On February 10, 2026 Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4519, hereafter "Chugai") and Araris Biotech AG (hereafter "Araris") reported that Chugai has exercised its option under the Research Collaboration and Option to License Agreement ("RCO") previously announced by Araris in 2025. The exercised option grants Chugai a license to Araris’ proprietary AraLinQ linker-payload platform for the generation of novel ADCs against one target selected by Chugai.

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"Araris’ innovative AraLinQ technology is expected to deliver therapeutic effects in a tumor-selective manner by efficiently conjugating multiple anticancer payloads to a single antibody. By combining this technology with our core strength in antibody engineering, we aim to create innovative cancer therapeutics with enhanced efficacy and safety," said Dr. Osamu Okuda, President and CEO of Chugai.

"We are very pleased that Chugai has elected to exercise its option to license our AraLinQ technology for the development of next-generation ADCs with enhanced efficacy and tolerability. We are proud of the scientific progress achieved through this collaboration to date and look forward to seeing this program advance toward the clinic" said Dr. Dragan Grabulovski, CEO of Araris.

Dr. Filippo Mulinacci, CBO of Araris, stated: "Chugai’s decision to license AraLinQ technology represents a significant milestone for Araris. It further validates the scientific progress achieved by our team and reinforces Araris’ positioning as a partner of choice for the development of highly differentiated, multi-payload ADCs with antibody-like pharmacokinetics and exceptional linker stability."

With the exercise of the option, Araris will receive an immediate upfront payment and may receive additional milestone payments and royalties on potential commercial sales. The overall RCO provides for a total potential consideration of approximately up to USD 780 million, subject to the exercise of all options and achievement of certain milestones.

(Press release, Chugai, FEB 10, 2026, View Source [SID1234662560])

On February 10, 2026 AstraZeneca reported full year and Q4 2025 results.

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(Press release, AstraZeneca, FEB 10, 2026, View Source [SID1234662554])

On February 9, 2026 Eisai reported third quarter financial results and business update.

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(Presentation, Eisai, FEB 9, 2026, View Source [SID1234664002])

On February 9, 2026 Estrella Immunopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESLA, ESLAW) ("Estrella" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing CD19 and CD22-targeted ARTEMIS T-cell therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported positive STARLIGHT-1 Phase I results at the 2026 ASTCT & CIBMTR Tandem Meetings (American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research).

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The oral presentation highlighted clinical data from the Company’s ongoing STARLIGHT-1 study evaluating EB103, a CD19-redirected ARTEMIS T-cell therapy, in patients with aggressive B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). In the dose escalation portion of the STARLIGHT-1 trial, EB103 demonstrated a 100% Complete Response (CR) rate in the high-dose cohort at Month 1. Notably, all patients who achieved a CR have remained in CR through the data cutoff. The median Duration of Complete Response (DOCR) has not yet been reached, with response durations currently ranging from 3 to 18 months. Clinical highlights also include a complete responder with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL), a highly aggressive NHL subtype with an extremely poor prognosis of about 30% 5-year survival rate.

Most patients enrolled in this study are considered high-risk and were ineligible for existing commercial CD19 products. To date, the STARLIGHT-1 study (n=9) has reported no treatment-related serious adverse events (SAEs), reinforcing EB103’s potential as a safer, more accessible "best-in-class" therapy for broader patient populations.

"Being selected for an oral presentation at this year’s Tandem Meetings is a testament to the clinical potential of EB103," said Naseem Esteghamat, MD MS, Principal Investigator of the STARLIGHT-1 study at University of California, Davis. "What we’re seeing with EB103 is truly remarkable and very exciting for our patients. This is a heavily pre-treated population with many high-risk features, yet they had impressive response to EB103 with very manageable toxicity. The clinical findings give us tremendous confidence as we continue to advance this potentially transformative therapy."

"These data represent an important milestone for Estrella and underscore the potential of EB103 to address the significant unmet medical need in B-cell NHL," said Cheng Liu, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Estrella. "The unique design of ARTEMIS T cells aims to address the safety barriers and durability limitations of conventional CD19 CAR-T therapies, potentially opening the door for broader patient populations and long-lasting disease control."

A copy of the abstract presented at the 2026 Tandem Meetings is available at View Source

(Press release, Estrella Biopharma, FEB 9, 2026, View Source [SID1234662553])

On February 9, 2026 NextPoint Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new world of precision therapeutics through its leading scientific work on the novel B7-H7 axis, reported the clearance of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate clinical development of NPX372, a first-in-class T cell engager (TCE) for the treatment of patients with solid tumors.

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B7-H7 is highly specific to tumor epithelial cells and largely absent from normal tissue, setting it apart as a much cleaner and more selective target for a T cell engager. NPX372 is an IgG-like bispecific T cell engager designed to drive target expression–proximal cytotoxicity while minimizing non-specific T cell activation. In preclinical studies, NPX372 demonstrated complete tumor regression in solid tumor models, while displaying great tolerability in relevant preclinical safety assessment and no evidence of cytokine release syndrome.

"T-cell engagers represent a novel approach to delivering sustained anti-tumor immune responses to cancer patients," said Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of NextPoint Therapeutics. "This IND clearance enables us to accelerate the delivery of targeted immune therapy to broad patient populations in need, including patients with lung adenocarcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Our clinical program deploys an efficient dose escalation algorithm and utilizes a novel biomarker assay to select patients with the highest chance of benefit from a B7-H7 targeting TCE."

"The NPX372 IND clearance represents the strategic initiation of our clinical use of B7-H7 as a highly specific tumor-targeting antigen for potent direct tumor killing therapeutics," said Ivan Cheung, Chief Executive Officer of NextPoint Therapeutics. "The ideal expression profile of B7-H7 and the meticulous construct design of NPX372, along with a clinical trial design that enables fast and impactful data readouts, position NPX372 as a frontrunner in the emerging T cell engager field for solid tumors."

(Press release, NextPoint Therapeutics, FEB 9, 2026, View Source [SID1234662552])