking the logistical and toxicological barriers that have kept CAR T therapies out of reach for the vast majority of patients,” said Burak Yilmaz, cofounder and president, Kernal Bio. “We’re moving ahead from the era of bespoke cell therapy to a future with safe and potent molecular programming done with a simple off-the-shelf infusion, allowing advanced cell therapies to be administered at any hospital, to any patient, on any day.”
Oral Presentation
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Abstract 361: T cell targeted mRNA tLNPs drive fast, selective and highly effective in situ CAR T cell programming
- Session Name: Oligonucleotide therapeutics
- Session Room: MCEC Room 257AB (Level 2)
- Presentation Date and Time: 05/14/2026 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
- Presenter: Manfred Kraus, SVP and Head of R&D Therapeutics, Kernal Bio
- This presentation showcases proprietary tLNP formulations that achieve effective uptake in resting and activated T cells. The data demonstrate T-cell-selective delivery redirected away from the liver, resulting in rapid peripheral B-cell depletion within days of a single intravenous administration in mouse models.
Poster Presentation
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Abstract 3266: mRNA design by machine learning for in situ CAR T
- Date/Time: 05/14/2026 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
- Presenter: Jeff Ozdemir, Cofounder, Head of Platform, Kernal Bio
- This presentation details an integrated machine-learning pipeline using transformer models to engineer mRNA sequences. Results show up to 40-fold cell-selective translation in vitro and 10-fold oncoselective translation in syngeneic mouse models.
More information about the conference can be found on the ASGCT Annual Meeting website.
About Kernal Biologics, Inc.
Kernal Bio is a venture-backed therapeutics company engineering cells inside the body using AI-designed, selective mRNA and targeted LNP technology. By developing in vivo CAR T therapies, Kernal Bio is advancing precision treatments for autoimmune diseases and blood cancers. The company was founded by experts from MIT, Harvard, Merck, and BMS, and its leadership team brings a track record of three FDA-approved therapies and over 120 patents. With support from leading investors — including Hummingbird Ventures, Amgen Ventures, Y Combinator, FoundersX, and HBM — Kernal Bio is transforming the future of cell therapy design and delivery. For more information, please visit our website at www.kernalbio.com. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn and X.
This research was funded, in part, by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as part of the EMBODY program. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government. For more information on the EMBODY program, please visit: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/embody.
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