Sona Nanotech Clinical Cancer Study Tissue Analysis Confirms Tumor Priming And Suggests Potential Immunotherapy Synergies

On April 13, 2026 Sona Nanotech Inc. (CSE: SONA) (OTCQB: SNANF) (the "Company", "Sona"), reported follow-up histology tissue analysis data from its first-in-human early feasibility study of its Targeted Hyperthermia Therapy (‘THT’) in late stage melanoma patients who had failed on standard immunotherapy protocols (the "Study"). An extensive multiplex histological tissue analysis conducted at Dalhousie University of representative tissues from Study patients showed extensive natural killer cell infiltration in tumor tissues biopsied after treatment with THT indicative of innate immune activation. Also, analysis of samples from Study patients who only partially responded to the THT treatment showed a significant increase in T-regulatory cells and strong PD-L1 expression suggesting that these tumors may benefit from adding PD-1 immunotherapy in combination with Sona’s THT treatment.

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Dr. Carman Giacomantonio, Sona’s CMO, commented, "We are very proud and excited to report that the detailed histological tissue analysis from representative patient samples validates our pre-clinical findings. Our analysis confirms that patients responding to Sona’s THT treatment experienced a strong immunogenic response characterized by extensive innate immune activation with abundant macrophage infiltration and a robust natural killer cell infiltration. Notably, in partially responding patients, we observed a significant increase in T-regulatory cells and strong expression of PD-L1. The significance of this in response is these patients would be predicted to respond to PD-1 and CTLA-4 immunotherapy, particularly if administered in timely combination with our THT."

These results, together with our pre-clinical modelling studies, give us great confidence that immunotherapy response rates, which are typically below 20% for colorectal cancer, can be increased by first priming tumors with Sona’s THT therapy before administering immunotherapy, giving hope to the four out of five colorectal cancer sufferers for whom no treatment tends to work."

This histology tissue analysis, together with the Study’s protocol and other findings are now being prepared for submission to a scientific journal for peer review and publication.

In the Study, ten advanced-stage melanoma patients, all of whom were failing to respond to standard immunotherapy treatment, were recruited into this early feasibility study. Under the study protocol, patients had up to four tumors treated with Sona’s THT on days one and eight of the Study. By day 15, 8/10 patients experienced a clinical response to the THT treatment with a majority (6/8) showing no detectable residual melanoma in representative, biopsied tumors, with two patients showing no response.

(Press release, Sona Nanotech, APR 13, 2026, View Source [SID1234664327])

Favorable Results of Ovarian Cancer Study Presented at Annual Society of Gynecological Care Conference

On April 13, 2026 LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. ("LIXTE" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: LIXT), a clinical stage pharmaceutical and med-tech company focused on advancing cancer treatments, reported the presentation of preliminary results for a clinical trial testing the combination of Lixte’s proprietary compound LB100 in combination with Dostarlimab at the 2026 Conference of the Society of Gynecological Cancer, April 10-13, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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The annual conference brings together a diverse group of specialists, including gynecologic oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurses, researchers and others to share the latest scientific advancements. It features exhibitors from various medical device and pharmaceutical companies, showcasing cutting-edge products and services tailored for the gynecologic cancer care team.

"The findings being presented provide new hope for patients with ovarian cancer, a disease that thus far has limited therapeutic options," said Bas van der Baan, LIXTE’s Chief Scientific Officer. "LIXTE’s proprietary compound, LB-100, combined with GSK’s anti PD1 drug Dostarlimab, has shown an acceptable safety profile. All 21 planned participants in the trial have been enrolled, and 20 were evaluated for efficacy in this interim analysis. Based on those favorable results, an additional cohort of 21 patients with a higher exposure to LB-100 is in the process of enrolling."

Trial Results

At a median follow-up length of 12 months (range 1.4-22), median OS has not been reached. However, OS probability was 0.84 (95%CI 0.64-0.94) at 6 months and 0.69 (95% CI 0.44-0.84) at 12 months. The Disease Control Rate was 40% (8/20, 95% CI 19.1-63.9%).

The trial is based on the observation by the lead clinical investigator Amir Jazaeri MD, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, that a genetically acquired reduction in PP2A activity may increase responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma (OCCC), particularly in tumors harboring somatic PPP2R1A mutations resulting in loss of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) function.

"We are learning more about the molecular features of ovarian clear-cell carcinomas that correlate with benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors," said Dr. Jazaeri. "This study investigates how to use immunotherapy combinations such as Dostarlimab and LB-100 to expand the benefit for patients whose tumors do not carry these features."

Specifically, prior investigation reported markedly prolonged overall survival (OS) with ICB in patients with PPP2R1A-mutant OCCC (66.9 months versus 9.2 months for patients with wild-type tumors). This suggested that reducing PP2A pharmacologically with LB-100 may enhance the anti-tumor effect of the PD-1 blocking monoclonal antibody, dostarlimab-gxly, in patients with Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma lacking the genetic reduction in PP2A.

(Press release, Lixte Biotechnology, APR 13, 2026, View Source [SID1234664343])

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Labcorp Announce a Collaboration to Accelerate Access to Advanced Pediatric Diagnostics Nationwide

On April 13, 2026 Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the nation’s first pediatric hospital, reported a strategic collaboration to accelerate the discovery, development and nationwide availability of specialized pediatric diagnostics. By combining CHOP’s pediatric research and clinical expertise with Labcorp’s national diagnostic infrastructure, scientific capabilities and commercialization expertise, the collaboration aims to expand access to advanced diagnostic testing for children and families across the country.

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"Our shared aim to improve children’s health makes this collaboration so powerful," said Stephen R. Master, M.D., Ph.D., division chief and director of metabolic and advanced diagnostics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. "By pairing CHOP’s pediatric leadership with Labcorp’s nationwide reach, we seek to deliver important new and specialized tests to children and their families more efficiently and at greater scale."

Innovation Pipeline to Advance Pediatric Diagnostic Development
At the core of the collaboration is the creation of a joint pediatric diagnostics innovation pipeline where CHOP and Labcorp will team up to identify, develop and expand new tests and technologies with a goal of streamlining the path from discovery to national availability. Pediatric-specific diagnostics deliver more accurate, age-appropriate insights for children by accounting for their unique biology, developmental stages and physiological ranges—factors that traditional adult-oriented tests often overlook. The collaboration will make novel diagnostics available nationwide across key clinical areas, such as oncology, metabolic disease and autoimmune conditions.

Expanding Nationwide Access to Advanced Pediatric Testing
Together, the organizations will provide clinicians and health systems with cutting-edge pediatric testing—bringing breakthrough diagnostics in cancer, genetics, immune disorders and rare diseases to patients sooner and enabling earlier, more precise diagnoses.

"Labcorp and CHOP share a commitment to advancing pediatric care. By combining CHOP’s deep pediatric expertise with Labcorp’s scientific capabilities and national reach, we can bring pediatric diagnostic innovations to patients faster and make advanced testing accessible to many more families," said Bryan Vaughn, executive vice president, Diagnostics at Labcorp.

"Today’s announcement marks an important milestone at the intersection of scientific research and collaboration," said Joseph Mitchell, M.D., president at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. "Our commitment to innovation has always been driven by one goal: improving the lives of children. By working closely with Labcorp, we can create the breakthroughs that children and families need – today and in the years to come."

(Press release, LabCorp, APR 13, 2026, View Source [SID1234664311])

Sana Biotechnology and Mayo Clinic Announce Strategic Collaboration Focused on Improving Care in Type 1 Diabetes and Accelerating Development of SC451

On April 13, 2026 Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: SANA), a company focused on changing the possible for patients through engineered cells, and Mayo Clinic reported a strategic collaboration to advance development of SC451, Sana’s investigational hypoimmune-modified pancreatic islet cell therapy for type 1 diabetes. SC451 is designed to allow a single administration of pancreatic islet cells to support long-term glucose control without the need for ongoing insulin therapy or immunosuppression for patients with type 1 diabetes.

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The collaboration will draw on Mayo Clinic’s multidisciplinary expertise to accelerate the development, validation, and standardization of protocols and processes for SC451, supporting safe, scalable, and consistent delivery across diverse clinical environments. These areas include:

End-to-end clinical and operational insight to optimize workflows, including product handling and delivery of SC451, and post-treatment care to enable broader adoption across Mayo Clinic and global care settings.
Surgical expertise, including refining procedural techniques.
Standardizing handling, delivery and post-treatment management.
Leadership in clinical trial design, including biomarker identification to guide patient selection and longitudinal monitoring.

Mayo Clinic will also look to advance its capabilities in the delivery of investigational islet cell therapies, further strengthening its leadership in innovative, multidisciplinary treatment approaches.

In connection with the collaboration, Mayo Clinic will make an equity investment in Sana Biotechnology, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing innovative approaches aimed at improving care for patients with type 1 diabetes. The organization also has the option to make an additional equity investment under the terms of the agreement.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Mayo Clinic as we advance SC451 toward a clinical trial that we are aiming to start this year," said Steve Harr, Sana President and Chief Executive Officer. "Mayo Clinic’s longstanding commitment to patient-centered care, combined with a depth of expertise in transplant medicine and immunology, will help guide the development and delivery of SC451. Recently presented data, showing that transplanted pancreatic islets modified with Sana’s hypoimmune platform technology survive and function without any immunosuppression for over a year in a patient with type 1 diabetes, make us optimistic about the potential for SC451 to transform the treatment of this disease."

"Mayo Clinic is committed to advancing innovative therapies that address significant unmet patient needs, and through this collaboration, we seek to advance potential treatment options for patients with type 1 diabetes," said Vijay Shah, MD, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald F. Kinney Executive Dean of Research, Mayo Clinic. "By bringing together complementary expertise in cell therapy development and transplant immunology, we aim to thoughtfully and rigorously evaluate this investigational approach with the goal of improving the lives of those living with the condition."

About SC451 – Sana’s Therapeutic Candidate for Type 1 Diabetes
SC451 is an investigational, gene-modified, stem-cell derived pancreatic islet cell therapy that Sana is advancing toward the clinic as a potential single treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) that leads to euglycemia without the need for exogenous insulin or immunosuppression. SC451 is a potentially scalable solution, manufactured from cells that have been modified to overcome both allogeneic and autoimmune rejection through Sana’s proprietary hypoimmune (HIP) technology. An investigator-sponsored clinical study evaluating the transplantation of donor-derived, HIP-modified pancreatic islet cells into a patient with T1D show these cells are well-tolerated, survive, evade detection by the immune system, and continue to produce insulin in the patient through 14 months of follow-up to date. The company expects to file an Investigational New Drug application and initiate a Phase 1 clinical study of SC451 as early as this year.

(Press release, Sana Biotechnology, APR 13, 2026, View Source [SID1234664328])

SynOx Therapeutics Announces Positive Topline Results from the Phase 3 TANGENT Study, Supporting Emactuzumab as a Differentiated, Next-generation Treatment for Patients with Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor

On April 13, 2026 SynOx Therapeutics Limited ("SynOx") reported positive topline results from the pivotal Phase 3 TANGENT study of emactuzumab in adult patients with TGCT.

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Emactuzumab is a targeted CSF-1R inhibitor that is being developed as a short-course treatment for patients with TGCT, which is designed to deliver rapid and durable disease control without the need for continuous treatment. In the TANGENT study, patients were randomized to receive either emactuzumab or placebo. Patients assigned to the treatment arm received emactuzumab at a dose of 1,000 mg administered every two weeks, for a total of five doses over an 8-week period.

Results across the primary and key secondary endpoints demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant benefit consistent with emactuzumab’s differentiated profile. These included measures of tumor volume reduction and patient-reported and functional outcomes, including PROMIS-PF, physical function, pain, range of motion, and stiffness. Importantly, these benefits were achieved rapidly in the short-course treatment cycle, were durable and were observed across clinically relevant patient segments.

Emactuzumab demonstrated a manageable safety profile in TANGENT, consistent with prior clinical experience. In a patient population with a chronic, debilitating but non-lethal disease, tolerability remains an important consideration, particularly when compared with long-term treatment approaches.

"The TANGENT results represent an important step in advancing a potential next-generation treatment for patients with TGCT," said Dr. Ray Barlow, CEO of SynOx Therapeutics. "Emactuzumab’s combination of rapid onset, response rate, meaningful functional improvement, and a defined short-course regimen positions it as a potential alternative to chronic therapy. We believe this approach directly addresses key limitations of existing treatments and represents an important advancement for patients suffering from this debilitating disease. We look forward to engaging with the FDA as we advance toward a planned BLA submission in the second half of 2026."

Dr. Jean-Yves Blay, Principal Investigator, commented further:

"Emactuzumab is the only short course treatment option in late-stage development for patients suffering with TGCT. These Phase 3 data provide compelling evidence of tumor response, a manageable safety profile, and most importantly for patients, of significant durable functional and quality of life benefits that allow patients struggling with TGCT to move forward with their lives, without continuous therapy."

SynOx continues to follow patients enrolled in the TANGENT study to further characterize the durability of response, and the potential role of retreatment and crossover open label emactuzumab.

SynOx intends to present full data from the TANGENT trial at an upcoming medical meeting and in a peer-reviewed publication.

Based on these data, SynOx plans to submit a BLA to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emactuzumab in TGCT in the second half of 2026 and a MAA in the EU thereafter.

About the TANGENT Study:
The TANGENT clinical trial (NCT05417789) is a global, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of emactuzumab in patients with TGCT. Patients in the treatment arm received 1000mg emactuzumab every two weeks for a total of five doses over 8 weeks. The primary endpoint is Objective Response Rate (ORR) at 6 months as measured by RECIST v1.1. Secondary endpoints are designed to detect the effect of emactuzumab on physical function, range of motion, stiffness, pain and duration of response as measured by both physician and patient reported assessments including Tumor Volume Score (TVS), PROMIS-PF TGCT T-score, range of motion (ROM), and assessments of pain, stiffness and quality of life.

TANGENT enrollment criteria include patients with biopsy-confirmed localized or diffuse TGCT where surgical resection would be associated with predicted worsening functional limitations through surgical joint damage, and/or subjects with anticipated high risk of early recurrence, or any other morbidity associated with the surgery, and/or subjects for whom surgical treatment is not expected to improve clinical outcomes. Following the 6-month double-blind period, patients can enter an 18-month follow-up phase during which patients who demonstrate signs of disease progression may receive open label emactuzumab.

About Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (TGCT)
TGCT is a rare, non-malignant, but locally aggressive and destructive tumor affecting the synovium, tendon sheaths, and bursa membranes primarily located in knee, hip, and ankle joints but can also occur in other locations such as the cervical spine. It is a chronically debilitating disease, which causes loss of function of the affected joints, as well as pain, stiffness, and limited range of motion, which can significantly impact quality of life.

TGCT is estimated to affect approximately 200,000 patients in the U.S. and 179,000 patients in the EU4 +UK, with an estimated incidence of approximately 50 per million (1). As patients are typically diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 50, TGCT is a long-term disease.

Existing treatment options for TGCT include surgery and oral systemic therapies, but both options are of limited benefit. Surgery is often the first-line approach, although it comes with a risk of surgical complications, severe morbidity, and can require a lengthy recovery. Surgical recurrence rates are also high, including 17% for those with localized disease (2) and 72% for those with diffuse disease (3). Additionally, many patients have tumors that are not amenable to surgery. Treatment with approved oral TKI therapies require long-term chronic administration (daily or biweekly).

About Emactuzumab:
Emactuzumab is a next-generation monoclonal antibody. As a high-affinity CSF1-R inhibitor, emactuzumab is designed to block receptor activation, deplete tumor-promoting macrophages and reduce inflammation in the tumor microenvironment.

Emactuzumab is designed to address the limitations of current treatment options as a short-course, targeted therapy intended to deliver rapid tumor reduction, meaningful functional improvement, durable benefit, and manageable tolerability following limited treatment exposure.

Emactuzumab has received Fast Track Designation (FTD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Medicinal Product designation from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of TGCT.

(Press release, SynOx Therapeutics, APR 13, 2026, View Source [SID1234664344])