A new biotech, Boulevard Bio, has launched with $65 million to develop treatments that “reset” the immune system in autoimmune diseases — co-founded by one of the field’s most influential figures.
Announced August 12, 2026 and backed by Deerfield Management (via its 3DC biotech-building arm), the company is co-founded by physician-scientist Georg Schett, who about five years ago showed that CAR T-cell therapy could drive lupus into complete remission — a result since extended to other inflammatory disorders and a major driver of the “immune reset” movement. Deerfield’s Frank Nestle is a co-founder, and Mahesh Karande (formerly of Omega Therapeutics) is CEO.
The pipeline
Boulevard is pursuing several approaches. Its lead, BLVD101, is a bispecific antibody blocking the immune proteins BAFF and APRIL, aimed at the kidney disease IgA nephropathy, with early data supporting quarterly dosing — more convenient than rivals dosed weekly or monthly. A second program, BLVD201, is a T-cell engager (licensed from Metis TechBio for $20 million up front) designed for immune reset, and a third, BLVD301, targets a novel B-cell-driven autoimmune pathway.
Why it matters
Millions of people live with autoimmune diseases, and the field is racing to translate the dramatic CAR-T results into treatments that are safer, cheaper and easier to give than cell therapy. Boulevard is betting that antibody- and engager-based approaches can deliver an immune reset without the complexity of manufacturing cells for each patient.