CART4-34 therapy is an experimental chimeric antigen receptor T cell treatment that targets the IGHV4-34 B cell receptor, developed to treat certain B-cell lymphomas and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. A patient's own T cells are modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor based on the 9G4 antibody, which binds IGHV4-34 on malignant or disease-causing B cells; because IGHV4-34 appears on only about five percent of normal B cells, CART4-34 is designed to spare most healthy B cells, unlike CD19-targeted CAR T therapies, which eliminate a much broader population of B cells and suppress the immune system more broadly. As of 2026, CART4-34 remains in preclinical development, with cell-line and mouse-model studies reporting cancer-killing effects similar to CD19 CAR T therapy but with reduced off-target damage, and plans for phase 1 trials in lymphoma and lupus.
Facts
FAQs
How is CART4-34 different from CD19 CAR T therapy?
It targets IGHV4-34 rather than CD19 and is designed to spare most healthy B cells.
CD19 CAR T therapy targets a marker found on both healthy and disease-causing B cells, so it eliminates B cells even when they are not harmful. CART4-34 instead targets the IGHV4-34 B cell receptor, and it is designed to spare most healthy B cells.
Connections
Treats
Source CART4-34 therapy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation 2. CART4-34 therapy (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CART4-34_therapy, lead section
CART4-34 therapy is an experimental chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy that targets the IGHV4-34 B cell receptor.
Section: History (origin-year)
University of Pennsylvania researchers first presented CART4-34 in 2023.
Treats: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lead: treats Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
It attempts to treat certain B-cell lymphomas and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
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