On April 17, 2026 NEOK Bio, Inc., an oncology therapeutics company focused on the development of novel antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for improving outcomes for cancer patients, reported that two poster presentations highlighting its ADC pipeline will be delivered at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 taking place April 17-22, 2026, in San Diego, California.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2026 presentations will showcase NEOK’s emerging pipeline of next-generation ADCs engineered to target proteins broadly expressed across tumor types with high unmet need. The company will present new findings for its two lead bispecific candidates: NEOK001, a first-in-class "2+2" bispecific ADC designed to target B7-H3 and ROR1-expressing tumors, and NEOK002, a "1+1" bispecific ADC targeting EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) and MUC1 (Mucin 1)-expressing solid tumors. Both therapies utilize Synaffix’s proprietary, validated linker-payload technology with a DAR 4 Topoisomerase-1 (Topo-1) inhibitor, exatecan (SYNtecan E ).

Both programs have received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and NEOK plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials in 2Q 2026, with initial clinical data readouts anticipated in 2027. Both of NEOK’s bispecific ADC candidates will enter the clinic on a foundation of promising preclinical studies, where they have demonstrated superior in vivo efficacy in solid tumors compared to traditional monovalent ADCs.

Preclinical data will be shared in two separate poster presentations on April 20 during the session titled "Antibody Drug Conjugates and Linker Engineering 2" at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2026. Highlights of the presentations include:

Poster 1724: NEOK001: A first-in-class B7-H3xROR1 bispecific ADC demonstrated enhanced efficacy and promising tolerability

Potent dual‑target cytotoxicity and strong bystander killing, supporting activity in heterogeneous solid tumors
Broad efficacy across 38 PDX models, achieving 84% tumor growth inhibition and 53% deep tumor regression across nine major cancer types
Outperformed clinical benchmark ADCs, including I‑Dxd and zilovertamab vedotin, and successfully regressed I‑Dxd-treated regrowing tumors
Observed favorable safety profile in GLP toxicology studies (HNSTD: 60 mg/kg) with stable DAR and predictable pharmacokinetics
Poster 1726: NEOK002: Designing an EGFRxMUC1 Bispecific TOP1i ADC with Promising Anti-Tumor Activity and Enhanced Therapeutic Window

Dual-targeting design enhances binding and internalization in dual-positive tumor cells while reducing off‑tumor EGFR engagement
Robust antitumor activity across 36 PDX models, achieving tumor regressions in 78%, including KRAS‑mutant and heavily pretreated tumors
Favorable safety profile with minimal impact on keratinocyte proliferation and reduced inhibition of EGFR signaling versus cetuximab-based ADCs
Strong combination potential sotorasib, enabling extended tumor regression for 58 days in KRAS G12C-mutant models
"These preclinical findings underscore the potential of our next-generation ADC pipeline to overcome the limitations of conventional monovalent designs," said Mayank Gandhi, MD, CEO of NEOK Bio. "As we prepare to accelerate both candidates into clinical development, we look forward to sharing their differentiated mechanisms and compelling pre-clinical activity at ACCR 2026."

(Press release, Neok Bio, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664498])

On April 17, 2026 SingleCell Biotechnology, a biotechnology company developing technologies to measure tumor cell behavior at single-cell resolution, reported the presentation of new data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 demonstrating an integrated, high-throughput assay capable of measuring clonal tumor cell growth across thousands of individual microenvironments while preserving the full distribution of proliferative behaviors.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The data show the platform can consistently measure differences in how individual tumor cells grow across multiple glioblastoma models. Importantly, it captures cell states that are often missed by traditional assays. It also enables tracking of single cells over time and recovery of specific cell populations for further analysis, allowing researchers to connect how cells behave with their underlying biology.

Tumor heterogeneity remains a major challenge in oncology drug development. Traditional preclinical approaches often rely on average responses across large groups of cells, which can miss the smaller populations that drive treatment resistance and disease progression. As a result, it remains difficult to identify and study the cells most responsible for relapse.

Presentation Details:
Poster Title: An Integrated High-throughput Assay for Proliferative Phenotypic and Omics
Presenter: Shiska Raut, Machine Learning Engineer
Poster ID: LB029
Session Date/Time: Sunday, April 19, 2026, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 51, Board #9, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA

(Press release, SingleCell Biotechnology, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664497])

On April 17, 2026 Orum Therapeutics ("Orum" or the "Company") (KRX: 475830), a biotechnology company pioneering the field of degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs), reported the presentation of new preclinical data for ORM-1153, a CD123-targeting DAC designed to selectively deliver a proprietary GSPT1-degrading payload, in development for the treatment of AML and other CD123-positive hematological malignancies. The data were presented in two posters at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"These data show strong preclinical activity and the potential for a differentiated safety and tolerability profile, supporting the advancement of ORM-1153 as a next-generation CD123-targeting degrader-antibody conjugate for acute myeloid leukemia," said Chad May, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Orum. "Our approach combines a proprietary CD123-antibody and novel GSPT1-targeted protein degrader with the goal of achieving greater selectivity than conventional cytotoxic antibody-drug conjugates. We believe this strategy can enable more effective and better-tolerated therapies for patients with AML."

The first poster (Abstract Number: 1824) highlights how ORM-1153 was engineered with a proprietary CD123-antibody designed for enhanced internalization and reduced Fc-gamma receptor interactions, together with a linker optimized for plasma stability, an approach intended to improve delivery, reduce off-target and immune cell engagement, and support favorable pharmacologic properties. Consistent with that design, ORM-1153 showed strong preclinical anti-leukemia activity at low doses, along with prolonged accumulation in tumors, undetectable systemic free payload, and favorable repeat-dose non-human primate findings supporting a manageable safety and tolerability profile.

Data from the second poster (Abstract Number: 1710) extend Orum’s previously presented findings by showing activity across primary AML patient samples and in models with relevant tumor mutations, including TP53. Taken together, the findings support the potential for broad activity in AML, including in patients with TP53 mutations.

"These AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) data are particularly encouraging in the context of AML, where many patients, especially those with TP53 mutations, continue to have limited treatment options and poor outcomes," said Olaf Christensen, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Orum. "The activity we are seeing across primary patient samples and TP53-relevant models, together with a consistent pharmacologic and tolerability profile, supports the continued advancement of ORM-1153 toward clinical development."

Both posters are available on Orum’s website and will be presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) on Monday, April 20, from 9 am to 12 pm PDT.

About ORM-1153

ORM-1153 is a CD123-targeting degrader-antibody conjugate developed using Orum’s Dual-Precision TPD² approach. The molecule is built from two proprietary elements, a GSPT1-degrading payload and an anti-CD123 antibody engineered for high internalization efficiency, conjugated with a cleavable β-glucuronide linker. By combining tumor-selective antibody delivery with targeted protein degradation, ORM-1153 is designed to induce cancer cell death through degradation of GSPT1, a protein implicated in cell survival, including in TP53-mutant AML, while minimizing effects on normal tissues.

About Orum’s TPD² Approach

Orum’s unique Dual-Precision Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD²) approach builds novel targeted protein degraders combined with the precise cell delivery mechanisms of antibodies to generate innovative, first-in-class, cell-selective TPDs for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. Orum has developed new targeted protein degrader payloads to specifically degrade an intracellular target protein within cancer cells via the E3 ubiquitin ligase pathway. Conjugated to antibodies, the payloads are designed to be delivered specifically to target cells and precisely degrade the intracellular target protein of interest.

(Press release, Orum Therapeutics, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664496])

On April 17, 2026 Onchilles Pharma, a private biotech company advancing therapeutics targeting the ELANE pathway, reported new preclinical data from its NEU-002 program presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026. The poster highlights the translational development of NEU-002, an engineered therapeutic elastase program intended for systemic administration, and demonstrates anti-tumor activity following both intravenous (IV) and intraperitoneal (IP) delivery in preclinical solid tumor models.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"NEU-002 is designed to bring the ELANE pathway to more solid tumor indications that are not well served by local delivery," said Court R. Turner, J.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Onchilles Pharma. "The preclinical data presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) show anti-tumor activity after both IV and IP administration and move us closer to a systemic approach intended to kill tumors while preserving the immune response needed for durable control."

The data presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) show that candidates from the systemically delivered NEU-002 program achieved tumor biodistribution and anti-tumor activity in preclinical CT26 colon cancer models following both IV and IP administration. In a CT26 flank model, IV-delivery of a NEU-002 candidate drove complete tumor clearance in all treated animals and durable protection across multiple tumor rechallenges, consistent with long-term immune memory. In a separate CT26 visceral model, IP-delivery of a NEU-002 candidate reduced ascites and total tumor burden, supporting the potential of these NEU-002 candidates in settings relevant to disseminated abdominal disease.

NEU-002 was developed to extend the ELANE pathway beyond tumor-directed delivery through engineering intended to protect elastase activity against circulating serine protease inhibitors. Together, these findings support continued advancement of the NEU-002 program as a systemic approach for solid tumors, with two lead candidates moving forward for additional evaluation, including into non-human primate pharmacokinetic studies, to inform final development candidate selection.

About Onchilles Therapeutic Programs Targeting the ELANE Pathway

At the core of this approach is the ELANE pathway, a unique cancer-selective killing mechanism that leverages a vulnerability shared by many cancer cell types: elevated histone H1 levels. Our pipeline is led by N17350, our first-in-class, clinical-stage program, followed by NEU-002, the second program that extends this approach with systemic delivery. By targeting the ELANE pathway and inducing immunogenic cancer cell death, N17350 and NEU-002 are designed to rapidly eliminate tumors while mobilizing an adaptive immune response, offering the potential for sustained anti-tumor immunity. N17350 and NEU-002 offer a unique approach to treating cancer regardless of their genetic makeup, anatomical origin, or immune status, positioning them as potential gamechangers in cancer therapy.

(Press release, Onchilles Pharma, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664495])

On April 17, 2026 Akamis Bio, a clinical-stage oncology company working to advance the standard of care in colorectal cancer, reported early data from the on-going Phase 1b FORTRESS study of NG-350A, an oncolytic immunotherapy for the treatment of mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). NG-350A combined with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) demonstrated a composite response rate of 50 percent across the first 10 patients who completed the 12-week active treatment period, with no serious adverse events or new safety signals identified related to NG-350A.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The ongoing Phase 1b FORTRESS study (NCT06459869) is assessing the anti-tumor effects of NG-350A combined with CRT following a 12-week active treatment period to establish whether NG-350A can improve composite response rates in pMMR LARC patients relative to expected outcomes from CRT alone. The primary endpoint of the FORTRESS study is the composite response rate defined as the proportion of patients achieving a clinical complete response (cCR) or a near clinical complete response (ncCR) at 12 weeks. The benchmark composite response rate (cCR + ncCR) for CRT alone at 12 weeks is approximately 25 percent. The CEDAR study, an investigator-initiated trial of EnAd (a predecessor to NG-350A without a transgene) plus CRT in patients with LARC, demonstrated a composite response rate of 50 percent. The preliminary 50 percent composite response rate observed to date in the FORTRESS study provides confirmation of the CEDAR results and underscores the promise of NG-350A plus CRT to improve pMMR LARC outcomes relative to expectations for CRT alone.

"While still early data, observation of such a significant composite response rate with NG-350A plus CRT after only 12 weeks of treatment could be a significant development for locally advanced rectal cancer treatment," said Eric Miller, MD, PhD, associate professor of radiation oncology at Ohio State University and a FORTRESS study investigator. "A therapy that increases the proportion of patients who respond to treatment, as well as the speed with which that response is achieved, could enable responding patients to pursue a ‘watch-and-wait’ protocol, to both avoid surgery and preserve organ function."

LARC is defined by the spread of rectal cancer to nearby tissues or lymph nodes. Patients with pMMR tumors account for approximately 95 percent of all LARC cases (~30,000 newly diagnosed patients annually in the US). CRC is now the leading cause of cancer related death in patients under 50 years old in the US and the incidence of CRC continues to rise in this younger population. Consistent with this trend, the average age of pMMR LARC patients included in this initial FORTRESS data analysis is 52 years.

The composite response rate (cCR + ncCR) used as the primary endpoint in the FORTRESS study reflects the dynamic process of tumor regression. As a patient’s tumor begins to respond to therapy, the tumor moves through the ncCR phase (characterized by nearly complete disappearance of the tumor mass with some residual mucosal abnormality) before final achievement of a cCR (a return to fully healthy, normal mucosa). While the time to convert from ncCR to cCR can vary by patient and therapeutic intervention, across studies, achievement of a ncCR has been strongly predictive of subsequent achievement of a cCR, with up to 90 percent of ncCRs converting to cCRs following the initial assessment.

"We believe that these early FORTRESS data provide the first key evidence of clinical proof of concept for NG-350A plus CRT in pMMR LARC," said Howard Davis, PhD, CEO of Akamis Bio. "When treated with the current standard of care, patients need to undergo life-altering surgery to remove portions of the rectum. We believe that NG-350A plus CRT has the potential to advance the pMMR LARC standard of care, offering more patients access to a non-operative approach to management of their disease, as well as the opportunity for organ preservation – a critically important treatment goal as LARC continues to impact increasingly younger patient populations."

The data will be shared in a poster presentation on April 20th at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego.

AACR Poster Presentation Details

Title: Phase 1b trial of NG-350A, a CD40 agonist antibody expressing adenoviral vector, in combination with chemoradiotherapy (CRT), in patients with mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC): Initial results from the FORTRESS study
Session Title: Phase II and Phase III Clinical Trials
Date and Time: April 20, 2:00PM – 5:00PM PDT
Location: Poster Section 52
Poster Number: 19

About NG-350A
NG-350A is a clinical-stage, intravenously delivered Tumor-Specific Immuno-Gene (T-SIGn) therapeutic designed to drive intratumoral expression of a CD40 agonist monoclonal antibody triggering the activation of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) resident in solid tumors and their draining lymph nodes. Once activated, APCs recruit T cells into the vicinity of the tumor to deliver a potent anti-tumor immune response. Akamis Bio has evaluated NG-350A’s safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy as a monotherapy (FORTITUDE study) and in combination with pembrolizumab (FORTIFY study) in patients with metastatic or advanced epithelial tumors. Across these studies, NG-350A has demonstrated a consistent safety and tolerability profile, as well as strong evidence of tumor-selective delivery, replication and transgene expression.

About the FORTRESS Study
The Phase 1b FORTRESS study (NCT06459869) is an open-label, single-arm, and multicenter trial of NG-350A in combination with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in adult patients with mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and at least one risk factor for local or distant recurrence or with oligometastatic disease. The FORTRESS study builds upon the Akamis Bio-supported CEDAR study which showed a significantly greater composite response rate in LARC patients treated with a combination of Akamis Bio’s first generation oncolytic immunotherapy (EnAd) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT), relative to expected outcomes using standard-of-care CRT alone. The FORTRESS study is planning to enroll approximately 30 patients aged eighteen and older with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the rectum which is locally advanced (clinical stage II-III based on pelvic MRI). During the 12-week active treatment period, patients will receive NG-350A plus CRT (oral capecitabine plus long-course intensity-modulated radiotherapy). The primary endpoint of the FORTRESS study is the composite response rate defined as the proportion of patients achieving a clinical complete response (cCR) or a near clinical complete response (ncCR) at 12 weeks. Key secondary endpoints include the incidence and severity of adverse events, characterization of the anti-tumor effects of NG-350A in combination with CRT (including clinical response outcome and magnetic resonance tumor reduction grade [mrTRG]), and measurement of levels of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) clearance. The FORTRESS study continues to enroll pMMR LARC patients with recruitment expected to conclude in 2H 2026. Patients recently diagnosed with pMMR LARC interested in learning more about the FORTRESS trial can visit www.FortressStudy.org.

About Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer (LARC)
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, and it has recently emerged as the leading cause in patients under 50 years of age. There are 159,000 people newly diagnosed with CRC each year, with about 53,000 of those people diagnosed specifically with rectal cancer of which approximately 30,000 are diagnosed with LARC. LARC is defined by the spread of rectal cancer to nearby tissues or lymph nodes. In patients with LARC, tumors have either grown through muscle and into the outermost layers of the rectum, or in more severe cases, through the wall of the rectum where they may attach to other organs or structures and/or into the lymph nodes. Approximately 95 percent of LARC patients have mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) tumors which have a functional DNA repair system.

(Press release, Akamis Bio, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664494])