On November 5, 2026 Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat autoimmune diseases, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026.

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"NKX019 is advancing in our two lead indications, myositis and systemic sclerosis," said Paul J. Hastings, Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta. "We’re delighted to have been selected to present our initial clinical data in two oral presentations and one poster presentation at ACR Convergence 2026 in Orlando. We believe that the safety profile of engineered CAR-NK cells could broaden cell therapy access to reach far more patients. With off-the-shelf availability and outpatient dosing at a growing network of community-based sites, our program is designed to deliver on that potential."

NKX019 Clinical Program Progress and Upcoming Milestones

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Initial clinical data from the Ntrust program to be presented at ACR Convergence 2026 in the company’s lead indications: idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and systemic sclerosis. Presentations include an oral presentation in myositis on November 8, a poster in systemic sclerosis on November 9, and an oral presentation of safety data across autoimmune indications on November 11.
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Enrollment continues in the Ntrust program, our multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trials evaluating NKX019 in multiple autoimmune diseases.
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Outpatient dosing is underway within our network of community-based sites, extending access to patients who cannot travel to academic medical centers.
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Patients are being dosed at 4 billion cells per dose x 3 doses (12 billion cells total) across all indications in Ntrust-1 and Ntrust-2.

Third Quarter 2026 Financial Highlights

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Nkarta had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and investments in marketable securities of $216.0 million as of September 30, 2026.
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Research and development (R&D) expenses were $29.5 million for the third quarter of 2026. Non-cash stock-based compensation expense included in R&D expense was $0.7 million for the third quarter of 2026.
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General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $6.3 million for the third quarter of 2026. Non-cash stock-based compensation expense included in G&A expense was $1.1 million for the third quarter of 2026.
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Net loss was $33.3 million, or $0.45 per basic and diluted share, for the third quarter of 2026. This net loss includes non-cash charges of $2.8 million that consisted primarily of share-based compensation and depreciation expenses.

Financial Guidance

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Nkarta expects its current cash and cash equivalents to fund its current operating plan into 2029.

About the Ntrust℠ Clinical Trials in Autoimmune Disease

Ntrust-1 (NCT06557265) and Ntrust-2 (NCT06733935) are multi-center, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trials in patients with autoimmune disease receiving lymphodepletion followed by CD19-targeted CAR-NK cell therapy. Both trials assess the safety of NKX019 in people living with autoimmune diseases as well as its potential to achieve durable remission via a "reset" of the immune system through the elimination of pathogenic B cells.

The Ntrust trials are enrolling up to 12 patients per dose level per disease indication, with leading indications in myositis and systemic sclerosis, as well as ANCA-associated vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus nephritis, and primary membranous nephropathy. Additional patients may be enrolled if needed to refine patient populations for further study.

In both studies, patients receive a three-dose cycle of NKX019 following lymphodepletion with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide or cyclophosphamide alone, if they have significant cytopenia at baseline. This approach is designed to evaluate the single-agent activity of NKX019 and facilitate a more rapid path to regulatory approval. Patients in both trials may also receive additional cycles, if needed, to restore response or enable a deeper response.

About NKX019

NKX019 is an allogeneic, cryopreserved, off-the-shelf immunotherapy candidate that uses natural killer (NK) cells derived from the peripheral blood of healthy adult donors. It is engineered with a humanized CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) for enhanced cell targeting and a proprietary, membrane-bound form of interleukin-15 (IL-15) for greater persistence and activity without exogenous cytokine support. CD19 is a biomarker for normal B cells as well as those implicated in autoimmune disease. Nkarta is evaluating NKX019 in multiple autoimmune conditions.

(Press release, Nkarta, NOV 5, 2026, View Source [SID1234674319])