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VERAXA Biotech Announces Advancement of Novel Bispecific Antibody Drug Conjugate Program VXA-222 from Joint Discovery Collaboration with OmniAb

On July 27, 2026 VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA; "VERAXA" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in designing novel cancer therapies, reported the advancement of bispecific ADC (bsADC) program VXA-222, following successful achievement of a key technical milestone in its alliance with OmniAb, Inc. (NASDAQ: OABI, "OmniAb"). The program is moving into its next collaboration phase with OmniAb’s discovery work successfully concluded. VXA-222 utilizes an "AND-gate" logic to address two different target antigens present on solid tumors with one molecule. Established in May 2025, the alliance and joint discovery collaboration brought together OmniAb’s cutting-edge suite of transgenic antibody discovery solutions and screening technologies with VERAXA’s proprietary antibody drug conjugate (ADC) linker technology and conjugation expertise to support next-generation therapeutic discovery.

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"We are pleased to announce this important achievement and the advancement of this program from our alliance with OmniAb for the development of a novel AND-gated bsADC utilizing our conjugation and linker technology," commented Christoph Erkel, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of VERAXA. "This successful partnership has united two highly complementary technologies to establish a new therapeutic candidate in VXA-222, representing a powerful opportunity for a best-in-class bispecific ADC to address solid tumor indications with high unmet medical need. We look forward to advancing this program and acknowledge OmniAb’s partnership and contributions in delivering a diverse set of highly promising antibodies."

Under the terms of the May 2025 agreement, VERAXA initiated a novel bsADC program addressing two attractive target molecules in cancer medicine. The Company utilized OmniAb’s suite of transgenic antibody discovery solutions, including OmniClic, a common light-chain transgenic chicken developed to facilitate the generation of bispecific antibodies, to source high-quality human antibody leads, which are naturally optimized through in vivo affinity maturation. VERAXA will subsequently establish the bsADC lead candidate by applying its proprietary linker technology and conjugation routine and will be responsible for in vitro and in vivo validation. VERAXA holds exclusive rights to develop and commercialize products incorporating the OmniAb-derived antibodies under the collaboration, with OmniAb entitled to a share of specified revenue generated from those products.

"We’re delighted to see this bispecific ADC program cross this important threshold," said Bill Harriman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Discovery Partnership Management and Technology Development and Operations at OmniAb. "Continuation of the discovery phase at VERAXA underscores the productive collaboration and alliance between our scientific and business teams, and highlights the complementary strengths of OmniAb’s technologies and VERAXA’s expertise in ADC conjugation and development. We look forward to seeing our partners at VERAXA advance this exciting program."

(Press release, Veraxa Biotech, JUL 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234669450])

Calidi Biotherapeutics Presents New Data on Cytotoxicity and IL-15 SA Expression in Human and Murine Tumor Cells at the American Association for Cancer Research Drug Discovery and Development Conference

On July 27, 2026 Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) ("Calidi" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of systemically delivered, targeted genetic medicines, reported on July 23, 2026, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Drug Discovery and Development (AACR D3) Conference in Boston, MA. The Company presented new data on its CLD-401 program that it expects to enter the clinic in the first quarter of 2027 and its in situ T-cell engager (TCE) program.

"The data presented last week at the conference shows the advances we have made in both our CLD-401 program that we expect will be entering the clinic soon and our in situ TCE program including a new TCE targeting the EpCam receptor," said Calidi Chief Executive Officer Eric Poma, PhD. "The data highlights the unique ability of the RedTail platform to deliver genetic medicines to distal tumor sites to drive efficacy."

(Press release, Calidi Biotherapeutics, JUL 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234669449])

ITM Introduces Lumara Bio as Its New Oncology Therapeutics Division

On July 27, 2026 ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, reported Lumara Bio as a dedicated oncology therapeutics division that combines ITM’s existing pipeline and the internal teams supporting its development and commercialization.

Lumara Bio will operate as a defined division within ITM to focus key resources toward commercial readiness for its most advanced drug candidate, 177Lu-edotreotide (ITM-11), which is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of August 28, 2026, alongside its broader early- and late-stage drug development activities.

"As we approach ITM-11’s PDUFA date, creating the Lumara Bio division enables us to focus our internal efforts and create a structure around the teams responsible for a potential commercial launch," said Dr. Andrew Cavey, chief executive officer of ITM. "In addition, Lumara Bio reflects the evolution of the two pillars of ITM’s business and builds on our deep expertise in isotope manufacturing and supply as well as our proven track record in radiopharmaceutical development. Lumara Bio is uniquely positioned to address the growing need for radiopharmaceutical innovation by accelerating progress across our targeted radiopharmaceutical pipeline and expanding our portfolio."

Beyond 177Lu-edotreotide, Lumara Bio will advance ITM’s diverse pipeline of targeted radiopharmaceutical candidates spanning multiple cancer types, treatment approaches, and proprietary isotope platforms, with the goal of bringing innovative radiopharmaceutical therapies to more patients. The division builds on ITM’s scientific foundation and isotope expertise, as well as its radiopharmaceutical development and strategic scientific collaborations. Lumara Bio will leverage ITM’s isotope manufacturing and supply services to support its pipeline and potential commercial launch activities.

177Lu-edotreotide is currently under regulatory review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is not approved by any regulatory authority for any use.

(Press release, ITM Isotopen Technologien Munchen, JUL 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234669448])

Eikon Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in TeLuRide-008, a Registrational Phase 2/3 Trial of EIK1001 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

On July 27, 2026 Eikon Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: EIKN) (Eikon), a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative medicines to address serious unmet medical needs, reported that the first patient has been dosed in TeLuRide-008, a Phase 2/3 registrational study evaluating EIK1001 in combination with pembrolizumab and histology-appropriate chemotherapy as first-line therapy for treatment-naïve patients with stage 4 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

"Treating the first patient in TeLuRide-008 is a significant milestone for Eikon as we continue to advance EIK1001 in multiple indications, with the ultimate goal of delivering improved outcomes to patients with significant unmet need," said Roy Baynes, M.D., Ph.D. Chief Medical Officer of Eikon. "Despite advancements in NSCLC, the current standard of care was established over a decade ago and does not deliver durable benefit for many patients. EIK1001 is designed to drive an enhanced immune response by stimulating both innate and adaptive immunity, improving antigen presentation in secondary lymphoid tissues and recruiting a broader répertoire of T-cells. We are grateful to the patients and investigators participating in this study who are vital partners as we work to develop therapies that may deliver more meaningful and sustained responses for people living with cancer."

About TeLuRide-008
TeLuRide-008 (NCT07365319) is a global, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized adaptive Phase 2/3 study to evaluate the clinical activity and safety of EIK1001 administered intravenously in combination with pembrolizumab and histology-appropriate chemotherapy to systemic therapy-naïve participants with Stage 4 non-squamous or squamous NSCLC. The specific chemotherapy for non-squamous histology is pemetrexed plus either carboplatin or cisplatin, while for squamous histology it is carboplatin plus paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel. The study is being conducted in two phases (Phase 2 and Phase 3) and will be analyzed in three parts (dose optimization, dose expansion and confirmatory hypothesis testing). TeLuRide-008 is the second registrational phase 2/3 trial for EIK1001. TeLuRide-006 (NCT06697301), which is enrolling patients with advanced malignant melanoma, was initiated in May of 2025.

About NSCLC
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers globally, with NSCLC making up 80 to 85 percent of all lung cancer cases. NSCLC is often diagnosed at advanced stages when treatment options are more limited and there remains significant unmet medical need in this patient population. The main subtypes of NSCLC are adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. The current standard of care for Stage 4 NSCLC combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (e.g., pembrolizumab) plus histology-appropriate chemotherapy confers significant clinical benefit over chemotherapy alone, yet many patients progress nonetheless, highlighting the large unmet medical need in the management of this disease.

About EIK1001
EIK1001 is an investigational, systemically administered dual-agonist of Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 designed to stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses. In Phase 1 trials of EIK1001, single-agent activity was observed in patients with advanced malignancy. This mechanism may complement the antitumor immune response engendered by PD-(L)1 blockade. EIK1001 has been studied in over 500 patients and observed to be well-tolerated to date, both as a monotherapy, and in combination with PD-(L)1-specific antibody-based therapy.

(Press release, Eikon Therapeutics, JUL 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234669447])

Elevar Therapeutics Announces Three Abstracts Accepted for Presentation at ESMO Congress 2026

On July 27, 2026 Elevar Therapeutics, Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of HLB Co., Ltd. and a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company dedicated to elevating treatment experiences and outcomes for cancer patients with inadequate therapeutic options, reported the acceptance of three abstracts for presentation at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress, which will be held October 23-27 in Madrid.

The accepted presentations highlight clinical progress across Elevar’s pipeline:

Rivoceranib: A rapid oral presentation detailing Phase 2 results in pretreated metastatic thymic epithelial tumors.
Camrelizumab + Rivoceranib: A poster sub-analysis of the CARES-310 study evaluating the impact of early antibiotic exposure on treatment efficacy in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).
Lirafugratinib: An ePoster post-hoc analysis from the ReFocus trial examining prior immunotherapy exposure and mucocutaneous adverse event risks.

Presentation Details

Rapid Oral Presentation:

Title: Rivoceranib in patients with pretreated metastatic thymic epithelial tumors: phase II multi-center KCSG LU23-09 (THRIVE) trial
Speaker: Sehhoon Park, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Thoracic Medical Oncologist at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea
Presentation No.: 4155RO
Session Title: Non-metastatic NSCLC and other thoracic malignancies
Session Date/Time: Oct. 26, 2026, 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. CET
Location: Burgos Auditorium – Hall 3

Poster Presentation:

Title: Impact of early antibiotic exposure on efficacy of camrelizumab plus rivoceranib versus sorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC): a sub-analysis of CARES-310
Presentation No.: 1686P
Presentation Topic: Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Session Date/Time: Oct. 25, 2026, 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. CET

ePoster Presentation:

Title: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) and Risk of Mucocutaneous Adverse Events (mcAEs) on FGFR2 Inhibition: Post-Hoc Analysis of the Lirafugratinib (Lira) ReFocus Trial
Presentation No.: 1096eP
Presentation Topic: Developmental Therapeutics
Location: ePosters will be available via searchable screens located onsite in Hall 5

(Press release, Elevar Therapeutics, JUL 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234669446])