On April 17, 2026 Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc. ("Acrivon" or "Acrivon Therapeutics") (Nasdaq: ACRV), a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing precision medicines utilizing its proprietary Generative Phosphoproteomics AP3 (Acrivon Predictive Precision Proteomics) platform deployed for rational drug design and predictive clinical development, reported preclinical data that showed powerful synergies between its two lead assets and emerging and foundational standard-of-care anti-cancer agents. Both ACR-368, a CHK1/2 inhibitor currently in a registrational-intent Phase 2b study, and ACR-2316, a WEE1/PKMYT1 inhibitor currently in a Phase 1/2 study, showed strong synergy in combination with anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition. Additionally, ACR-368 synergized with a Topo 1 inhibitor, a payload commonly used in ADCs. The data will be presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2026 Annual Meeting being held in San Diego, CA.

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"We are excited to be presenting these highly actionable data, mechanistically derived from our AP3 platform, at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)," said Peter Blume-Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer, president, and co-founder of Acrivon. "Our findings highlight attractive opportunities for future frontline development of ACR-368 and ACR-2316 in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors and ADCs."

The posters can be found on the Acrivon website under "Posters and Presentations" or by using this LINK.

Poster Presentation Details:

Title Potent synergy between CHK1/2 inhibitor ACR-368 and the ADC payload topoisomerase 1 inhibitor: Rationale for ADC + ACR-368 combination therapy
Date and Time Sunday, April 19, 2026; 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PT
Session Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics: DNA Damage and Repair 1
Poster Number 239

Title ACR-368 synergizes with PD-L1 blockade by coordinated activation of adaptive and innate immunity pathways to achieve robust anti-tumor efficacy
Date and Time Monday, April 20, 2026; 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT
Session Late-Breaking Research: Immunology 2
Poster Number LB152

Title Treatment with ACR-2316, a potential first- and best-in-class WEE1/PKMYT1 inhibitor, combined with anti-PD-L1 induces complete tumor regression with durable immune memory
Date and Time Monday, April 20, 2026; 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PT
Session Clinical Research: Combination Immunotherapies
Poster Number 3789

(Press release, Acrivon Therapeutics, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664515])

On April 17, 2026 Theriva Biologics (NYSE American: TOVX), ("Theriva" or the "Company"), a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to treat cancer and related diseases in areas of high unmet need, reported an upcoming poster presentation of new data and subgroup analyses from the VIRAGE Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) plus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in newly-diagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. Tumor reponse, biomarker data, and subgroup analyses are to be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held in San Diego, CA from 17-22 April 2026.

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Details of the poster presentation are below:

Presenting author: Dr. Manuel Hidalgo, NYU Langone Health Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York, NY
Title: Analysis of tumor and biomarker responses in the VIRAGE Trial, a randomized Phase IIb, open-label, study of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine with/without intravenous VCN-01 in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPDAC)
Poster #: CT162
Date and time: Monday April 20, 2026, 2:00-5:00 PM US PDT
Session: PO.CT01.05 – Phase II and Phase III Clinical Trials
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Hall B, Section 52, Board 26.
"The new data and analyses to be presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) meeting further reinforce our confidence in the clinical potential of VCN-01 plus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy to help metastatic PDAC patients," said Steven A. Shallcross, Chief Executive Officer of Theriva Biologics. "Taken together, the tumor response and biomarker data support an immune-mediated mode of action for VCN-01, which is consistent with the previously reported clinical observations, showing that patients treated with VCN-01 plus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel experienced a significantly protracted duration of response concomitant with a later-stage prolongation of survival compared to patients treated with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel alone. We have achieved alignment with both the FDA and the EMA on a proposed pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate multiple doses of VCN-01 plus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in first-line metastatic PDAC patients, and we are planning a small study to assess whether more frequent and extended VCN-01 dosing could further improve outcomes."

About Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Cancer of the pancreas consists of two main histological types: cancer that arises from the ductal (exocrine) cells of the pancreas or, much less often, cancers may arise from the endocrine compartment of the pancreas. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma ("PDAC") accounts for more than 90% of all pancreatic tumors. It can be located either in the head of the pancreas or in the body/tail. Pancreatic cancer usually metastasizes to the liver and peritoneum. Other less common metastatic sites are the lungs, brain, kidney, and bone. In its early stages, pancreatic cancer does not typically result in any characteristic symptoms. In many instances, progressive abdominal pain is the first symptom. Therefore, in most cases, pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in its late stages (locally advanced non-metastatic or metastatic stage of the disease) when surgical resection and possibly curative treatment is not possible. It is generally assumed that only 10% of cases are resectable at presentation, whereas 30-40% of patients are diagnosed at local advanced/unresectable stage and 50-60% present with distant metastases.

About VCN-01

VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) is a systemically administered oncolytic adenovirus designed to selectively and aggressively replicate within tumor cells and degrade the tumor stroma that serves as a significant physical and immunosuppressive barrier to cancer treatment. This unique mode-of-action enables VCN-01 to exert multiple antitumor effects by (i) selectively infecting and lysing tumor cells; (ii) enhancing the access and perfusion of co-administered chemotherapy products; and (iii) increasing tumor immunogenicity and exposing the tumor to the patient’s immune system and co-administered immunotherapy products. Systemic administration enables VCN-01 to exert its actions on both the primary tumor and metastases. VCN-01 has been administered to 142 patients to date in clinical trials of different cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (in combination with chemotherapy), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (with an immune checkpoint inhibitor), ovarian cancer (with CAR-T cell therapy), colorectal cancer, and retinoblastoma (by intravitreal injection). More information on these clinical trials is available at Clinicaltrials.gov.

(Press release, Theriva Biologics, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664514])

On April 17, 2026 Biolojic Design, a biotechnology company that uses AI to transform antibodies into multifunctional, programmable medicines, reported new preclinical data demonstrating the strong anti-tumor properties of its multibody-drug conjugate BD200. The data are being presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, being held April 17-22, 2026 in San Diego.

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"We’re excited to share data from the first ever multibody-drug conjugate, which has the potential to transform ADC technology and, as our data suggest, lead to more efficacious and safer treatment," said Yanay Ofran, PhD, CEO and founder of Biolojic Design. "The unique ability of a multibody to adapt to the heterogeneity of tumor antigen expression makes it an ideal base for an ADC, potentially enhancing anti-tumor activity while reducing the amount of drug needed to dose. Combined with the linker/payload we designed, BD200 has a dramatically improved therapeutic index compared to other ADCs. We look forward to initiating our first clinical trial of BD200 later this year."

BD200 is a multibody-drug conjugate, an ADC that is based on a multibody, a new kind of AI-designed antibody that can conditionally bind to multiple targets while maintaining the natural format of a human IgG antibody. Unlike conventional bi-specific antibodies, which have fixed binding profiles, each arm of BD200 can bind to either Trop-2 or Nectin-4. While both may be expressed by a cancer cell, the unique ability of each arm of BD200 to bind to either target helps it overcome target expression heterogeneity while maintaining full avidity on cells. This enables BD200 to deliver more of its cytotoxic payload to the tumor and reduce off tumor and systemic toxicity.

The data being presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) show:

BD200 demonstrated strong anti-tumor responses across patient derived xenografts of triple negative breast cancer, bladder, cervical and esophageal cancer, as well as gastric cancer in cell line-derived xenograft models
BD200 showed strong activity in tumor models derived from patients that were resistant to other ADCs
In mice bearing human tumors that developed resistance to other ADCs, BD200 led to deep regressions, even in larger tumors (tumor volume >2000mm3)
BD200 demonstrated superior uptake in a Trop-2/Nectin-4 dual-expressing breast cancer cell line when compared to currently marketed antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates that bind to either Trop-2 or Nectin-4 alone
In cell lines resistant to ADCs that bind only to Nectin-4, switching to BD200 restored potent anti-tumor activity

About BD200

BD200 is a potent, first-in-class multibody-drug conjugate that targets two proteins,Trop-2 and Nectin-4, that are co-expressed in various solid tumors, including bladder, breast, lung and head and neck cancers. These proteins drive tumor progression, adhesion, and metastasis. Their expression can be heterogeneous, meaning that patients’ tumors may express these proteins at varying levels. By flexibly targeting both Trop-2 and Nectin-4, BD200 has the potential for enhanced activity, despite the heterogenous expression of the individual targets. BD200 has shown significant anti-tumor activity across multiple human tumor models.

(Press release, Biolojic Design, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664513])

On April 17, 2026 Pheast Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing macrophage-directed immunotherapies for cancer, reported the presentation of initial Phase 1a clinical data and new preclinical findings for PHST001, an IgG4 anti-CD24 macrophage checkpoint inhibitor, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026.

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"The data presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) suggest that PHST001 may address a longstanding challenge in translating the therapeutic potential of macrophage biology into a cancer treatment with the right balance of activity and tolerability," said Roy Maute, Ph.D., CEO and Co-founder of Pheast Therapeutics. "The preclinical data further support rationally designed therapeutic combinations informed by CD24 biology, reinforcing the breadth of PHST001’s development potential."

In the ongoing Phase 1a first-in-human study, PHST001 was generally well-tolerated across dose-escalation cohorts. Most treatment-related adverse events were Grade 1 or 2, with a subset of patients experiencing transient neutrophil decreases that were manageable and not associated with clinical complications. The dataset demonstrated linear pharmacokinetics, increasing CD24 receptor occupancy at higher dose levels, and pharmacodynamic changes consistent with innate immune activation. Early signs of clinical activity were observed, including disease stabilization and tumor shrinkage.

In preclinical studies including patient-derived tumor xenograft models, PHST001 enhanced macrophage-mediated tumor control and prolonged survival in combination with chemotherapies and antibody-drug conjugates. PHST001 also inhibited metastatic spread and reduced metastatic burden across multiple in vivo models.

"Taken together, these clinical and preclinical findings begin to build the profile we are looking for in a macrophage checkpoint inhibitor: favorable tolerability, evidence of biological activity, and meaningful combination potential," said Raphaël Rousseau, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Pheast Therapeutics. "These data support continued development of PHST001 as a monotherapy and in combination with cytotoxic agents, where it may enhance macrophage-mediated clearance of treatment-damaged tumor cells."

Pheast plans to present updated clinical data from the ongoing PHST001-101 study at a future medical meeting.

The AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) posters can be viewed at https://www.pheast.com/pipeline.

About CD24

CD24 is a cell surface protein that plays a key role in tumor immune evasion by engaging Siglec-10, an inhibitory receptor on macrophages. This interaction suppresses macrophage-mediated clearance of cancer cells, allowing tumors to evade destruction by the innate immune system. CD24 was identified as a novel macrophage checkpoint through foundational work by Dr. Amira Barkal, principal founder of Pheast. Along with other co-founders, Drs. Irving Weissman, Ravi Majeti, and Roy Maute, Pheast’s research forms the basis for therapeutic strategies targeting CD24 to activate innate immune responses against cancer.

About PHST001

PHST001 is an anti-CD24 macrophage checkpoint inhibitor designed to overcome immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. CD24 is highly expressed in many human cancers and high expression of CD24 is associated with poor prognosis across multiple tumor types. PHST001 is designed to promote macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of cancer cells and initiate a broader immune response. PHST001-101 is an open-label, multicenter Phase 1 study in patients with advanced solid tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06840886). Primary objectives include safety, tolerability, and dose optimization, with secondary objectives evaluating pharmacokinetics and preliminary anti-tumor activity. PHST001 received FDA Fast Track Designation for the treatment of ovarian cancer in June 2025. The phase 1b portion of the study combining PHST001 with chemotherapies is actively recruiting patients.

(Press release, Pheast Therapeutics, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664512])

On April 17, 2026 Zymeworks Inc. (Nasdaq: ZYME), a biotechnology company managing a portfolio of licensed healthcare assets while developing a diverse pipeline of novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics, reported six poster presentations featuring new preclinical data from its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and payload development programs at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026.

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"Our AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) presentations highlight the breadth and depth of our ADC platforms, including multiple novel approaches to targeting RAS-driven cancers," said Paul Moore, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Zymeworks. "These data reinforce our strategy to develop differentiated therapeutics with the potential to improve efficacy while addressing key limitations of existing treatment approaches."

Poster Presentation Highlights

ZW191 – a differentiated FRα-targeted topoisomerase I antibody drug conjugate active in combination with standard of care drugs
Abstract: 1707
Session: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

ZW191 is a clinical-stage (NCT06555744) folate receptor alpha (FRα)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate featuring a novel antibody and a moderate-potency, bystander-active topoisomerase I inhibitor payload (TOPO1i), ZD06519, designed to drive improved efficacy and tolerability versus existing FRα-targeted ADCs. In nonclinical studies, ZW191 demonstrates activity across all levels of FRα expression and shows promising combination potential with standard-of-care therapies, supported by a favorable tolerability profile.

Key non-clinical findings include:

Differentiated by its superior internalizing novel antibody and moderate potency novel TOPO1i payload.
Favorable tolerability profile, attributed to moderate potency TOPO1i payload and moderate stability linker, potentially achieves higher ADC dosing, better tolerability and improved combination potential with standard of care chemotherapeutics.
Nonclinical in vitro and in vivo studies support the efficacious combination of ZW191 with standard of care therapies across multiple modes of action.
A pan-RASi antibody drug-conjugate platform with high activity in RAS sensitive cancers
Abstract: 1642
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

Zymeworks’ RASi-ADC platform integrates novel tricomplex pan-RAS inhibitors into ADCs to enable tumor-selective delivery and improved therapeutic index.

Key findings include:

Strong regressions observed in multiple tumor models at single doses as low as 1 mg/kg
ADC delivery demonstrates improved tumor selectivity compared to orally administered RAS inhibitors
Favorable tolerability observed in rodents and non-human primates
Platform supports development of broadly applicable ADCs for RAS-mutated cancers
Development of ZW418, a biparatopic PTK7-targeting antibody-drug conjugate incorporating a novel pan-RAS inhibitor payload for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer
Abstract: 4944
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

ZW418 is a first-in-class biparatopic ADC targeting PTK7, designed to enhance binding, internalization, and delivery of a pan-RAS inhibitor payload in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Key findings include:

Strong anti-tumor activity observed across PTK7-expressing RAS-mutant NSCLC xenograft models, at doses as low as 1 mg/kg
Biparatopic design enhances receptor engagement, internalization, and payload delivery
Selective cytotoxicity in KRAS-mutant tumor cells while sparing normal tissues
Favorable pharmacokinetics and tolerability support further development
ZW427, a Ly6E-targeting antibody-drug conjugate bearing a novel pan-RAS inhibitor payload for the treatment of RAS mutated cancers
Abstract: 7715
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

ZW427 is a first-in-class ADC targeting Ly6E, designed to deliver a novel pan-RAS inhibitor payload to tumor cells in colorectal (CRC), pancreatic (PDAC), and lung cancers.

Key findings include:

Robust anti-tumor activity observed across CRC, PDAC, and NSCLC xenograft models with a range of Ly6E expression
Targeted delivery enables sustained RAS inhibition in tumors with reduced activity in normal tissues such as skin and colon
Favorable tolerability observed in rodents and non-human primates at exposures exceeding projected efficacious doses
Potential to improve efficacy and safety profile compared to small molecule pan-RAS inhibitors
ZW439, a novel CLDN18.2-targeting pan-RAS inhibitor antibody-drug conjugate for the treatment of RAS mutated pancreatic cancer
Abstract: 4556
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

ZW439 is a novel ADC targeting CLDN18.2, designed to deliver a pan-RAS inhibitor payload in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Key findings include:

Strong anti-tumor activity observed in CLDN18.2-expressing RAS-mutant xenograft models, at doses as low as 1 mg/kg
Target-dependent delivery of pan-RAS inhibitor payload with potent RAS pathway inhibition and cytotoxicity
Robust bystander activity supports activity in heterogeneous tumors
Favorable pharmacokinetics and tolerability compared to small molecule RAS inhibitors
Design and evaluation of mRNA translation inhibitors for use as antibody drug conjugate payloads
Abstract: 2062
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

Zymeworks presented a novel class of eIF4A inhibitor payloads designed to inhibit mRNA translation and enable a new mechanism for ADC therapies.

Key findings include:

Over 40 novel eIF4A inhibitor payloads synthesized spanning a range of potency and hydrophilicity
Hydrophilic linker designs improve both efficacy and tolerability in vivo
Demonstrated robust anti-tumor activity across multiple targets including HER2, TROP2, EGFR, Ly6E, and PTK7
Represents a novel payload class with potential to overcome resistance to existing ADC payloads
Posters are available on the Company’s website located at View Source." target="_blank" title="View Source." rel="nofollow">View Source

Oral Presentation Details

Results from Part 1 dose escalation of ZWI-ZW191-101 study: Phase 1 first-in-human multicenter open-label study of ZW191, a folate receptor α (FRα)–targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), in participants with advanced solid tumors
Abstract: CT306
Session: Advances in Precision Oncology

Lead author Patricia LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), FAACR will present an updated data cut from the late breaking abstract on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 2:30 – 4:30 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST). The presentation will be available on the Company’s website located at View Source at the time of the session.

(Press release, Zymeworks, APR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234664511])