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Signadori Bio Raises €11 Million Seed Round to Advance Next-Generation Solid Tumour Platform

On May 6, 2026 Signadori Bio SAS ("Signadori" or the "Company"), a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a next generation, off-the-shelf, in vivo engineered, monocyte immunotherapy platform to treat solid tumours, reported the successful completion of its seed extension financing round, bringing the total raised to €11.1 million. This latest investment was through participation from Taiho Ventures, and existing investors Sofinnova Partners and Invivo Partners.

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The proceeds from the financing will support the advancement of Signadori Bio’s lead programme SiB-2101 towards lead candidate nomination, further development of its proprietary in vivo monocyte engineering platform, and expansion of its scientific and operational teams.

Signadori Bio is developing a novel immunotherapy approach based on engineering monocytes in vivo to regulate and enhance myeloid anti-tumour activity. By harnessing the innate immune system, the company aims to overcome the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and address key limitations of existing immunotherapies and autologous cell therapies, particularly in solid tumours.

"This financing represents an important milestone for Signadori Bio as we continue to build on our promising preclinical data and advance our platform toward the clinic," said Dr. Selwyn Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Signadori Bio. "Our approach to in vivo engineering of monocytes has the potential to unlock a new class of immunotherapies that are more accessible, scalable, and effective for patients with solid tumours. We are delighted to welcome Taiho Ventures alongside our existing investors, Sofinnova Partners and Invivo Partners."

"Signadori Bio is advancing a highly differentiated strategy in immuno-oncology by targeting monocytes and leveraging in vivo engineering," said Seiji Miyahara, Partner & Senior Investment Director at Taiho Ventures, LLC. "The company’s compelling preclinical data and strong scientific foundation position it well to address significant unmet needs in solid tumours. We are excited to support the team in this next phase of development."

"Since inception, Signadori Bio has made strong progress in validating its platform and demonstrating the therapeutic potential of p21-driven monocyte reprogramming," said Matthieu Coutet, Chair of the Board at Signadori Bio and Partner at Sofinnova Partners. "This financing will enable the company to accelerate its development strategy and move closer to clinical translation."

Founded by Dr Jean-Luc Perfettini and Professor Nathalie Chaput, and based on research conducted at Gustave Roussy, Signadori Bio is focused on developing off-the-shelf immunotherapies that reprogram innate immune cells directly in the patient.

(Press release, Signadori Bio, MAY 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234665227])

Kanvas Biosciences Secures $48M Series A to Deliver Novel Microbiome Therapeutics to Cancer Patients

On May 6, 2026 Kanvas Biosciences, a full-stack spatial biology company, reported it has raised a $48 million Series A funding round co-led by existing investors DCVC and Lions Capital LLC. Additional participating investors include Gates Foundation, ATHOS KG, Germin8, Ki Tua Fund, Pangaea Ventures and more. The fresh capital follows a July 2024 round and brings Kanvas’ total funding to $78 million. The funding will be used to conduct clinical trials for the lead drug candidate in the company’s immuno-oncology program, KAN-001, and advance commercial partnerships that leverage Kanvas’ spatial imaging and manufacturing platform for next generation live biotherapeutic product (LBP) development.

A microbiome is a collection of microorganisms and their genes that live in the gut, lungs, on skin and in other tissue. Malfunctioning microbiomes can lead to inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, cardiovascular problems and even impact how cancer patients respond to immunotherapy. Kanvas has developed the unique ability to spatially map microbial cells and host cells, which allows the company to manufacture LBPs made of complex consortia containing hundreds of members that can restore microbiome health, and clearly visualize LBP engraftment and activity – two longstanding roadblocks in the quest to develop effective therapeutics for restoring the microbiome.

Clinical Applications and Development Pathway
KAN-001 is a LBP designed for cancer patients who don’t respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). While over 50% of solid organ cancer patients receive ICIs, only 10% achieve complete responses. Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) from ICI responders can convert non-responders into responders, but they pose manufacturing challenges, pathogen risks and scalability issues. KAN-001 addresses these limitations, and has demonstrated safety and efficacy across multiple mouse models and tumor types. Importantly, the clinical pathway has been substantially de-risked: In a recent FMT trial for anti-PD-1 refractory microsatellite instability high cancers, fecal material from the same donor from which the specific KAN-001 strains were isolated was delivered to study participants via FMT. Results showed high engraftment rates, restored anti-PD-1 response and no ICI-induced colitis. Kanvas will now launch its own clinical trials and operationalize its newly opened GMP manufacturing suite.

"I began my career as a physician and always dreamed of being able to develop new drugs that could help the patients I hadn’t been able to treat with existing therapies," said Matthew Cheng, co-founder and CEO of Kanvas Biosciences. "Most physicians never get the opportunity to realize this dream, so it’s an incredible privilege to bring Kanvas’ technology to the broader LBP market and begin conducting clinical trials of our lead drug candidate, which offers a new way to improve the therapeutic efficacy and safety of immunotherapy for cancer patients."

Recent Company Momentum
Since announcing its Seed round in 2024, Kanvas has made significant progress. Recent milestones include:

Investment from Gates Foundation: With new funding from Gates Foundation and other investors, Kanvas is developing the world’s first fully synthetic microbiome replacement product designed to treat and prevent maternal environmental enteric dysfunction, a major contributor to maternal undernutrition, low infant birthweight and heightened neonatal health risk.
Clinical Trial: Preparations for patient recruitment are underway for a Phase 1 clinical trial of KAN-004, Kanvas’ immuno-oncology drug candidate that targets ICI-induced colitis and may allow cancer patients to stay on ICI therapy longer with improved response rates.
Board Additions: Stephen Quake, the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University and former Chief Science Advisor for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, joined Kanvas’ Board.
New Research: Kanvas recently unveiled new research that demonstrates how the company’s spatial imaging platform outperforms gold standard methods such as metagenomics sequencing, especially in low biomass settings.
Novel Lightsheet Microscope: The company has developed the Kanvas Spectral Lightsheet, a high-resolution, multispectral lightsheet microscope that generates vastly more spatial biology data to train Kanvas’ AI platform and build the world’s first microbiome atlas.
"Creating a brand new microscope capable of collecting spatial biology data at unprecedented scale and quality is a testament to Kanvas’ deep engineering prowess and relentless commitment to unlocking the gut microbiome as a distinct organ that can be safely modified using microbial-based drugs," said Jason Pontin, General Partner at DCVC and chair of Kanvas’ board. "Kanvas’ ability to generate novel data about host-microbiome interactions is fueling powerful AI models that are helping the company design new cancer treatments, nutritional supplements and even gastrointestinal restoration products for animals."

Additional investors in Kanvas’ Series A include Alumni Ventures, Boutique Venture Partners, Cornell University, FemHealth Ventures, Gaingels, Mana Ventures, Red Bear Ventures, RIT Venture Fund, Triple Impact Capital, Kicker Ventures and Uncommon Denominator. For more information on Kanvas or to inquire about clinical trial site opportunities and/or LBP development partnerships, visit View Source

(Press release, Kanvas Bioscience, MAY 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234665226])

LTZ Therapeutics Raises $38 Million in Support of Advancing Myeloid Engager Immunotherapy Pipeline

On May 6, 2026 LTZ Therapeutics, a clinical-stage, immunotherapy-focused biotechnology company, reported the completion of an oversubscribed $38 million financing round to accelerate development of its Universal Myeloid Cell Engager (U-MCE)-based immunotherapy pipeline, particularly its lead asset LTZ-301 targeting oncology and autoimmune diseases. The round was led by GL Ventures, with substantial participation from a sovereign wealth fund and continued support from existing shareholders. This financing brings LTZ’s total funding to approximately $130 million since its founding in 2022.

Proceeds from this round will be used to accelerate development of LTZ’s pipeline, supporting the company’s ongoing Phase 1 clinical study of its lead asset, LTZ-301, which is actively enrolling patients from multiple top clinical sites in the US, as well as the Investigational New Drug (IND) filing and Phase 1 initiation of its second asset, LTZ-232.

"This financing empowers us to translate the potential of our Myeloid Engager Platform into tangible clinical impact for patients," said Robert Li, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of LTZ Therapeutics. "We are building strong momentum across our pipeline and we’re grateful for the robust support from high-caliber investors, whose partnership enables us to accelerate the development of innovative immunotherapies designed to harness myeloid biology to address significant unmet medical needs."

Coinciding with this financing round, LTZ has appointed Erin Lavelle as the company’s independent board director.

"We’re excited to welcome Erin Lavelle to our board at this pivotal stage of growth," added Li. "Erin brings over 25 years of industry executive experience spanning across large pharma and biotech, including both private and public companies. Most recently as the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of ProfoundBio, Ms. Lavelle led the company’s $1.8 billion acquisition by Genmab and the $112 million oversubscribed Series B financing preceding the acquisition, and spearheaded the company’s public company readiness efforts. Erin’s addition to LTZ Board will be invaluable as we continue advancing our clinical pipeline and scaling the company globally."

"GL Ventures is pleased to partner with LTZ as the company scales its novel, proprietary U-MCE platform to harness the therapeutic potential of myeloid biology through multiple early-stage programs," according to a statement from GL Ventures. "The transition of its lead asset LTZ-301 into Phase 1, alongside the upcoming IND filing for LTZ-232, reflects the team’s operational efficiency and proven ability to execute on this first-in-class modality. We will continue to support Robert and his team as they advance this innovative platform to bring breakthrough treatment options to patients."

About the Science

LTZ’s approach focuses on the fusion of reverse translational science, with a deep understanding of tumor microenvironment (TME) biology – especially myeloid biology. Macrophages appear to be one of the most prevalent immune cell populations in TME of various hematologic and solid tumors. Therefore, effectively engaging and activating macrophages to kill cancer cells offers significant therapeutic potential for patients. LTZ is developing its own U-MCE Platform to primarily enhance the phagocytic function of monocytes and macrophages of different polarization states to foster anti-tumor immunity and offer potential therapeutic benefit for other non-oncology diseases.

About LTZ-301

LTZ-301 is a novel myeloid engager bi-specific antibody that depletes CD79b+ B-cells by redirecting monocytes and macrophages toward CD79b+ B-cells, leading to enhanced phagocytosis and depletion of cancer cells. CD79b is a unique tumor antigen receptor that is highly expressed in B-cell malignancies, including the ones of relapse/resistance to the existing CD19 or CD20-based therapies. The ongoing LTZ-301 Phase 1 clinical study is actively enrolling patients with relapsed/refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (r/r NHL) from top US clinical centers. Preclinical studies of LTZ-301 demonstrated potent pharmacology in both in vitro and in vivo studies with a favorable safety profile.

(Press release, LTZ Therapeutics, MAY 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234665225])

Artera Receives U.S. FDA Clearance for ArteraAI Breast, Expanding Its AI Platform to Breast Cancer

On May 6, 2026 Artera, the developer of multimodal artificial intelligence (MMAI)-based prognostic and predictive cancer tests, reported U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of ArteraAI Breast for use in patients with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative invasive breast cancer.

ArteraAI Breast is the first and only FDA-cleared digital pathology-based risk stratification tool for breast cancer. With clearances in both prostate and breast cancer, Artera continues to expand its platform across additional oncology indications.

These FDA milestones come alongside recent CE Marking for both the ArteraAI Prostate Biopsy Assay and the ArteraAI Breast Cancer Assay, underscoring the company’s expanding regulatory footprint in the U.S. and Europe.

"FDA clearance for ArteraAI Breast represents a significant expansion of our FDA-cleared AI platform in oncology," said Andre Esteva, CEO and co-founder of Artera. "This milestone reflects the growing role of our technology across multiple cancer types. Breast cancer care is highly nuanced, with treatment decisions that depend on individualized risk. Our goal remains consistent across prostate and breast cancer, and beyond: to help clinicians translate complex data into more precise, personalized treatment decisions across the cancer journey."

ArteraAI Breast generates an AI-derived risk score that provides prognostic information on the likelihood of distant metastasis in patients with early-stage HR+/HER2- breast cancer. Using digitized histopathology images and patient clinical variables, the model stratifies patients into low- and high-risk groups based on a predefined risk score cutoff.

In early-stage HR+/HER2- breast cancer, determining the appropriate intensity of therapy can be complex due to variability in clinical and pathological factors. By providing consistent, pathology-based risk stratification at the point of diagnosis, ArteraAI Breast is designed to support clinicians in contextualizing risk within established clinical decision-making frameworks.

Data presented at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) evaluated the model in early-stage breast cancer and demonstrated the potential to inform chemotherapy benefit in certain patient populations.

"This clearance represents an important advance on the road to personalizing treatments for patients with early-stage breast cancer," said Eric Winer, MD, medical oncologist and director of the Yale Cancer Center. "Using AI and digital pathology has the potential to streamline operational workflows, while creating a strong interdisciplinary linkage between oncology and pathology. This approach may further improve the clinicians’ ability to help patients make the best treatment decisions."

ArteraAI Breast is designed to integrate directly into standard pathology workflows using routine surgical resection samples, without requiring additional tissue or separate specimen collection. This approach allows the software to provide same-day results, enabling pathology labs to provide clinicians with patient-specific prognostic risk information alongside standard histopathology reports.

(Press release, Artera, MAY 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234665224])

Vir Biotechnology Provides Corporate Update and Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results

On May 6, 2026 Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIR), reported a corporate update and announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.

"Vir Bio delivered incredible momentum during the first quarter with positive, new VIR-5500 Phase 1 data and execution of a global agreement with Astellas in prostate cancer. The closing of our collaboration with Astellas in April has ignited the next stage of development work, bolstering our ability to move faster and think bigger together," said Marianne De Backer, Chief Executive Officer of Vir Biotechnology. "We also announced promising updated Phase 2 data on our combination regimen in CHD and will be presenting complete Week 96 data at the EASL Congress later this month. CHD is the most severe form of hepatitis. We believe our well-tolerated combination regimen is uniquely positioned to change the standard of care, bringing together robust efficacy with the potential for self-administration at home with once monthly subcutaneous dosing."

Pipeline Programs

Chronic Hepatitis Delta (CHD)

The Company will present additional data from the Phase 2 SOLSTICE trial evaluating the combination of tobevibart and elebsiran for CHD at the EASL Congress taking place May 27-30, 2026.
Earlier this year, the Company reported Phase 2 SOLSTICE data showing that the monthly combination of tobevibart and elebsiran was highly efficacious and well-tolerated. Undetectable hepatitis delta virus RNA (HDV RNA Target Not Detected, TND) was achieved and maintained by 77% (24/31) of participants receiving the combination regimen at Week 72. This rate increased to 88% (21/24) in the subset of participants evaluated through Week 96.
Topline data from the Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 trial are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Topline data from the ECLIPSE 2 and ECLIPSE 3 trials are expected in the first quarter of 2027.
Solid Tumors

VIR-5500

The Company closed its global strategic collaboration with Astellas to advance PSMA-targeted, PRO-XTEN dual-masked TCE VIR-5500 for the treatment of prostate cancer.
The first patient was dosed in the Phase 1 dose-expansion cohorts evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of VIR-5500 in prostate cancer. The first expansion cohort will evaluate VIR-5500 monotherapy in Q3W 800/2000/3500 µg/kg step-up dosing in late-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The Company anticipates initiating pivotal Phase 3 trials in 2027.
Positive updated Phase 1 data for VIR-5500 monotherapy showed dose-dependent anti-tumor activity and a well-tolerated safety profile in patients with mCRPC. The data were presented in an oral presentation at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
VIR-5818

Phase 1 dose-escalation of VIR-5818, a HER2-targeted PRO-XTEN dual-masked TCE, in combination with pembrolizumab continues, with response data expected in the second half of 2026.
VIR-5525

The Phase 1 study of VIR-5525, an EGFR-targeted PRO-XTEN dual-masked TCE, continues enrollment as expected.
Preclinical Pipeline Candidates

The Company is currently progressing a number of PRO-XTEN masked TCEs in preclinical studies directed at clinically validated targets with potential applications across a variety of solid tumors, including lung, colorectal and bladder.
Corporate Update

The Company completed a follow-on public offering of common stock with gross proceeds of $172.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.
First Quarter 2026 Financial Results

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments: As of March 31, 2026, the Company had $809.3 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments, representing an increase of approximately $27.7 million during the first quarter of 2026. During the first quarter of 2026, the Company completed a public offering of its common stock with gross proceeds of $172.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.

Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses for the first quarter of 2026 were $108.9 million, which included $6.0 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared to $118.6 million for the same period in 2025, which included $7.0 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense. The decrease was primarily driven by a $30.0 million expense in the first quarter of 2025 in connection with signing the restated Alnylam agreement, partially offset by higher CHD contract manufacturing costs associated with process performance qualification batches in preparation for commercialization, and to a lesser extent, higher clinical expenses from the progression of both our CHD and oncology programs in the first quarter of 2026.

Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses: SG&A expenses for the first quarter of 2026 were $23.3 million, which included $6.1 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared to $23.9 million for the same period in 2025, which included $7.1 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense.

Net Loss: Net loss for the first quarter of 2026 was $125.7 million, or $0.85 per share, basic and diluted, compared to a net loss of $121.0 million, or $0.88 per share, basic and diluted for the same period in 2025.

2026 Financial Guidance

Based on our current operating plans, including the net effects of the Astellas global collaboration, the Astellas equity investment and the completion of the recent equity financing, the Company expects its cash, cash equivalents and investments to fund operations into the second half of 2028.

Conference Call

Vir Biotechnology will host its first quarter 2026 financial results conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT today. A live webcast will be available at View Source and will be archived for 30 days.

About the ECLIPSE Registrational Program

ECLIPSE is a registrational program to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tobevibart in combination with elebsiran in patients with chronic hepatitis delta (CHD). ECLIPSE includes three randomized, controlled trials designed to evaluate the combination therapy in comparison to deferred treatment or bulevirtide. ECLIPSE 1 (NCT06903338) is a Phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of tobevibart in combination with elebsiran compared to deferred treatment in the U.S. or other regions where bulevirtide use is limited. ECLIPSE 2 (NCT07128550) is a Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of switching to tobevibart and elebsiran in people with CHD who have not achieved viral suppression with bulevirtide therapy. ECLIPSE 1 and 2 are designed to provide the registrational efficacy and safety data needed for potential submission to global regulatory agencies. ECLIPSE 3 (NCT07142811) is a Phase 2b head-to-head trial evaluating combination tobevibart and elebsiran compared with bulevirtide in bulevirtide-naïve patients, and it is designed to provide important supportive data to help establish access and reimbursement in key markets.

About Tobevibart and Elebsiran

Tobevibart is an investigational broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). It is designed to inhibit the entry of hepatitis B and hepatitis delta viruses into hepatocytes and to reduce the level of circulating viral and subviral particles in the blood. Tobevibart was identified using Vir Biotechnology’s proprietary mAb discovery platform. The Fc domain has been engineered to increase immune engagement and clearance of HBsAg immune complexes and incorporates Xencor’s Xtend technology to extend half-life. Tobevibart is administered subcutaneously, and it is currently in clinical development for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis delta.

Elebsiran is an investigational hepatitis B virus-targeting small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) licensed from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It is designed to degrade hepatitis B virus RNA transcripts and limit the production of HBsAg. Current data indicate that it has the potential to have direct antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus and hepatitis delta virus. Elebsiran is administered subcutaneously, and it is currently in clinical development for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis delta.

About Chronic Hepatitis Delta (CHD)

CHD is the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis2 and was recently classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.3 People living with the disease rapidly progress to cirrhosis, liver failure4 and liver-related death.2 There are currently no approved treatments in the U.S., and options are limited in the European Union and globally.

About VIR-5500, VIR-5818 and VIR-5525

VIR-5500, VIR-5818 and VIR-5525 are investigational, clinical candidates currently being evaluated for the treatment of solid tumors. These assets leverage the universal PRO-XTEN masking technology and target PSMA, HER2 and EGFR, respectively.

TCEs are powerful anti-tumor agents that can direct the immune system, specifically T-cells, to destroy cancer cells. The universal 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 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 less frequent dosing regimens for patients and clinicians.

About Advanced Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer remains a significant global health burden, representing the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men behind lung cancer.5 While diagnostic and therapeutic advances like androgen-directed therapy can improve outcomes in earlier settings, most patients ultimately relapse and develop metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).6 mHSPC is characterized by its responsiveness to intensified hormonal interventions designed to reduce androgen levels or block their action. The majority of these patients eventually progress to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).7 This stage is associated with poor clinical outcomes, including limited durability of existing therapies, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 30%.8 There is a critical need for safer, more effective, and precisely targeted therapies capable of improving long term disease control and quality of life across the prostate cancer continuum.

(Press release, Vir Biotechnology, MAY 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234665223])