ZIP Solutions advances Click-CAR towards future leukaemia therapies

ZIP Solutions, a subsidiary of BIAT Group (BME ticker BST), has recently published in Frontiers in Immunology a study providing an in vitro proof of concept for Click-CAR development. The design aims to build chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) from separate modules, exploring new ways to regulate cell therapy activity. 

Click-CAR combines a signaling scaffold anchored to the T cell with an adaptor that recognizes the tumor target. Using ZIP Solutions’ patented split-inteins, the two components join to form a functional receptor. In this study, the adaptor targets CD1a, an antigen found in certain T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias. The experiments demonstrated specific cytotoxic activity against CD1a-positive leukemia cells. 

The study also involves researchers from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, OneChain Immunotherapeutics, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and the University of Rome Tor Vergata, as well as TERAV+, CIBERONC, the University of Barcelona, ICREA and the Sant Joan de Déu–Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona research community. Together, they bring expertise in protein engineering, leukemia research and cellular immunotherapy development. 

For Click-CAR, the findings support the feasibility of receptor assembly through an external adaptor and open a pathway to investigate temporal control of receptor availability. 

Source: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1844972