On April 16, 2026 Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIR) reported that its global collaboration and licensing agreement with Astellas announced on February 23, 2026 has closed following expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of VIR-5500, a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted, PRO-XTEN dual-masked T-cell engager (TCE) for metastatic prostate cancer.

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Summary Financial Terms

Upon closing, Vir Biotechnology receives a $240 million upfront payment and a $75 million equity investment at a price of $10.36 per share. The Company will also receive a near-term $20 million milestone payment, will split U.S. profit/loss equally with Astellas (50/50), and is eligible to receive up to an additional $1.37 billion in development, regulatory and sales milestones, along with tiered, double-digit royalties on ex-U.S. net sales. Under the terms of Vir Biotechnology’s licensing agreement with Sanofi, a portion of certain collaboration proceeds will be shared with Sanofi.

About VIR-5500

T-cell engagers (TCEs) are powerful anti-tumor agents that can direct the immune system, specifically T-cells, to destroy cancer cells. VIR-5500 is an investigational PRO-XTEN dual-masked TCE currently being evaluated in an open-label, non-randomized Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05997615) designed to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy in participants with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). VIR-5500 is the only dual-masked PSMA-targeting TCE in clinical evaluation.

VIR-5500 combines a bispecific PSMA and CD3 binding TCE with the PRO-XTEN masking technology. The PRO-XTEN masking technology is designed to keep the TCEs inactive (or masked) until they reach the tumor microenvironment, where tumor-specific proteases cleave off the mask and activate the TCEs, leading to killing of cancer cells by T-cells. By confining the activity to the tumor microenvironment, we aim to circumvent the traditionally high toxicity associated with unmasked TCEs and increase their efficacy and tolerability. Additionally, the mask is designed to help drug candidates stay in the bloodstream longer in their inactive form, allowing them to better reach the site of action and potentially allowing for less frequent dosing regimens.

(Press release, Vir Biotechnology, APR 16, 2026, View Source [SID1234664447])

On April 16, 2026 Nula Therapeutics (previously called Apollo Alpha), a biotechnology company developing a new class of medicines targeting the nuclear envelope of cells in order to treat chronic disease and extend healthspan, reported its launch with an up to $20 million award from the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under its PROSPR (PROactive Solutions for Prolonging Resilience) program, bringing total funding to more than $30 million. Additionally, Nula Therapeutics announced its plans for a phase 1b clinical trial with its lead, small molecule asset NLT-101 in Q4, 2026 in metabolic dysfunction, as the company works to address a broad spectrum of chronic, age-related diseases.

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Nula is built on a fundamental insight: the integrity of the nuclear envelope, the structure that organizes DNA and governs gene expression, plays a central role in maintaining cellular identity and metabolic homeostasis. Degeneration or dysfunction of the nuclear envelope results in metabolic dysfunction and age-related decline. Restoring function of the nuclear envelope represents a novel strategy to treat chronic disease biology. By developing targeted small molecules that restore the nuclear envelope, Nula aims to treat unmet patient needs and extend healthspan across conditions including metabolic disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and neurodegeneration. With a clinic-ready asset, NLT-101, and a clinical study planned to begin later this year, Nula is positioned to generate meaningful data in support of its vision of next-generation medicines for chronic diseases.

"The nuclear envelope is one of the most fundamental and underexplored regulators of cellular health, and we believe it represents one of the most promising frontiers in medicine," said Christopher R. Shepard, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Nula Therapeutics and Principal Investigator on the Award. "Today’s announcement marks not only our debut as a company, but a significant external validation of our science. The ARPA-H award will allow us to rigorously explore NLT-101’s potential to preserve functional health across multiple organ systems, while our core clinical program in metabolic dysfunction moves forward in parallel."

Nils Regge, Founder and General Partner at Apollo Health Ventures, added, "PROSPR is highly relevant to our mission at Apollo Health Ventures. Establishing the evidence base and a clear regulatory pathway for therapeutics that improve healthspan, intrinsic capacity, and functional resilience is foundational to the field of longevity biotechnology. We are excited to see Nula’s program paving the way, and we look forward to seeing the company demonstrate the potential of NLT-101 beyond its initial clinical indication, with implications across multiple age-related conditions."

About the ARPA-H PROSPR Award

Under the ARPA-H PROSPR program, Nula Therapeutics will pursue a concurrent work stream designed to evaluate NLT-101’s impact on intrinsic capacity – a composite measure of physical, cognitive, sensory, and psychological function across multiple organ systems. Specific program objectives include:

Evaluation of NLT-101 in aged preclinical models across multiple intrinsic capacity domains
Advancement of NLT-101 through translational pharmacology and IND-enabling studies
Development of biomarker-driven strategies to quantify functional preservation and therapeutic response
This program integrates functional performance measures and systems-level biomarker analysis to build a robust translational dataset supporting potential clinical development in healthspan-focused indications, while Nula’s primary clinical development program in metabolic dysfunction advances along a well-established regulatory path.

The program culminates in a 12-month, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study in healthy older adults, with Intrinsic Capacity as the primary endpoint. By assessing intrinsic capacity alongside emerging surrogate biomarkers, the initiative aims to help define measurable, regulatory-relevant endpoints for therapeutics targeting aging biology and functional resilience, potentially accelerating and streamlining future development programs.

(Press release, Nula Therapeutics, APR 16, 2026, View Source [SID1234664463])

On April 16, 2026 Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) and a JSR Life Sciences company, reported it will present new data at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 demonstrating how integrated, patient-derived platforms can accelerate the development of complex oncology modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and radiopharmaceuticals. Across 12 poster presentations, the company highlights scalable approaches to improve target selection, optimize payload design, and overcome resistance, addressing key challenges in translational oncology.

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Collectively, the data underscore the need for predictive, clinically relevant models that better reflect tumor biology and treatment response. By combining patient-derived xenografts (PDX), 3D tumor organoid models, multi-omics, and imaging approaches, Crown Bioscience demonstrates how integrated workflows support more informed decision-making earlier in development, particularly as the industry advances increasingly complex therapeutic modalities.

A central focus this year is advancing ADCs through improved target validation, payload selection, and resistance modeling. New findings introduce a high-throughput organoid platform to rapidly screen payloads or ADCs and support the prediction of in vivo efficacy. The results demonstrate clear differentiation across payload classes and ADC performance in a broad panel of organoid models spanning multiple solid tumor indications, enhancing translational predictability from in vitro screening to in vivo validation, and ultimately to clinical response in patients.

Complementing this work, Crown Bioscience presents ADC-resistant tumor models spanning engineered cell lines, organoids, and PDX models established from previously treated patients. These models seek to replicate clinically relevant resistance mechanisms, including efflux-driven payload resistance and antigen loss, providing insight into treatment failure and a foundation for evaluating next-generation strategies and combination approaches designed to overcome resistance.

Further strengthening the workflow, large-scale multi-omics data validate tumor-associated antigen (TAA) expression across approximately 1,000 PDX models and matched organoid systems, providing insight to support more informed target selection and translational decision-making.

In parallel, Crown Bioscience is co-presenting a poster with Medicines Discovery Catapult on an end-to-end translational workflow for radiopharmaceutical development. This work integrates radiochemistry, imaging, and patient-derived models to evaluate the theranostic pair PSMA-617, demonstrating how the combination of in vitro and in vivo systems improves predictive accuracy and enables more confident progression of radiopharmaceutical candidates.

Together, these studies reflect a shift toward integrated, platform-based approaches that address persistent industry challenges, including limited translational predictability, incomplete understanding of resistance, and inefficiencies in candidate selection. By aligning model systems with clinically relevant biology, Crown Bioscience de-risks the path from target to patient.

Attendees are encouraged to visit Booth #3236 to learn more about these studies and speak with Crown Bioscience’s scientists to gain deeper insights into the integrated platforms and services available to advance oncology programs from discovery through to clinical development.

(Press release, Crown Bioscience, APR 16, 2026, View Source [SID1234664432])

On April 16, 2026 Revvity, Inc. reported its latest innovations in cancer research at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026, to be held in San Diego, April 17-22. The Company’s comprehensive suite of research use only (RUO) oncology solutions are designed to elevate preclinical and translational research workflows, helping scientists accelerate discoveries that drive the future of cancer science.

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The full scope of Revvity’s integrated oncology solutions and reagents that will be on display are designed to support the entire cancer research workflow from sample preparation and assay development, to advanced imaging, detection, and data analysis. By combining innovative technologies with AI-driven insights, Revvity helps researchers generate high-quality, reproducible data and uncover deeper biological insights faster.

"Our focus is on empowering researchers with connected, end-to-end solutions that remove complexity and accelerate progress," said Kevin Quick, vice president, platforms at Revvity. "At AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper), we’ll demonstrate how our technologies are helping advance cancer research and ultimately contribute to improved patient outcomes."

Attendees will experience several of Revvity’s latest innovations, including:

Opera Phenix OptIQ high-content screening system for advanced 3D and live-cell imaging
Living Image Synergy AI software for multimodal in vivo imaging data analysis
EnVision Nexus One multimode plate reader for high-sensitivity detection and performance
AssayMate automated workstation for simplified, accessible sample preparation
Dharmacon ON-TARGETplus 2.0 siRNA for potent on-target mRNA knockdown with siRNA designed against the modern genome
Next-generation reagents and assay solutions, such as ATPlite and Spark PLUS UV395, designed to enhance workflow consistency and data quality
Together, these solutions reflect Revvity’s strategy to deliver integrated technologies that connect workflows, reduce variability, and enable more confident decision-making in cancer research, including advanced cellular imaging, AI-enabled in vivo analysis, high-performance detection, automation, and genomics tools.

By bringing together instrumentation, reagents, software, and services, Revvity supports researchers at every stage of the scientific journey, helping overcome complex research challenges, increase productivity, and translate discoveries into meaningful impact.

(Press release, Revvity, APR 16, 2026, View Source [SID1234664448])

On April 14, 2026 Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO) reported the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 87,500,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $2.00 per share. The gross proceeds from this offering are expected to be $175 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by Allogene. The offering is expected to close on or about April 16, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. In addition, Allogene has granted the underwriters for the offering a 30-day option to purchase up to 13,125,000 additional shares of its common stock at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

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Allogene expects to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include clinical trial expenses, research and development expenses, general and administrative expenses, and capital expenditures.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Jefferies and TD Cowen are acting as joint bookrunners for the offering. Piper Sandler and William Blair are also acting as joint bookrunners for the offering. Baird and Canaccord Genuity are acting as lead managers for the offering. TPG Capital BD, LLC is acting as co-manager for the offering.

The shares of common stock described above are being offered by Allogene pursuant to a shelf registration statement filed by Allogene with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that was declared effective on April 25, 2024. A final prospectus supplement related to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website located at View Source Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus related to this offering, when available, may be obtained from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, or by telephone at (866) 471-2526, or by email at [email protected]; or from Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, or by telephone at (877) 821-7388, or by emailing [email protected]; or from TD Securities (USA) LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by email at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

(Press release, Allogene, APR 15, 2026, View Source [SID1234664364])