Galapagos has announced promising results from Cohort 3 of its ongoing Atalanta-1 trial testing GLPG5101, a CAR-T therapy for relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL).

Presented at the 2025 International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML), the data reveal a 97% complete response rate among treated patients and 100% minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity in those evaluated. Most patients (94%) received fresh CAR-T cells produced locally through Galapagos’ decentralized manufacturing platform — allowing treatment within seven days of cell collection without needing cryopreservation or additional chemotherapy.

“This is a major step forward for patients with limited options,” said Omotayo Fasan, clinical development program head at Galapagos. “Delivering fresh, effective CAR-T cells quickly reduces treatment delays and avoids toxic bridging therapies.”

Patients had received multiple prior treatments for follicular or marginal zone lymphoma. The therapy showed durable persistence of CAR-T cells for up to 21 months and a 97% progression-free survival rate at one year. Safety was favorable, with few severe side effects and no treatment-related deaths.

Maria Kuipers, a hematologist at the Academic Center in Amsterdam, emphasized the benefits of the fast, fresh manufacturing process. “Speedy delivery of early-memory-enriched CAR-T cells helps prevent disease progression and spares patients from extra chemotherapy.”

GLPG5101 is manufactured using an innovative, automated platform that streamlines production close to treatment centers. The Atalanta-1 trial continues enrolling patients in the U.S. and Europe, and Galapagos is expanding its decentralized CAR-T pipeline.