On April 14, 2026 Galera Therapeutics, Inc. ("Galera") (OTC: GRTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing a pan-NOS inhibitor through clinical development for patients with the hardest-to-treat forms of advanced breast cancer, and Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. ("Obsidian"), a privately-held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company harnessing novel protein-regulation technology to develop engineered tumor infiltrating lymphocyte, ("TIL"), cell therapies, reported that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction. The combination will be accomplished by both companies becoming wholly owned subsidiaries of a newly formed company. Upon completion of the transaction, the combined company plans to operate under the name Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. and will apply to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "OBX."

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In support of the transaction, Galera and Obsidian have secured commitments for an oversubscribed private placement financing that is expected to result in total gross proceeds of $350 million from a syndicate of new investors, including Balyasny Asset Management, Caligan Partners LP, Eventide Asset Management, Nantahala Capital, Octagon Capital, Redmile, Spruce Street Capital and Trails Edge Capital Partners, and with participation from current Obsidian investors, including Atlas Venture, Deep Track Capital, Foresite Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Logos Capital, Novo Holdings A/S, Paradigm BioCapital Advisors, Pivotal bioVenture Partners, RA Capital Management, RTW Investments, TCGX and Wellington Management, among other leading investment management firms.

The private placement financing is expected to close immediately prior to completion of the proposed merger transaction. The combined company’s cash and cash equivalents balance at closing, including the funds from the private placement financing, is anticipated to fund the combined company’s operations

into the second half of 2028 and provides runway through key clinical milestones for Obsidian’s lead product candidate, OBX-115. These include Phase 1 data from the ongoing NSCLC trial expected in the first half of 2027, and by year-end 2027, topline data from their melanoma registration-enabling trial. The combined company will also continue to support Galera’s pipeline.

"At Obsidian, we are striving to deliver a best-in-class TIL cell therapy developed using our proprietary protein-regulation technology," said Madan Jagasia, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Obsidian. "We believe OBX-115 offers an opportunity to provide patients with an improved TIL product and patient experience. This transaction and the support from leading life sciences investors will allow us to advance our development plans for OBX-115 in melanoma and NSCLC."

Obsidian leverages their cytoDRIVE platform to develop engineered TIL cell therapies. OBX-115 is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced melanoma and a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of NSCLC. OBX-115 is designed with regulatable membrane-bound IL15 (mbIL15), which drives TIL persistence, eliminates the need to dose toxic interleukin-2 (IL2), and enables outpatient administration of low-dose lymphodepletion. Furthermore, OBX-115 can be manufactured using tumor tissue procurement from an outpatient, minimally invasive core needle biopsy. OBX-115 has been granted Fast Track and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma that is resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

"We believe this transaction with Obsidian is the best path forward for Galera and look forward to the combined company’s success," said J. Mel Sorensen, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Galera. "Obsidian’s pipeline of novel engineered TIL cell therapies and its promising lead product candidate, OBX-115, offer near-term, value creating milestones for Galera stockholders. In addition, Galera stockholders will retain a contingent value right for 95% of all future milestones for up to 10 years arising out of its October 2025 Asset Purchase Agreement with Biossil.ai for its dismutase mimetics."

About the Proposed Transaction

Under the terms of the merger agreement, as of the closing of the proposed transaction, the pre-closing Galera stockholders (other than those investors participating in the private placement financing) are expected to own approximately 1.8% of the combined company, the pre-closing Obsidian stockholders are expected to own approximately 53.2% of the combined company, and investors in the private placement financing are expected to own approximately 45.0% of the combined company. The percentage of the combined company that Galera’s stockholders will own as of the closing of the proposed transaction is subject to adjustment based on the estimated amount of Galera’s net cash immediately prior to the closing date.

The pre-closing Galera stockholders (other than those investors participating in the private placement financing) are expected to receive one contingent value right for each outstanding share of Galera common stock held by such stockholder, representing the right to receive contingent payments upon the occurrence of certain events (including receipt of milestone proceeds under the Biossil.ai agreement).

The transaction has received approval by the Board of Directors of both companies and is expected to close by the third quarter of 2026, subject to certain closing conditions, including, among others, approval by the stockholders of each company, the effectiveness of a registration statement to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") to register the securities to be issued in connection with the proposed acquisitions of Obsidian and Galera and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

The combined company plans to operate under the name Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. and will be led by Madan Jagasia, M.D., Obsidian’s current Chief Executive Officer. Obsidian’s Board of Directors will become directors of the combined company, chaired by Maria Fardis, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Lassen Therapeutics and AirNexis Therapeutics.

Leerink Partners is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Goodwin Procter LLP is serving as legal counsel to Obsidian. Leerink Partners, TD Cowen, Piper Sandler, William Blair and LifeSci Capital are acting as placement agents in connection with the concurrent private placement financing. Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. is serving as legal counsel to the placement agents. Sidley Austin LLP is serving as legal counsel to Galera. Lucid Capital Markets is providing a fairness opinion to Galera’s Board of Directors.

(Press release, Galera Therapeutics, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664354])

On April 14, 2026 Senhwa Biosciences, Inc. (TPEx: 6492), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company reported the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GEM YIELD BAHAMAS LIMITED, an affiliate of the global investment firm Global Emerging Markets (GEM). Under the agreement, GEM intends to provide up to NT$500 million in terms of strategic funding to support Senhwa’s advancing pipeline, AI-enabled drug discovery initiatives, and global expansion strategy.

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This partnership highlights growing international investors’ confidence in Senhwa’s innovative R&D capabilities and its differentiated approach to integrating artificial intelligence into the development of its core assets. In addition to its ongoing focus on cancer immunotherapy, Senhwa has been actively building an AI-driven discovery platform. Through strategic collaboration with Y combinator backed AI Native company such as CellType, the Company is leveraging next-generation C2S (cell-to-sentence) technology to deepen mechanistic insights and systematically identify potential combination therapy in treating different types of cancers.

AI-enabled validation has demonstrated that Senhwa’s lead candidates possess promising immunomodulatory potential under specific tumor microenvironment conditions. These findings support the Company’s "cold-to-hot tumor" strategy, positioning Senhwa to capture opportunities in the next wave of immuno-oncology (IO 2.0). Mechanism-driven, AI-assisted drug development is rapidly emerging as a key investment theme across global pharmaceutical and capital markets.

Global Emerging Markets (GEM), headquartered in Luxembourg with offices in Paris, New York and Nassau (Bahamas), is a leading alternative investment group focused on emerging markets. GEM has completed over 590 transactions across 75 countries. Each investment vehicle has a different degree of operational control, risk-adjusted return, and liquidity profiles. Its family of funds and investment vehicles provide GEM and its partners with exposure to Small-Mid Cap Management Buyouts, Private Investments in Public Equities and select venture investments.

Senhwa believes this strategic capital commitment will enable the Company to advance its clinical programs in parallel with its AI-driven discovery platform, further strengthening its competitive position within the global biopharmaceutical ecosystem. The partnership also lays a solid foundation for future international collaborations and potential commercialization opportunities.

(Press release, Senhwa Biosciences, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664371])

On April 14, 2026 Er-Kim, an international pharmaceutical company specializing in the commercialization of novel therapies in the EMEA region, reported that it has signed an exclusive agreement with LEO Pharma A/S to commercialize LOQTORZI (toripalimab) in select regions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

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Under the terms of the agreement, Er-Kim will serve as the exclusive commercial partner for LOQTORZI in the following markets: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

This PD-1 inhibitor is an intravenous immunotherapy that harnesses the body’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. In the European Union, the treatment is indicated for two distinct, hard-to-treat malignancies:

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC): A rare and aggressive cancer of the head and neck. The therapy is used in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for adults with recurrent (non-resectable) or metastatic NPC as a first-line option, or as a monotherapy for those who have previously undergone chemotherapy.
Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC): For patients with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic OSCC that cannot be removed by surgery. In these cases, it is used in combination with cisplatin and paclitaxel.
Cem Zorlular, Chief Executive Officer of Er-Kim, said, "Advancements in immunotherapy are fundamentally changing the outlook for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but innovation only matters when it reaches the people who need it. By leveraging our deep infrastructure and relationships in Central and Eastern Europe, we are pleased to partner with LEO Pharma to bridge this access gap and bring LOQTORZI to oncology patients throughout the CEE region."

"We are committed to advancing cancer care by making innovative treatments available to this vulnerable group of patients who face limited options. Er‑Kim’s regional knowledge makes them a strong partner to bring LOQTORZI to new markets in Central and Eastern Europe," said Jean Monin, Executive Vice President of the Critical Care Business Unit at LEO Pharma A/S. "Together, we can make a difference for the patients and healthcare professionals we serve."

In 2025, LEO Pharma A/S was granted exclusive distribution and sales rights for LOQTORZI in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), as well as Switzerland and the United Kingdom, while TopAlliance Biosciences remains the Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH).

(Press release, Erkim Pharmaceuticals, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664387])

On April 14, 2026 Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: GLMD) ("Galmed" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company for liver disease and GI oncological therapeutics, reported a research collaboration agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University – Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company – to evaluate Galmed’s brain-penetrating SCD1 inhibitor, Aramchol, as a targeted therapy for metastatic brain cancer. By combining the genomic expertise of the Ben-David Lab with the advanced 3D in vitro and in vivo modeling capabilities of the Satchi-Fainaro Lab (both TAU internationally renowned research labs), Galmed aims to validate Aramchol’s efficacy in treating p53-deficient brain metastases. The findings from the new research would also support Galmed’s clinical work underway at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center in colorectal cancers, where p53 mutations are highly prevalent.

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The published research by Prof. Ben-David and Prof. Satchi-Fainaro demonstrated that the loss of p53 induces profound metabolic adaptations of the tumor, facilitating metastatic colonization in the lipid-rich brain microenvironment. SCD1, an enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids, is essential for lipid synthesis and membrane production in proliferating cancer cells. Owing to SCD1 upregulation in p53-deficient tumors, its downregulation by Aramchol could potentially treat the metabolic-dependent brain tumor, as confirmed in preclinical models.

Allen Baharaff, Galmed’s Co-founder and CEO commented: "p53 is widely known as the ‘guardian of the genome’, playing a critical role in maintaining cellular integrity, with its mutations often leading to cancer and metastases. The findings that p53 inactivation drives metastasis to the brain through SCD1 upregulation and increased fatty acid metabolism open up a promising and innovative therapeutic option for Aramchol in metastatic cancers. Today’s announced collaboration with the esteemed researchers at TAU maps a potential development path for Aramchol as a novel and effective therapeutic solution for one of the most challenging clinical conditions."

Prof. Uri Ben-David commented: "A major hurdle in treating brain metastases is understanding how cancer cells adapt to survive in the brain’s unique environment. We recently established that p53 inactivation drives this adaptation through SCD1 upregulation and altered fatty acid metabolism. Collaborating with Galmed enables us to apply Aramchol against SCD1-expressing brain metastases, taking a critical step toward an innovative therapeutic solution for metastatic brain cancer."

Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro commented:" I am very enthusiastic about this collaboration with Galmed Pharmaceuticals to evaluate Aramchol in our advanced preclinical systems. Following our recent findings published in Nature Genetics on the role of p53 and SCD1 in breast cancer brain metastasis, this partnership represents a valuable opportunity to translate mechanistic insights into therapeutic strategies. Our 3D tumor models and spontaneous brain metastasis models closely recapitulate tumor complexity and metastatic progression in the clinical setting, providing a robust, predictive platform to assess Aramchol’s efficacy and mechanism of action. I believe these models can significantly strengthen the preclinical validation of the drug and support its development in this challenging clinical setting".

The collaboration is managed by Ramot, Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company. Ramot is dedicated to bringing the groundbreaking research of Prof. Uri Ben-David and Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro to the clinic. Their work on the metabolic vulnerabilities of p53-deficient tumors represents a transformative approach to treating metastatic brain cancer, offering a new path for patients with high unmet needs.

(Press release, Galmed Pharmaceuticals, APR 14, 2026, View Source,-Aramchol,-as-a-Targeted-Therapy-for-Metastatic-Brain-Cancers [SID1234664355])

On April 14, 2026 Brenus Pharma reported that new first‑in‑human data will be presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 (April 17–22, San Diego, California). The company continues to advance its lead candidate, STC-1010, a next generation in vivo allogeneic immunotherapy built on the Stimulated Ghost Cells (SGC) technology.

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The poster will provide a translational overview demonstrating how STC-1010 is administrated in microsatellite‑stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC), a setting resistant to standards immunotherapy.

Clinical findings from BreAK CRC001 (NCT06934538), Phase I/IIa first‑in‑human evaluation of STC‑1010 in unresectable metastatic MSS CRC, first-line setting (n=6; median follow‑up: 6 months) show :

Favorable safety with no dose‑limiting toxicities (DLTs) observed.
Promising early efficacy, including 100% disease control rate (DCR) in RECIST.
Evidence of immune activation, including delayed‑type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses.
Exploratory analyses are ongoing to further characterize tumor–immune dynamics and identify predictive biomarkers supporting subsequent stages of clinical development.

Together, these results support continued advancement of STC‑1010 toward later‑stage evaluation and validate the SGC technology as a scalable, "off-the-shelf" approach for high unmet-need solid tumors.

Poster Details

Poster Title: "From preclinical models to first‑in‑human evaluation of STC‑1010 immunotherapy in unresectable advanced colorectal cancer"
Session: First‑in‑Human Phase I Clinical Trials
Date & Time: April 20, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 50
Poster Board Number: 11
Abstract Number: CT051

(Press release, Brenus Pharma, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664372])