The Long Run with Luke Timmerman Ep195: Ken Song on T-cell Engagers for Autoimmune Diseases
Mar 3, 2026
Ken Song, biotech entrepreneur and CEO of Candid Therapeutics, previously led Raise Bio to acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb. He discusses developing bispecific T-cell engaging antibodies for autoimmune disease. Topics include why T-cell engagers may mimic CAR-T effects more safely, licensing clinical-stage assets from China, regulatory and geographic strategy for rapid trials, and choosing indications to hunt for broad immune-reset signals.
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BCMA And CD20 TCEs With Oncology Phase 1 Data
- Candid licensed two TCEs: a BCMA-targeting engager (affecting B cells and plasma cells) and a CD20-targeting engager (B cells only).
- Both had completed oncology phase 1 trials in China/Australia, giving usable safety and dosing data.
Differentiated Safety Profile Makes TCEs Suitable For Autoimmunity
- The licensed TCEs showed a wider therapeutic index and substantially lower cytokine release rates than many approved TCEs.
- Ken cites CRS rates under 30% and mild severity versus 60–70% with some BCMA oncology TCEs, suggesting outpatient administration could be feasible for autoimmunity.
Get Clinical Data Fast Through Multiple Channels
- Prioritize getting clinical data quickly through multiple paths: compassionate use, investigator-initiated trials, and regulatory studies.
- Candid ran multi-geography efforts to generate first-in-patient autoimmune data fast instead of over-optimizing preclinical work.