Promatix Biosciences Highlights the Power of its Logic-Gated Proteomics-Driven Bispecific Discovery Platform to Expand the Tumour-Selective Target Space for Next-Generation ADCs at AACR 2026

On April 21, 2026 Promatix Biosciences Ltd (Promatix), an emerging UK-based biotechnology company developing innovative new classes of cancer therapies using cis-bispecific antibodies, reported new data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026. The data demonstrate how the Company’s proprietary integrated proteomics-driven discovery platform addresses a fundamental limitation in antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development – the scarcity of truly tumour-selective targets – by systematically identifying complementary antigen pairs and significantly expanding the target landscape for next-generation bispecific ADCs.

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The data are being presented in a poster titled, "Overcoming the Limited Monospecific Target Landscape in Cancer via Discovery of Tumor-Selective AND- and OR-Gate Bispecifics". The poster outlines Promatix’s integrated discovery strategy, combining large-scale proteomic profiling (TxPro) with computational modelling (CipherPro) to identify complementary antigen pairs suitable for tumour-selective bispecific targeting. By exploiting hybrid avidity utilizing an AND-Gate, where both antigens are required for binding, Promatix aims to improve tumour selectivity, enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity.

While advances in payloads, linkers, and conjugation technologies have improved ADC performance, target selection remains a key determinant of therapeutic index and continues to limit innovation in the field. This challenge has driven increasing interest in bispecific ADCs and logic-gated targeting strategies designed to improve selectivity and enable safer, more effective therapies.

"Across the ADC field, target selection is increasingly recognized as the critical bottleneck for achieving meaningful improvements in efficacy and safety," said Dr. Michael Hunter, CEO and Co-Founder of Promatix. "Our integrated platform is designed to overcome this limitation through a systematic, data-driven approach to identifying complementary antigen pairs. It greatly expands the universe of viable tumour-selective targets beyond what conventional monospecific approaches can achieve and provides a scalable foundation for advancing next-generation ADC performance. In ADC development, we believe success will be determined by better targets, which will ultimately lead to better drugs."

Limited Availability of Tumour-Selective Monospecific Targets Highlights Need for Next-Generation Strategies
Using Promatix’s oncology-focused proteomics database, TxPro, comprehensive profiling of surface protein expression across tumours and normal tissues revealed that truly tumour-selective monospecific targets are rare across tumour types, highlighting fundamental biological constraints of conventional single-target ADC strategies. Of the 2,768 surface proteins evaluated, only 575 showed high cancer expression (above 10,000 copies per cell), and, ultimately, just a small subset of 24 proteins demonstrated strong differential expression (DE) on tumour versus normal tissue.

Notably, targets currently used in approved ADCs for solid tumours do not display strong DE profiles, underscoring the limited availability of highly tumour-specific antigens and the inherent safety challenges associated with single-target approaches. In contrast, several of the high-selectivity targets identified by TxPro correspond to antigens with emerging clinical relevance, including CLDN6, for which encouraging early clinical activity has been reported in ovarian cancer.

Current Bispecific Landscape Shows Limited Target Novelty
The current bispecific landscape continues to rely on a limited number of established antigens, with EGFR and MET dominating many existing programs. Overall, target novelty remains low, with only 15.3% of constructs including at least one unique target and just 2.5% incorporating two novel targets. Among explored programs, EGFR × MET demonstrated the most robust complementary expression, reinforcing its role as a reference benchmark.

Promatix Logic-Gated Bispecific Modelling Substantially Expands Target Opportunities
Using the CipherPro logic-gated modelling framework to predict complementary expression patterns, Promatix evaluated 165,025 possible bispecific combinations derived from the 575 tumour-expressed surface proteins identified in TxPro. Logic-gated modelling uses simple Boolean rules like AND or OR to combine multiple inputs and control the final output.

Application of the integrated TxPro + CipherPro platform revealed a marked increase in predicted tumour-selective opportunities across multiple selection criteria. Using a DE threshold greater than 10-fold with AND-gated modelling, 2,164 bispecific combinations were identified compared to only 24 monospecific targets. Even under more stringent expression and normal-tissue filters, the bispecific number remained substantial. Both AND- and OR-gated binding modes were shown to dramatically improve the number of selective targeting opportunities: AND-gated designs delivered the strongest predicted gains in tumour selectivity, while OR-gated strategies supported broader tumour coverage, particularly in heterogeneous disease settings.

Experimental Validation Supports Predictive Power of the Promatix Platform
The TxPro + CipherPro platform identified EGFR × EphA2 as a compelling AND-gated bispecific candidate based on expression patterns across tumour and normal tissues. Minimal overlap of the two targets was observed in normal tissues, while strong tumour co-expression was confirmed experimentally using immunofluorescence staining on a patient colorectal tumour biopsy as well as flow cytometry in colon cancer patient-derived xenograft lines. These results demonstrate the feasibility of selective dual-target engagement and show how computational prediction can be translated into biologically validated bispecific target selection. The EGFR × EphA2 programme, PBS293, is in development for metastatic colorectal cancer and is designed to address a broader patient population, independent of RAS/BRAF mutation status and including right-sided colorectal tumours, for which current treatments, including monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR, such as cetuximab, are ineffective.

"As the ADC field continues to evolve, expanding the universe of tumour-selective targets will be essential to sustaining innovation," said Dr. Roy Pettipher, Chief Scientific Officer of Promatix. "Our data demonstrate that logic-gated bispecific discovery provides a viable and scalable path toward safer and more effective therapies across many cancer indications. The platform doesn’t just predict new bispecific targets; it identifies combinations that work biologically and can be validated experimentally. Importantly, this approach has already been used to identify a promising ADC candidate, our lead programme, PBS293, targeting EGFR and EphA2 for the treatment of colorectal cancer, demonstrating how predictive discovery can translate into actionable therapeutic programmes."

(Press release, Promatix Biosciences, APR 21, 2026, View Source [SID1234664671])

Allarity Therapeutics Presents Two AACR 2026 Posters Highlighting Stenoparib’s Potential in Colorectal Cancer as well as New Predictive Data Linking DRP® and Overall Survival in Ovarian Cancer

On April 21, 2026 Allarity Therapeutics, Inc. ("Allarity" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ALLR), a Phase 2 clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing stenoparib (2X-121)—a differentiated, dual PARP and WNT pathway inhibitor— reported that it has published two scientific posters being presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17–22 in San Diego, California. Both are now available in the Scientific Publications section of the Company’s website.

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The two posters highlight new data supporting stenoparib’s differentiated mechanism of action as well as the Company’s proprietary Drug Response Predictor (DRP) for stenoparib as a companion diagnostic platform.

Poster presentations

Poster 1

Title: A Drug Response Predictor (DRP) is associated with enhanced overall survival in the phase 2 trial in advanced, recurrent ovarian cancer patients treated twice daily with 2X-121/stenoparib (NCT03878849)

Session Title: Biomarkers Predictive of Therapeutic Benefit 3
Session Time: April 20, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

This poster highlights clinical data demonstrating that the highest stenoparib DRP scores are associated with enhanced overall survival in patients treated with stenoparib, reinforcing the value of DRP-based patient selection in ring-fencing those patients most likely to benefit from stenoparib.

Poster 2

Title: 2X-121/stenoparib – a novel, dual inhibitor of PARP and tankyrase in phase 2 clinical trials in advanced ovarian cancer – blocks the WNT signaling pathway and inhibits growth of human colorectal cancer cell lines at clinically relevant drug concentrations

Session Title: Novel Antitumor Agents 2
Session Time: April 21, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

This poster presents new findings demonstrating stenoparib’s unique mechanism of action to modulate the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway and to inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cell lines at clinically relevant concentrations. Colon and rectal cancers remain among the most prevalent and deadly cancers in the United States, with a high number of both new cases and cancer-related deaths each year, according to the National Cancer Institute, underscoring the significant unmet medical need in this indication.

Chief Executive Officer of Allarity Therapeutics, Thomas Jensen, commented:

"These new data highlight the potential for stenoparib in one of the largest areas of unmet need in oncology—colorectal cancer—where we believe stenoparib’s unique mechanism of action could make it a highly relevant therapy for this patient population. Moreover, based on insights from our ongoing stenoparib clinical development, we believe our DRP platform may play an important role in identifying those patients most likely to achieve the outcomes we ultimately seek in cancer therapy: enhanced and extended survival with a favorable tolerability profile. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this, as extended survival- especially from an easy-to-take oral therapy without the typical toxicities of chemotherapy- addresses the most critical considerations for both patients and oncologists when selecting a particular therapy."

Both posters are available on the Company’s website under the Scientific Publications section.

About Stenoparib/2X-121
Stenoparib is an orally available, small-molecule dual-targeted inhibitor of PARP1/2 and tankyrase 1/2. At present, tankyrases are attracting significant attention as emerging therapeutic targets for cancer, principally due to their role in regulating the WNT signaling pathway. Aberrant WNT/β-catenin signaling has been implicated in the development and progression of numerous cancers. By inhibiting PARP and blocking WNT pathway activation, stenoparib’s unique therapeutic action shows potential as a promising therapeutic for many cancer types, including ovarian cancer, Small Cell Lung Cancer and colorectal cancer. Allarity has secured exclusive global rights for the development and commercialization of stenoparib, which was originally developed by Eisai Co. Ltd. and was formerly known under the names E7449 and 2X-121. Allarity has two ongoing Phase 2 trial protocols for stenoparib in Ovarian Cancer patients. In the first, patients who had had 2+ lines of therapy were enrolled on stenoparib and given drug twice daily. This protocol has been closed to further enrollment but continues for the enrolled patients who are still receiving benefit from stenoparib administration. The updated data from this study were presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) special conference on advances in Ovarian Cancer in September 2025. Note that, as these data are from an ongoing trial, analyses may change as the study fully matures. An amended protocol designed expressly to capitalize on the emerging clinical experience with stenoparib in platinum resistant patients began enrolling patients in the summer of 2025. This amended protocol enrolls only platinum resistant or platinum-ineligible patients and is designed to accelerate the clinical development of stenoparib toward FDA approval. In parallel, a separate Phase 2 trial evaluating stenoparib in combination with temozolomide for relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) began enrolling patients in early 2026 and is currently enrolling patients across multiple U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) sites.

About the Drug Response Predictor – DRP Companion Diagnostic
Allarity uses its drug-specific DRP to select those patients who, by the gene expression signature of their cancer, may have a high likelihood of benefiting from a specific drug. By screening patients before treatment, and only treating those patients with a sufficiently high, drug-specific DRP score, the therapeutic benefit rate may be enhanced. The DRP method builds on the comparison of sensitive vs. resistant human cancer cell lines, including transcriptomic information from cell lines, combined with clinical tumor biology filters and prior clinical trial outcomes. DRP is based on messenger RNA expression profiles from patient biopsies. The DRP platform has shown an ability to provide a statistically significant prediction of the clinical outcome from drug treatment in cancer patients across dozens of clinical studies (both retrospective and prospective). The DRP platform, which may be useful in all cancer types and is patented for dozens of anti-cancer drugs, has been extensively published in the peer-reviewed literature.

(Press release, Allarity Therapeutics, APR 21, 2026, View Source [SID1234664670])

Leads Biolabs’ PD-L1/4-1BB Bispecific Antibody Opamtistomig (LBL-024) Enters Phase Ⅱ Trial with First Patient Dosing in Gastric Cancer, Pioneering Enhanced Immunotherapy Combination Strategies

On April 21, 2026 Nanjing Leads Biolabs Co., Ltd. ("Leads Biolabs" or the "Company," Stock Code: 9887.HK) reported that the first patient has been successfully dosed in a phase Ⅱ clinical study evaluating Opamtistomig (LBL-024), the company’s core investigational PD-L1/4-1BB bispecific antibody, for the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

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Early symptoms of gastric cancer are often subtle and easily overlooked, leading to most patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage and facing a generally poor prognosis. PD-1 antibody combined with chemotherapy is recommended as the first-line treatment for advanced disease, with median progression-free survival (PFS) at only 7 months and median overall survival (OS) ranging from 13 to 17 months. Crucially, for patients with Combined Positive Score (CPS) <5, immunotherapy demonstrates no statistically significant benefit. These limitations highlight the urgent need to optimize and enhance treatment strategies.

Opamtistomig is a uniquely engineered bispecific antibody designed to simultaneously block PD-1/L1-mediated immune suppression and selectively activate the 4-1BB co-stimulatory pathway. By restoring T-cell functionality and expanding effector T-cell populations within the tumor microenvironment, Opamtistomig has the potential to deliver more potent and durable anti-tumor activity than PD-1/PD-L1 blockade alone, particularly in difficult-to-treat and immunotherapy-resistant tumors. To date, Opamtistomig has demonstrated first- or best-in-class potential in Phase II or registrational clinical trials across three indications: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (EP-NEC).

The open-label, multi-center Phase Ⅱ clinical study is led by Professor Shen Lin of Beijing Cancer Hospital and is being conducted across multiple hospitals in China. The trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Opamtistomig in patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Executive Commentary
Dr. Charles Cai, Chief Medical Officer of Leads Biolabs, stated: "The current standard of care—PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy—provides limited clinical benefit despite being recommended as first-line therapy. With a five-year OS rate of merely 9%, advanced gastric cancer demands transformative solutions. Opamtistomig’s Phase Ⅱ trial is strategically designed to leverage its dual-mechanism synergistic enhancement, positioning it to overcome current treatment limitations and establish a new therapeutic paradigm."

About Gastric Cancer
According to data published in 2022 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization, there were approximately 968,000 new cases and 660,000 deaths from gastric cancer worldwide, making it the fifth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality globally. China is a high‑incidence country for gastric cancer, with 359,000 new cases (37.1% of global incidence) and 260,000 deaths (39.4% of global mortality) each year, far exceeding global averages. Because early‑stage gastric cancer usually lacks obvious symptoms, only about 20% of cases in China are diagnosed early; the majority are already advanced at diagnosis, resulting in poor overall prognosis and a five‑year survival rate of only around 9%.

About Opamtistomig (LBL-024)
Opamtistomig (LBL-024) is a potential first-in-class bispecific antibody that simultaneously targets PD-L1 and the co-stimulatory receptor 4-1BB. It is the first 4-1BB–targeting bispecific antibody globally to advance to a single-arm pivotal trial as monotherapy, and it holds promise to become the first approved therapy specifically for extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma (EP-NEC)—a rare malignancy with substantial unmet clinical need.

Developed using Leads Biolabs’ proprietary X-Body bispecific platform, Opamtistomig features a 2:2 molecular format, incorporating two binding domains each for PD-L1 and 4-1BB with an optimized affinity ratio. This unique design enables dual functionality: reversing PD-L1–mediated immune suppression while selectively enhancing T-cell activation, resulting in a potent and synergistic anti-tumor immune response.

In two ongoing clinical studies in China, Opamtistomig has demonstrated promising efficacy and a favorable safety profile in patients with advanced EP-NEC, both as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy. Given the absence of a globally accepted standard of care for EP-NEC, these results support the advancement of a single-arm pivotal study toward potential accelerated approval.

Recognizing its clinical potential, Opamtistomig received Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in October 2024, and Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of neuroendocrine carcinoma in November 2024. Additionally, in January 2026, Opamtistomig was granted Fast Track Designation (FTD) by the FDA and ODD by the European Commission for the treatment of EP-NEC, further underscoring its potential to address unmet medical needs in this patient population.

Mechanistically, 4-1BB agonism can reactivate exhausted T cells and promote robust T-cell proliferation, offering significant promise for PD-1/PD-L1–resistant or immunologically "cold" tumors. Beyond EP-NEC, Opamtistomig has received clinical trial approvals across multiple tumor types with high unmet medical needs, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC), biliary tract cancer (BTC), ovarian cancer (OC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gastric cancer (GC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and malignant melanoma. Encouraging clinical activity has already been observed in NSCLC, SCLC, BTC, OC, and other indications, underscoring Opamtistomig’s potential as a broad-spectrum immuno-oncology therapy.

(Press release, Nanjing Leads Biolabs, APR 21, 2026, View Source [SID1234664669])

Dewpoint Therapeutics Reports Preclinical Data on Oral MYC Condensate Modulator at AACR 2026

On April 21, 2026 Dewpoint Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-state biotechnology company pioneering condensate therapeutics, reported new preclinical data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 highlighting its approach to targeting MYC-driven cancers through biomolecular condensate modulation.

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The data, presented by Ann Boija, SVP and Head of Research, describe Dewpoint’s orally bioavailable MYC development candidate, designed to disrupt transcriptional condensates associated with MYC activity. MYC is one of the most pervasive drivers of cancer but has historically remained beyond the reach of conventional drug discovery approaches. Dewpoint’s strategy directly targets the cellular context required for MYC function, representing a differentiated approach to modulating this high-value oncogenic driver.

In preclinical models, Dewpoint’s candidate reduced MYC condensates and modulated MYC-dependent gene expression, resulting in inhibition of MYC-driven cancer cell growth. The compound demonstrated anti-tumor activity, including tumor regression and stasis in solid tumor models following oral administration, along with a favorable tolerability profile supporting further development.

"MYC has remained out of reach for decades," said Boija. "These data establish a new path to targeting key oncogenic transcription factors such as MYC, overcoming longstanding limitations in the field. We see strong potential for this approach to translate into meaningful therapeutic impact for patients."

Dewpoint’s condensate-based drug discovery approach is designed to address high-value targets that have proven difficult to drug using conventional approaches, including a β-catenin program in clinical development and additional oncogenic transcription factor programs in earlier stages.

"We believe condensate biology defines a new frontier for drug discovery," said Isaac Klein, Chief Scientific Officer of Dewpoint Therapeutics. "By targeting the organizational principles of the cell, we can systematically access disease-driving mechanisms that have historically been beyond reach."

MYC dysregulation is implicated across a wide range of cancers and remains a major area of unmet medical need.

(Press release, Dewpoint Therapeutics, APR 21, 2026, View Source [SID1234664668])

Cardiff Oncology to Present Updated Phase 2 Data of Onvansertib in First-Line RAS-Mutated mCRC in a Rapid Oral Session at ASCO 2026

On April 21, 2026 Cardiff Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDF), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging PLK1 inhibition to develop novel cancer therapies, reported it will present updated data from CRDF-004, a randomized dose-finding Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating onvansertib in combination with standard of care (SoC) regimens (FOLFIRI/bevacizumab (bev) or FOLFOX/bev) in patients with first-line RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The data will be reviewed in a rapid oral presentation at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, taking place May 29–June 2 in Chicago.

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Rapid Oral Presentation Details:

Abstract Title: Onvansertib plus standard-of-care chemotherapy plus bevacizumab in first-line RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): Interim results from the phase 2 randomized CRDF-004 trial
Abstract Number: 3510
Session Title: Gastrointestinal Cancer—Colorectal and Anal
Session Date and Time: June 2, 2026, 8:00-9:30 AM CDT

The abstract will be publicly available on Thursday, May 21, 2026 on ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s website, and the presentation will be made available on the Scientific Publications page of the Company’s website following its presentation.

About Onvansertib
Onvansertib is a highly specific, oral PLK1 inhibitor currently in mid-stage clinical development for RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. It is also being evaluated in multiple other cancers through investigator-initiated studies, including metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

(Press release, Cardiff Oncology, APR 21, 2026, View Source [SID1234664667])