Artiva Biotherapeutics to present new AlloNK trial results in Paris

By Elena MacLeod · September 25, 2026, 7:02 PM · 3 mins read

Artiva Biotherapeutics will share fresh clinical results on AlloNK with rituximab for Sjögren disease at ISSjD 2026 in Paris, focusing on how well it works and its use in outpatient care.

Artiva Biotherapeutics will bring its lead cell therapy, AlloNK, to the 17th International Symposium on Sjögren’s Disease in Paris. The company plans to show updated clinical data from 11 patients. Artiva is aiming to prove that its off-the-shelf, allogeneic NK cell therapy, given with rituximab, can work well and be tolerated by people with Sjögren disease—a tough autoimmune disorder to treat.

The oral presentation is set for October 1, 2026. Guillermo J. Valenzuela, M.D., F.A.C.R., Medical Director at Integral Rheumatology & Immunology Specialists, will deliver the talk. The session, called "AB-101, an Outpatient-Administered Allogeneic NK Cell Therapy, Combined with Rituximab Generates Robust Efficacy Responses in 11 Patients with Sjögren Disease," will take place in Amphitheater Adenauer at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris.

All 11 patients in the AlloNK/AB-101 Sjögren disease cohort had at least 6 months of follow-up at the time of data presentation.

AlloNK (AB-101) is a non-genetically modified, cryopreserved natural killer cell therapy. It is built to boost antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and wipe out B cells. Early clinical data from Artiva show promising activity and tolerability. This supports the idea that AlloNK can be given in outpatient clinics, which could make cell therapy easier to access. According to an official company announcement, the therapy was used with rituximab and led to "robust efficacy responses" in all 11 patients studied.

Artiva is not stopping with Sjögren disease. The company plans to start a Phase 3 registrational trial of AlloNK in refractory rheumatoid arthritis in the second half of 2026. It is also testing the therapy in systemic sclerosis and myositis. Artiva, based in San Diego, wants to become a key player in making cell therapies available for autoimmune diseases. The company says the upcoming Phase 3 trial in rheumatoid arthritis will be a major step in its clinical and regulatory plans, as detailed in a recent corporate statement.

For those following cell-based immunotherapies, this Paris presentation comes as the field is changing fast. As reported earlier, new approaches and combinations are quickly moving into diseases that were once hard to treat.

Artiva has outlined plans for a global Phase 3 study of AlloNK in refractory rheumatoid arthritis, targeting enrollment of approximately 150 patients, with topline results expected in the second half of 2028 and a Biologics License Application (BLA) submission anticipated in 2029.

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By focusing on outpatient use and pairing AlloNK with rituximab, Artiva is tackling both clinical and practical challenges in autoimmune care. The company’s move into Phase 3 for rheumatoid arthritis and its push into other diseases show it has confidence in its platform. If the new data in Paris back up the early results, AlloNK could change what doctors and patients expect from allogeneic NK cell therapies—not just in how well they work, but in how easy they are to use in real life.

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Elena MacLeod

Elena MacLeod is Clinical Biotechnology Editor at GenoMethods, covering CAR-T, engineered cell therapies, gene therapy, clinical trials, cancer immunology and regulatory developments. Her evidence-first reporting focuses on trial design, patient populations, safety, efficacy, response durability and the limitations that determine how early clinical results should be interpreted.