On September 24, 2026 Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. ("Aptevo" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:APVO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel multispecific immuno-oncology therapeutics based on its proprietary ADAPTIR and ADAPTIR-FLEX platform technologies, reported progress in its next-generation trispecific programs. The Company is optimizing several trispecific candidates for reliable, scalable manufacturing, an essential step toward future human testing. Aptevo expects to enter Investigational New Drug ("IND") enabling studies for the lead candidate, APVO451, in 1H2027.

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Trispecific therapies are gaining attention across cancer drug development as researchers explore their potential to bring multiple complementary functions together in a single molecule. Trispecifics are engineered to do more than traditional antibody therapies. Each molecule can combine three complementary functions to recognize cancer, activate an immune attack and help overcome defenses that cancer uses to survive. Aptevo’s protein-engineering and process development expertise makes it possible to bring these carefully selected functions together in one stable molecule and create differentiated therapies for specific cancers.

"Trispecifics open an exciting new path in cancer drug development by allowing us to engineer several complementary functions into one therapy," said Peter Pavlik, PhD, Senior Director of Protein Engineering at Aptevo. "We are now taking the critical next step – optimizing trispecific candidates for reliable, scalable manufacturing, an essential step toward future human testing. Aptevo expects to enter Investigational New Drug ("IND")-enabling studies for the lead candidate, APVO451, in 1H2027. This progress reflects both the strength of our engineering capabilities and our ability to translate promising science into potential medicines."

The Company’s trispecific programs build on its multispecific expertise, offering the potential to create differentiated candidates – and value – across multiple cancer programs.

Why This Work Builds Value

Aptevo is moving its trispecific candidates beyond molecular design by developing reliable, scalable manufacturing methods to produce them for human testing. Showing that these complex molecules can be manufactured consistently helps reduce a major development risk and prepares the lead candidate for the steps required before human testing. The same expertise and capabilities may also support additional trispecific candidates, strengthening the broader ADAPTIR-FLEX platform and creating more opportunities for future clinical progress and partnerships.

Aptevo expects to present additional details on these ongoing development activities at an upcoming international scientific conference.

(Press release, Aptevo Therapeutics, SEP 24, 2026, View Source [SID1234671052])

On September 24, 2026 Immuneering Corporation (Nasdaq: IMRX), a late-stage clinical oncology company focused on keeping cancer patients alive and helping them thrive, reported that a trial in progress abstract featuring the ongoing Phase 3 MAPKeeper 301 trial of atebimetinib in combination with modified gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (mGnP) for the treatment of first-line pancreatic cancer (NCT07562152) has been accepted for poster presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026, taking place October 23-27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain.

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Poster Presentation Details:
Title: MAPKeeper-301: A Phase 3 Randomized, Open-Label Study of Atebimetinib in Combination with the Modified Gemcitabine and nab-Paclitaxel Regimen Versus Standard Gemcitabine and nab-Paclitaxel for Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Lead Author: Eileen M. O’Reilly, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Session Title: Pancreatic cancer
Poster Number: 3189TiP
Date and Time: Sunday, October 25, 2026, 12:00-12:45 pm CET

Full abstracts will be published on the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) website on October 19, 2026, at 00:05 CEST. Following presentation, the poster will be available on the publications section of Immuneering’s website at View Source

(Press release, Immuneering, SEP 24, 2026, View Source [SID1234671051])

On September 24, 2026 Heidelberg Pharma AG (FSE: HPHA), a clinical-stage biotech company developing innovative Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs), reported new data from its Phase I/IIa clinical study with its lead Amanitin-based ADC candidate, pamlectabart tismanitin (HDP-101), at the 23rd International Myeloma Society (IMS) Annual Meeting in Glasgow, UK.

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The Phase I dose escalation part of the clinical study was completed in April 2026, after treating ten patient cohorts across a dose range of 20 to 218 µg/kg. Heidelberg Pharma’s Benefit and Risk Assessment team agreed with the recommendation of the study’s Safety Review Committee (SRC), which had conducted a comprehensive review of safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic (PK) data from the ongoing trial, and selected the dose level from Cohort 9 – 175 µg/kg – as Recommended Phase 2 Dose (RP2D).

In the Phase I part of the study, 53 patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) were dosed and included in the data analysis. All patients were heavily pretreated with a median of five prior lines of treatment. Pamlectabart tismanitin was well-tolerated and a maximum tolerated dose was not reached. All adverse events that occurred were reversible, and no treatment related grade 5 events were observed.

Clinical responses were observed from ≥90 µg/kg, with increasing efficacy at higher doses. Across Cohorts 5 – 9, the Overall Response Rate (ORR) was 42% (13 out of 31 evaluable patients), including seven partial responses (PR), three very good partial responses (VGPR), and three stringent complete responses (sCR). In Cohort 9 (175 µg/kg), two out of five evaluable patients achieved a response: one PR and one VGPR. Additionally, one patient achieved minimal response (MR) and one patient with non-measurable disease achieved complete response (CR). Two of these patients are still under treatment.

Dr. Dongzhou Jeffery Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Heidelberg Pharma: "The data presented at IMS further strengthen our confidence in pamlectabart tismanitin as a promising new BCMA-targeted ADC. The observed clinical activity and favorable safety profile in heavily pretreated RRMM patients highlight the potential of our Amanitin-based ADC product to address unmet needs in multiple myeloma patients. With the RP2D now established, we look forward to advancing into the Phase IIa study further evaluating the therapeutic potential of pamlectabart tismanitin."

Heidelberg Pharma’s Phase I/IIa clinical study is a non-randomized, open-label, dose escalation trial actively enrolling patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma or other BCMA-expressing plasma cell disorders. The study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of pamlectabart tismanitin in this patient population.

The poster can be found on the Company’s website: Poster IMS 2026

(Press release, Heidelberg Pharma, SEP 24, 2026, View Source [SID1234671050])

On September 24, 2026 Xenetic Biosciences presented its corporate presentation.

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(Presentation, Xenetic Biosciences, SEP 24, 2026, View Source [SID1234671049])

On September 24, 2026 SL Science Holding Limited ("SL Science" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: SLBT), a Taiwan-headquartered biomedical company specializing in developing innovative cellular and gene therapies, reported new preclinical data evaluating unmodified human γδ T cells in glioblastoma (GBM) — the Company’s unmodified γδ T cell therapy platform (the "GDT platform"). The findings are being presented as poster P-2017 at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Cancer Association, held from September 24–26, 2026. The research was conducted in collaboration with investigators at Taipei Medical University (TMU), JY BioMed, and HeXun Biosciences.

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Key Data Presented
Targeting Resistant Cells: In advanced laboratory models, γδ T cells showed preferential cytotoxicity toward O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)-positive GBM cells, which are typically resistant to standard chemotherapy.

Rapid Tumor Elimination: Real-time analysis across three distinct GBM cell lines (U87MG, T98G, and LN229) showed a dose-dependent drop in tumor cells upon the addition of γδ T cells.

Superior Efficacy: The γδ T cells exhibited higher cancer-killing activity than conventional αβ T cells in direct in vitro comparisons.

In Vivo Survival: Contextual data confirmed that the therapy reduced tumor size and prolonged survival in an intracranial GBM model, without obvious tolerability issues or macroscopic adverse findings.

Overcoming Standard Chemotherapy Limits
Glioblastoma is traditionally treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and the chemotherapy drug temozolomide. However, tumors reliably return. A key driver of this recurrence is the MGMT repair enzyme: cancer cells expressing this enzyme can reverse the DNA damage caused by chemotherapy, allowing them to survive treatment.

The new data show that SL Science’s γδ T cells directly address this chemo-resistant population. Because γδ T cells recognize general stress signals on cancer cells rather than relying on a single antigen, their cancer-killing ability is not hindered by the tumor’s DNA-repair mechanisms. In short, the cells are active against the exact fraction of the tumor that standard chemotherapy struggles to eliminate.

A Clear Development Pathway
This presentation marks the third recent milestone in a defined development sequence for the Company. It follows a July presentation in Melbourne demonstrating the therapy’s ability to control tumor growth in vivo, and an August peer-reviewed publication outlining the clinical development requirements for this modality. The current data helps answer a crucial third question: identifying which patients and tumor types are suited for this approach.

"Showing that something kills tumor cells is the beginning of the work, not the end of it," said Mr. William Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SL Science. "What we are presenting in Japan is a highly practical result: these cells appear active against the MGMT-positive fraction, which is the fraction temozolomide leaves behind. If that holds up, it tells us where this therapy belongs in the treatment sequence and which patients it is matched to. These remain preclinical findings, and we are presenting them where they can be rigorously examined by the field."

(Press release, SL Science, SEP 24, 2026, View Source [SID1234671048])