On October 15, 2026 Akari Therapeutics, Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX), an oncology biotechnology company developing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with a novel RNA splicing disrupting payload, reported a new CEO Corner segment featuring President and Chief Executive Officer Abizer Gaslightwala discussing the Company’s differentiated ADC payload strategy, recent external validation and the execution priorities supporting AKTX-101’s advancement toward planned Phase 1 clinical development in mid-2027.

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At the center of the discussion is Akari’s belief that ADC payload differentiation will become increasingly important as more cancer patients receive ADCs as front-line therapies and develop resistance to the current ADC payload classes leaving limited subsequent therapy options. Mr. Gaslightwala discusses emerging clinical data presented at major medical conferences that sequential treatment of ADCs utilizing the same payload class do not provide benefit after treatment relapse. This is a significant growing unmet need and is an exclusive opportunity for Akari with its novel ADC payload that current and most future ADCs will not be able to access.

Akari is pursuing this exclusive opportunity using its PH1 payload, a novel spliceosome-modulating payload, which is designed to disrupt RNA splicing in cancer cells through a mechanism distinct from commonly used ADC payload classes.

Mr. Gaslightwala also describes recent external engagements and presentations at partnering and industry conferences in the US and China, where there was significant interest in Akari’s ADC payload and its differentiated approach.

"It was important for us to gauge interest and excitement in our novel payload technology and its application to ADC therapies in areas of growing unmet needs like ADC refractory patients, and I left the conferences even more convicted in our technology, strategy, and execution as a company," said Mr. Gaslightwala. "Across recent partner discussions and industry engagement, our novel PH1 payload generated meaningful interest and reinforced our belief that differentiated payloads can play an increasingly important role as ADC therapies continue to evolve."

Mr. Gaslightwala also points to recent industry transactions involving novel ADC payload technologies, including Novartis’s agreement to acquire Myricx Bio and Genentech’s collaboration with DualityBio, as additional evidence of strategic interest by Big Pharma companies in acquiring and developing next-generation payload approaches.

With this backdrop, Akari’s focus is now on execution.

The Company continues to advance AKTX-101 through IND-enabling toxicology and safety studies, large-scale GMP manufacturing, and Phase 1 planning, with the goal of initiating clinical development in mid-2027. In parallel, Akari is also continuing discussions with potential strategic partners around PH1 and the broader potential of its payload platform to create a broader pipeline of ADCs using this novel technology

"Our focus now is execution," said Mr. Gaslightwala. "We are advancing the work required to move AKTX-101 into the clinic while continuing to explore the broader potential of PH1. We believe successful execution could create multiple opportunities for value creation through AKTX-101, potential licensing of our payload technology, and new concepts such as dual-payload approaches based on PH1."

"We believe Akari has built a differentiated scientific foundation," Mr. Gaslightwala added. "The next step is to translate that foundation through disciplined execution and demonstrate the potential of this technology in the clinic."

The CEO Corner segment is now available here.

(Press release, Akari Therapeutics, OCT 15, 2026, View Source [SID1234673482])