Oncoinvent to present three abstracts at EANM and ESMO 2026

On September 30, 2026 Oncoinvent, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing Radspherin, a receptor-independent alpha-emitting therapy to eradicate cancer cells in the abdominal cavity after surgery with a single, targeted dose, reported that three abstracts from its Radspherin program have been accepted for presentation at the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Annual Congress 2026 in Vienna, Austria (17-21 October) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain (23-27 October).

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The accepted abstracts highlight key areas of the Radspherin program, including Radium-224 production technology, radiation dosimetry and the ongoing Phase 2 clinical evaluation of Radspherin in ovarian cancer. Two abstracts will be presented at EANM and one at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper).

Øystein Soug, Chief Executive Officer of Oncoinvent, said: "We are pleased to have three abstracts accepted for presentation at EANM and ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2026. Together, they highlight research across the Radspherin program, from Radium-224 production and radiation dosimetry to ongoing clinical development in ovarian cancer. We look forward to sharing our work with the scientific community at both meetings."

EANM 2026:

Abstract Title: A228Th/224Ra Generator Based on Citrate Solution for Production of High-Purity 224Ra for Radiopharmaceuticals
Session Title: The Science of Radiopharmaceutical Preparation
Date & Time: Monday, 19 October 2026, 08:48 – 08:52 CEST
Location: Hall G2
Session number: EPS-098
Session Number: 709

Abstract Title: Dosimetry of the Peritoneum from Radium-224 Calcium Carbonate Microparticles Estimated Using Monte Carlo Simulations
Format: Digital e-Poster
Session Number: EP-67
ESMO 2026:

Abstract Title: A Phase 2 Randomised Trial of Intraperitoneal α-emitting Radium 224 for Homologous Recombination Proficient Primary Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer – Trial in Progress
Session Title: Gynaecological cancers
Date & Time: Saturday, 24 October 2026, 14
Location: Barcelona Auditorium – Hall 9
Presentation Number: 1446eTiP
Presentation Format: e-Poster

(Press release, Oncoinvent, SEP 30, 2026, https://www.oncoinvent.com/press-release/oncoinvent-to-present-three-abstracts-at-eanm-and-esmo-2026/ [SID1234671158])

AbbVie Partners with Valkai to Apply Advanced AI Across Targeted Areas of Clinical Development

On September 29, 2026 AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) reported it is investing in its artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure through a new partnership with Valkai, a life sciences AI platform designed to help accelerate the pace at which scientific innovation reaches patients.

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Through its partnership with Valkai, AbbVie will deploy purpose-built AI capabilities designed to improve efficiency across targeted areas of clinical research, help teams generate insights more quickly and support opportunities to reduce development timelines.

AI plays an important role at AbbVie in advancing scientific innovation, strengthening connected operations and improving how medicines are discovered, developed and delivered to patients. Its partnership with Valkai builds on AbbVie’s strong foundation of applying AI across R&D, helping to further scale data-driven insights and innovation.

"At AbbVie, we are focused on applying AI where it can create meaningful impact for our business and, ultimately, for patients," said Nicholas Donoghoe, executive vice president, chief business and strategy officer, AbbVie. "As clinical data continues to grow in volume and complexity, partnerships like Valkai help us generate insights faster and enable our teams to spend more time on the decisions that matter most. By combining advanced AI capabilities with human expertise, we can help bring new medicines to patients more efficiently."

Across AbbVie, AI serves as a critical tool to complement employee insight, enabling teams to drive strategic priorities and expedite delivery of medicines to patients, while maintaining a strong commitment to responsible and ethical use.

"We’re delighted to partner with AbbVie, combining advanced AI capabilities with deep scientific expertise," said Vignesh Rajendran, co-founder and chief executive officer, Valkai. "AbbVie’s scale, innovation and unwavering focus on patients make this the kind of partnership that can turn bold ambition into meaningful impact."

"For Clinical Sciences in particular, success depends on the ability to learn quickly, adapt intelligently and make confident decisions based on an ever-growing body of evidence," said Andrew Campbell, M.D., vice president, clinical sciences, AbbVie. "AI capabilities, like Valkai, have the potential to help us reduce time spent on manual processes and focus more attention on scientific interpretation and clinical strategy, and ultimately, the insights that can advance medicines for patients."

(Press release, AbbVie, SEP 29, 2026, View Source [SID1234673302])

4BIO Capital leads €40 Million ($45M) seed financing of Aptadir Therapeutics to advance first-in-class demethylating medicines

On September 29, 2026 4BIO Capital, a specialist biotech venture firm transforming innovative technologies into breakthrough precision therapies, reported that it has led a EUR 40M Seed round in Aptadir Therapeutics (Aptadir).

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The funds will be used to advance Aptadir’s pipeline of disease-modifying investigational RNA therapeutics, including its lead candidate, CAP1-FMR1 for Fragile X Syndrome. Aptadir’s technology is based on the landmark discovery of a new class of RNAs, which are capable of blocking aberrant DNA methylation at a single gene level.1,2 By reversing this abnormal gene silencing, Aptadir’s RNA inhibitors can reactivate gene expression and restore normal biological function, an effect Aptadir has demonstrated in patient-derived disease models.

Dima Kuzmin, Managing Partner of lead investor, 4BIO Capital, added: "Finding truly innovative new science with such potential is exactly what we look for at 4BIO Capital. We invest with conviction where rigorous biology meets real unmet medical need and Aptadir’s platform does exactly that. We are delighted to back this novel modality that can give rise to multiple therapeutics addressing previously entirely undruggable disease mechanisms. The group of founders behind the science are world-renowned, and we are confident that the right factors are in place, from the science to the management team, to take this potentially life changing technology forward into the clinic."

Aptadir is developing a portfolio of drug candidates based on this proprietary technology. The molecules, called DNMTs Interacting RNAs (DiRs), target specific genes that are silenced in cancer and genetic disorders. The technology is based on the findings of an international group of renowned scientists in the fields of RNA and DNA biology, genetic disorders, leukemia and immunotherapeutics including Annalisa Di Ruscio and Daniel Tenen from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Vittorio de Franciscis of the Italian Research National Council, Marcin Kortylewsky of City of Hope National Medical Center.

The round was led by 4BIO Capital, with follow-on participation from the company’s original pre-seed investor, the EXTEND Initiative, Italy’s National Technology Transfer Hub, launched by CDP Venture Capital SGR and jointly funded by Angelini Ventures and Evotec SE. New investors include CDP Venture Capital (through the Digital Transition Fund and funded with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2021–2027 Regional Programme of the Lombardy Region, Xgen Ventures, Indaco Bio, through the Indaco Bio Fund and Bio Lombardia FundCE-Ventures, Angelini Ventures through direct investment, Kerna Ventures, Italian Angels for Biotech and the members of Club degli Investitori, through Simon Fiduciaria S.p.A.

Giovanni Amabile, CEO, said: "The magnitude of this seed round reflects the exciting potential of our DiRs technology and the quality of a truly international scientific team. Originating from world-class institutions, the discovery of this new class of RNA inhibitors was a landmark event not only from a scientific point of view, but also for providing newfound hope for patients affected by intractable disorders. With the backing of our investors, we now have the opportunity to develop a pipeline of drug candidates with the potential to restore genetic pathways that, for decades, have been considered irreversibly silenced."

(Press release, Aptadir Therapeutics, SEP 29, 2026, View Source [SID1234671177])

Oncolytics Biotech® Announces Publication Demonstrating Pelareorep Creates Immune Responses in Liver Cancer That Make Tumors Susceptible to Immunotherapy

On September 29, 2026 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (Nasdaq: ONCY) ("Oncolytics" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing pelareorep, reported data published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show pelareorep’s ability to change an immunologically inactive liver cancer tumor microenvironment into one that is immunologically active and potentially susceptible to immune-based therapy. The academic paper titled "MicroRNA-driven regulation of immunosuppressive microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma" was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on September 28, 2026 (link to the paper). Pelareorep is an investigational, systemically active immunotherapy that promotes potentially protective immune responses, including the upregulation of key inflammatory cytokines resulting in the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures and the expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

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"This publication provides additional evidence that pelareorep alters the tumor microenvironment in traditionally challenging indications," said Thomas Heineman, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Oncolytics. "The ability to enable chemotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors, RAS inhibitors, and other treatments to be viable in cancers that have previously been untreatable is helping to drive our business development conversations. While liver cancer is not an indication we intend to pursue at this time, the data align with our narrative that pelareorep works in challenging tumor types and can be considered a backbone immunotherapy that can improve the activity of many cancer treatments, while maintaining a favorable safety profile."

Hepatocellular carcinoma tends to have low levels of CD8+ T cell infiltration and Inducible T cell Costimulatory Ligand ("ICOSL") in addition to high levels of Transforming Growth Factor Beta / Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 / Yes-associated protein 1, which are signs of a significantly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Preclinical data presented in this publication show that infection with pelareorep reversed several of these effects, including dramatic increases in PD-L1 expression, ICOSL levels on tumor cells, and CD8+ T cell density. These changes imply the tumor microenvironment shifted from immunologically inactive or "cold" to "hot" or immunologically active, enabling immune-mediated lysis of tumor cells.

This cascade of immune responses creates an environment in which checkpoint inhibitors and other therapies can be effective. Pelareorep has previously shown the ability to initiate coordinated changes in the tumor microenvironment, including the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures, that are associated with improved responses to immunotherapy. In this paper, there is a noted increase in CD8+ T cells, PD-1/PD-L1 upregulation, and Inducible T cell Co-stimulator-ICOSL signaling. These are all necessary conditions for immunotherapies like checkpoint inhibitors to work in liver cancer, which is an especially challenging tumor type.

About Pelareorep
Pelareorep is an intravenously delivered, systemically active, investigational immunotherapy with a dual mechanism of action that selectively replicates in tumor cells while activating both innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses, including the upregulation of key inflammatory cytokines resulting in the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures and the expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. It has been administered to over 1,200 patients, and clinical studies have demonstrated pelareorep’s potential to enhance the activity of checkpoint inhibitors and other anti-cancer therapies across multiple solid tumor types.

(Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, SEP 29, 2026, View Source [SID1234671175])

Nurix Therapeutics Announces Achievement of $7 Million Milestone Under Strategic Collaboration with Pfizer

On September 29, 2026 Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRIX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, reported the achievement of a $7 million research milestone under its strategic collaboration with Pfizer for the discovery and development of degrader antibody conjugates (DACs).

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Nurix entered into the collaboration with Seagen Inc., now part of Pfizer, in September 2023. Under the terms of the agreement, Nurix received an upfront payment of $60 million and became eligible to receive up to $3.4 billion in potential research, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments across multiple programs, as well as mid-single-digit to low-double-digit percentage tiered royalties on future product sales. Nurix also retains an option for U.S. profit sharing and co-promotion on up to two products arising from the collaboration. In connection with today’s announcement, Nurix will receive a $7 million milestone payment from Pfizer, which will bring the total amount received under this agreement to $82 million.

About Degrader Antibody Conjugates (DACs)
DACs are an emerging therapeutic modality designed to combine the cell and tissue selectivity of antibodies with the catalytic mechanism of targeted protein degraders. Unlike traditional antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which typically deliver cytotoxic payloads to antigen-expressing cells, DACs deliver targeted protein degraders designed to eliminate specific disease-driving proteins. This approach has the potential to provide multiple layers of selectivity based on cell-surface antigen expression, the intracellular protein target and E3 ligase expression.

(Press release, Nurix Therapeutics, SEP 29, 2026, View Source [SID1234671174])