Tempest Therapeutics Announces China Collaboration for CAR-T IIT

What Happened
Tempest Therapeutics, Inc. announced on July 17, 2026 that it entered a product development and investigator‑initiated trial (IIT) collaboration agreement with Heibei Senlang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The collaboration covers development activities and an IIT in China for Tempest’s in vivo CAR‑T candidates, beginning with TPST‑4003. Tempest expects first patient enrollment and dosing for the TPST‑4003 IIT (about 10 patients with myasthenia gravis or multiple sclerosis) in Q4 2026. The company issued a related press release on July 21, 2026 and filed the 8‑K on July 22, 2026.

Key Details

• Development fees per Product are set between $1.5 million and $2.0 million; Tempest is not obligated to pay more than $2.0 million for any Product without prior written approval.
• Senlang must deliver complete IIT data packages to Tempest and granted Tempest a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty‑free right to use all data from the collaboration.
• Following delivery of an agreed data package, Senlang has an exclusive 90‑day option to negotiate a definitive license for China rights to a Product.
• The Collaboration Agreement has an initial three‑year term, and Tempest may terminate for convenience with 60 days’ notice; material breaches can be terminated after a cure period.

Why It Matters
This deal lets Tempest advance early clinical testing of TPST‑4003 in China while retaining core IP and broad rights to the resulting data—important for regulatory filings, partnering, or financing. The capped development fees limit near‑term cash commitments per Product (unless Tempest approves more), and the option structure gives Senlang a pathway to commercialize in China only after providing IIT data, preserving Tempest’s strategic control. The planned Q4 2026 first dosing is an upcoming operational milestone investors can watch for clinical progress and potential partnering signals.