On May 12, 2026 Insilico Medicine ("Insilico", 03696.HK), a biotechnology company powered by generative artificial intelligence, reported that the company has entered a strategic collaboration agreement with Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. ("Ribo", 06938.HK), a globally leading clinical-stage company in oligonucleotide therapeutics. Building upon the automation, intelligence and scalability capabilities of Insilico’s LifeStar 2 laboratory, the two parties will further deepen the existing experimental service cooperation, combining the end-to-end R&D capabilities of Insilico’s proprietary Pharma.AI platform with Ribo’s profound expertise in oligonucleotide therapeutics development, aiming for comprehensive efficiency boost in the oligonucleotide drug R&D cycle.

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"We are now in a new era of AI-guided clinical research and development. Insilico Medicine and Ribo are highly aligned in terms of innovation capabilities, as well as missions and visions in our respective fields, and we are very pleased to see our previous successful collaboration grow into this comprehensive strategic cooperation," said Li-Ming Gan, co-CEO & Global R&D President of Ribo. "Through years of technological advancements and existing AI tools, Ribo has entered a track of rapid development with intensive output of drug candidates and efficient advancement of clinical trials. Now empowered by Insilico Medicine’s globally leading AI solution, we anticipate an even more powerful catalyst for our differentiated strategic development stage. We look forward to sparking innovation through close cooperation between both parties, further enhancing the efficiency and certainty of our drug development, and accelerating AI-driven oligonucleotide therapies to benefit all of humanity."

"We are very pleased to sign this strategic cooperation agreement with Ribo today. Insilico and Ribo have maintained close communication and mutual trust. Also, it is worth noting that Ribo is the first partner on high-throughput experimental services of our LifeStar 2 automated laboratory platform, demonstrating the industrial empowerment of our automated laboratory platform," said Feng Ren, PhD, Co-CEO and CSO of Insilico Medicine. "With the continuous innovation of AI algorithms, Insilico Medicine’s Pharma.AI platform has recently introduced multiple major upgrades. Through in-depth discussions, both parties have reached consensus on cooperation opportunities, where we can leverage the Pharma.AI platform to empower multiple scenarios in oligonucleotide drug development. We will work together to enable end-to-end empowerment, further expand the boundaries of AI empowerment, and strive to meet unmet clinical needs."

Ribo (06938.HK) is a global pioneer in the development of oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. It has established a vertically integrated R&D platform with a comprehensive suite of technologies that support the entire lifecycle of oligonucleotide therapeutics, and a diversified pipeline portfolio covering multiple major and chronic disease areas including cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, and liver diseases. Ribo’s proprietary RiboGalSTAR liver-targeting technology platform has advanced seven products to clinical stages, with efficacy and safety well validated in clinical trials. Meanwhile, its RiboPepSTAR technology platform has made significant progress in extra hepatic areas such as kidney, cardiac, metabolism, and adipose tissue. Through partnerships valued over USD 6 billion with multiple MNCs, Ribo has its R&D platform and scientific capabilities highly recognized by the international market.

As a globally leading AI-powered drug discovery technology company, Insilico Medicine has enabled Rentosertib, the drug candidate with AI-driven novel target and AI-empowered innovative structure with Pharma.AI, the proprietary end-to-end AI drug discovery platform, and delivered the first proof of concept (POC) in a Phase IIa clinical trial. Based on continuous advancements of Pharma.AI, Insilico has established over 40 proprietary innovative pipelines and keeps expanding into new modality areas such as peptides, antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), and proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC).

In the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics development, AI is already playing a considerable role in processes including target screening and identification, and data modeling and simulation. Through evaluation of target clinical effects in large patient databases, AI supports prediction of clinical efficacy and safety, improving the efficiency and certainty of clinical research. The cooperation will combine Insilico’s AI system covering the entire drug development process with Ribo’s three-dimensionally integrated oligonucleotide therapeutics development platform to enhance efficiency at various research stages and accelerate the R&D process of innovative oligonucleotide therapeutics.

(Press release, Insilico Medicine, MAY 12, 2026, View Source [SID1234665571])

On May 12, 2026 Servier reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough therapy designation to Emi-Le, an investigational ADC directed against B7-H4, a well-characterized target in certain cancers. One of those cancers, ACC, is a challenging rare cancer usually arising within the salivary gland with no currently approved treatments for advanced or metastatic disease. The breakthrough therapy designation has been granted for treatment of patients with locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic ACC with solid histology or high-grade transformation.

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"At Servier, we are committed to pursuing first‑in‑class medicines for rare diseases in oncology. This Breakthrough Therapy designation for Emi‑Le will help accelerate development and may provide an important new treatment option for patients with few effective choices today," said Peter Adamson, Global Head, Oncology Clinical Development, Servier. "Following the acquisition of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, this designation reinforces our confidence in Day One’s portfolio and our commitment to advancing innovative treatments for patients facing difficult‑to‑treat cancers."

Emi-Le is being evaluated in a multicenter Phase 1 trial to investigate the safety, tolerability and anti-tumor activity of the treatment in patients with solid tumors, including aggressive ACC, breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers. In the initial data reported from Phase 1, Emi-Le had manageable side effects, and confirmed objective responses were observed across multiple tumor types.

About Emi-Le
Emi-Le is a B7-H4-directed Dolasynthen ADC with a precise, target-optimized drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR 6) and a proprietary auristatin-F HPA payload with controlled bystander effect. This candidate is under evaluation in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial (previously with Mersana Therapeutics). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designations to Emi-Le for the treatment of 1) adult patients with advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, and 2) advanced or metastatic HER2 low / HER2 negative breast cancer post-topo-1 ADC (including TNBC and certain HR+ breast cancers). It has also received Breakthrough Designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma with solid histology or high-grade transformation. For more information about the trial, visit clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05377996).

About Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) occurs in the secretory glands, typically in the head and neck, but also in other areas of the body. Globally, more than 200,000 people have ACC. It is diagnosed in roughly four per one million people annually, and does not discriminate by ethnicity or lifestyle factors. Today there are no approved or preferred systemic therapies to treat advanced or metastatic ACC; most people are treated with surgery or radiation, but the disease recurs in 50 percent of cases, often becoming more aggressive with metastases in distant areas of the body.

(Press release, Servier, MAY 12, 2026, View Source [SID1234665570])

On May 12, 2026 Researchers at Rice University, in collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and clinical partners, reported results from a first-in-human trial evaluating a novel cell-based platform for localized delivery of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

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The study, titled "First-In-Human Trial of Encapsulated Cell-Based Protein Producers for Localized IL-2 in Patients with High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma," published in Clinical Cancer Research, tested AVB-001, an investigational therapy composed of encapsulated, engineered cells that continuously produce IL-2 within the abdominal cavity. The approach is designed to overcome longstanding challenges associated with systemic IL-2 therapy, including toxicity and short drug half-life.

"Traditional IL-2 therapy has shown potent antitumor activity, but its clinical use has been limited by severe side effects and delivery challenges," said Omid Veiseh, a professor of bioengineering at Rice and a senior author on the study. "This platform allows us to localize and sustain cytokine exposure directly where tumors reside while minimizing systemic toxicity."

High-grade serous ovarian cancer frequently spreads throughout the peritoneal cavity, making it an ideal candidate for localized treatment strategies. In this Phase I dose-escalation trial, 14 patients with platinum-resistant disease received a single intraperitoneal administration of AVB-001 via a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure.

The therapy was generally well tolerated, with no life-threatening treatment-related adverse events observed and no maximum tolerated dose reached. Half of the patients experienced disease stabilization, including several with prolonged periods of clinical benefit.

"These patients have very limited treatment options, so even achieving disease stability is encouraging at this stage," said Dr. Shannon Westin, a gynecologic oncologist at MD Anderson and co-lead investigator of the trial. "Importantly, we are seeing clear biological activity that supports continued development."

Immune analyses revealed that the therapy successfully activated key antitumor immune cells, including CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells, without expanding regulatory T cells that can suppress immune responses, a known limitation of conventional IL-2 therapy. The treatment also triggered increases in inflammatory cytokines and markers of immune activation, confirming its intended mechanism of action.

Notably, the study observed dose-dependent upregulation of the immune checkpoint protein CTLA-4, suggesting that combining the therapy with checkpoint inhibitors could further enhance antitumor activity.

"What is exciting is that we are not just delivering a drug, we are programming a microenvironment," said Dr. Amir Jazaeri, professor of gynecologic oncology at UT MD Anderson, member of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad’s clinical advisory board and senior author on the study. "This opens the door to combination strategies that could amplify immune responses in ways that have not been feasible before."

The implanted cell capsules are designed to release IL-2 over approximately one week, after which activity declines. Based on these findings, researchers believe that repeat dosing or higher exposure levels may be necessary to achieve stronger clinical responses.

To explore this, the team also conducted preclinical studies in nonhuman primates, demonstrating that repeat administration of the therapy was well tolerated and produced consistent pharmacological effects without added toxicity.

"This is a foundational step," added Veiseh, a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar and director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad. "We now have evidence that the platform is safe, biologically active and potentially scalable. The next phase is optimizing dosing and exploring combination therapies to unlock its full clinical potential."

The research builds on ongoing efforts at the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, an accelerator focused on translating academic discoveries into clinical applications, and highlights the strength of the Houston biotechnology ecosystem in advancing next-generation therapies.

Future studies will evaluate higher doses, repeat administration strategies and combination approaches with immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance efficacy.

The study was supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Targeted Hybrid Oncotherapeutic Regulation (THOR) project. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the United States government.

(Press release, Rice University, MAY 12, 2026, View Source [SID1234665569])

On May 12, 2026 Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) reported that company management will participate in fireside chats at the following investor conferences:

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2026 RBC Global Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
TD Cowen 7th Annual Oncology Innovation Summit: Insights for ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) & EHA (Free EHA Whitepaper) on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET
2026 Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. ET
Audio webcasts of the fireside chats will be available via the Investors section of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals website at View Source A replay of the webcasts will be archived on the website for 30 days.

(Press release, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, MAY 12, 2026, View Source [SID1234665568])

On May 12, 2026 Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Kelun-Biotech" or the "Company", 6990.HK) reported that it has received a clinical trial notice from the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approving the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for PD-1 x VEGF bispecific antibody SKB118 (also known as CR-001) for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.

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In December 2025, Kelun-Biotech and Crescent Biopharma ("Crescent") entered into a strategic collaboration for SKB118/CR-001. Under the collaboration, Crescent granted Kelun-Biotech exclusive rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize SKB118/CR-001 in Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). In January 2026, Crescent announced the regulatory clearance of the IND application for SKB118/CR-001 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate its global ASCEND Phase I/II clinical trial (NCT07335497) for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The trial is ongoing and expected to initially enroll up to 290 patients.

Dr. Michael Ge, CEO of Kelun-Biotech, stated: "We are pleased to see the approval of the IND application for SKB118 in China, which marks the simultaneous advancement of clinical development in China and globally. Since entering into the collaboration with Crescent, we have worked closely and leveraged complementary advantages with each other to efficiently drive the R&D of the collaborative product candidates. Based on our ADC+IO strategies, we will actively explore the potential of combining SKB118 with our proprietary ADC assets to unlock the synergistic value of our portfolio and expand more treatment possibilities for cancer patients."

About SKB118 (also known as CR-001)

SKB118 is a tetravalent bispecific antibody being developed for the treatment of solid tumors that combines two complementary, validated mechanisms in oncology via a blockade of PD-1 and VEGF. PD-1 checkpoint inhibition is aimed at restoring T cells’ ability to recognize and destroy tumor cells, and blocking VEGF is intended to reduce blood supply to tumor cells and to inhibit tumor growth. In preclinical studies, SKB118 demonstrated cooperative pharmacology with increased binding to PD-1 and signal blockade in the presence of VEGF as well as robust anti-tumor activity. SKB118’s anti-VEGF activity may also normalize the vasculature at the tumor site, which has the potential to improve the localization and effectiveness of combination therapies, such as in combination with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

(Press release, Kelun, MAY 12, 2026, View Source [SID1234665567])