10:54 AM EST, 01/28/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Allogene Therapeutics ( ALLO ) has been cleared by US regulators to begin phase 1 testing of its ALLO-329 drug candidate in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The upcoming study approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and slated to begin by mid-2025 takes in several types of rheumatological disorders and will evaluate the safety and efficacy of ALLO-329 in patients with lupus nephritis, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and systemic sclerosis.

The trial design also is intended to increase CAR-T cell expansion in patients and prevent rejection by having two distinct lymphodepletion arms, with patients in one part of the study receiving a dose of cyclophosphamide alone which is used by rheumatologists and the other that eliminates lymphodepletion entirely, the company said.

Allogene shares were 0.3% lower in recent trading.

Price: 1.95, Change: +0.02, Percent Change: +0.78