On April 7, 2026 BioOra Limited ("BioOra"), a commercial-stage cell therapy company advancing CAR-T therapies for cancer patients, and Octane Biotech Inc., an Octane Medical Group Company ("Octane"), reported the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on the co-development and deployment of advanced cell therapies using the Cocoon automated cell therapy manufacturing platform.

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The collaboration builds upon the existing partnership through which BioOra’s CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy (Atla-Cel) is produced by Octane’s Cocoon Platform for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma in New Zealand as part of the registration trial (ENABLE-2). Under the agreement, BioOra and Octane will work together to expand manufacturing capacity to support BioOra’s regional growth, beginning with Australia and extending to additional international markets.

Octane is advancing the Cocoon Platform to enable efficient, decentralized scaling of cell therapy manufacturing. In parallel, BioOra is constructing a bespoke cell therapy manufacturing facility in Christchurch New Zealand, the BioOra Health & Technology Centre, designed to concurrently operate Cocoon systems to meet growing regional demand for CAR-T and other advanced cell therapies. By leveraging the automated and integrated design of the Cocoon Platform, the collaboration is expected to improve operational efficiency, increase manufacturing throughput, and reduce vein-to-vein time, supporting a new model for delivering personalized cell therapies.

"BioOra has demonstrated that manufacturing using the Cocoon Platform can support the commercial delivery of CAR-T therapy in New Zealand," said John Robson, Chief Executive Officer of BioOra. "Our new Christchurch facility is designed to scale this model using multiple Cocoon systems. Partnering with Octane allows us to expand into Australia and beyond while improving efficiency and increasing patient access."

"Octane was founded to unlock the full potential of cell therapy production," said Timothy Smith, CEO and co-founder of Octane. "BioOra is setting the standard for how this model can be deployed at scale. By combining Cocoon-enabled automation with BioOra’s leading clinical and manufacturing infrastructure, we are building a more efficient, scalable paradigm that has the potential to redefine access to cell therapies globally."

The collaboration is also expected to expand international patient access through therapy delivery in New Zealand, and potentially in Australia, where BioOra is establishing partnerships to deliver CAR-T therapies to the large number of patients who do not have access in their home countries.

As part of the collaboration, BioOra and Octane intend to develop closed, integrated, end-to-end manufacturing solutions spanning cell collection, automated processing, and final product release for BioOra cell therapy products. These innovations are designed to simplify manufacturing workflows, further improving the accessibility and practicality of CAR-T therapy.

"CAR-T therapies have demonstrated extraordinary potential to cure otherwise lethal cancers, but scaling access has been limited by manufacturing complexity," said Laurence Cooper, MD, PhD, CAR-T pioneer, and Board Member of BioOra. "Aligning automation with advanced therapeutics through the Cocoon Platform can dramatically expand access. This collaboration fits directly with BioOra’s vision of becoming the first commercial CAR-T company in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing these transformative therapies to far more patients."

The collaboration will focus on:

Scaling BioOra’s CAR-T manufacturing operations in New Zealand using the Cocoon Platform
Expanding manufacturing into Australia and North America to support regional patient access
Developing additional cell therapy programs for deployment on the Cocoon Platform
Co-developing production efficiencies to further automate CAR-T manufacturing solutions
The companies expect to formalize additional development and commercialization agreements following the execution of definitive collaboration agreements.

(Press release, BioOra, APR 7, 2026, View Source [SID1234664229])

On April 7, 2026 Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX:RAD, "Radiopharm" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative oncology radiopharmaceuticals for areas of high unmet medical need, and Siemens Healthineers, reported the signing of a supply agreement in which Siemens Healthineers will radiolabel and distribute RAD101 with Fluorine-18 (18F). RAD101 is Radiopharm’s novel imaging small molecule targeting fatty acid synthase (FASN) radiolabelled with Fluorine-18 for the diagnosis of suspected recurrent brain metastases from solid tumors of different origins.

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"This partnership marks a milestone for Radiopharm, as we bring RAD101 closer to improving diagnostic precision for brain metastases," said Riccardo Canevari, CEO and Managing Director of Radiopharm Theranostics. "We have made considerable progress advancing RAD101 through the clinic, and the second interim analysis showed 90% (18/20) of the patients dosed with RAD101 achieved concordance between PET imaging and MRI (the primary endpoint). The results showed significant and selective tumor uptake in the brain metastases. Images confirm metabolic activity in brain metastases compared to equivocal MRI findings. In addition, the first five patients with evaluable six-month follow-up and/or biopsy data show a positive trend for sensitivity and specificity (the secondary objectives). This partnership ensures our supply of 18F-labeled RAD101 in the U.S. for the initiation of the multi-center global Phase 3 registrational trial following our readout of topline data in the Phase 2b trial in the first half of 2026."

The company has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track Designation to distinguish between recurrent disease and the treatment effect of brain metastases originating from solid tumors of different origins, including leptomeningeal disease.

Under the terms of the agreement, Siemens Healthineers will manufacture and distribute doses of 18F-labeled RAD101 to support Radiopharm’s upcoming Phase 3 registrational trial in the U.S.

"As the leader in PET imaging solutions, we are pleased to partner with Radiopharm Theranostics to provide our reliable and specialized manufacturing capabilities," said Barry Scott, Head of Radiopharma at Siemens Healthineers. "With our large national network of radiopharmacies in the U.S., we are uniquely qualified and well-equipped to deliver RAD101 as well as other novel PET biomarkers to assist in the fight against challenging diseases such as brain metastases, a condition that more than 300,000 people are diagnosed with in the U.S. each year."

(Press release, Radiopharm Theranostics, APR 7, 2026, View Source [SID1234664228])

On April 7, 2026 Autolus Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: AUTL), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing, manufacturing and delivering next-generation programmed T cell therapies, reported that the Company will participate in two upcoming investor conferences.

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25th Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference
Date and time: April 13, 2028; 10:15am EDT / 3:15pm BST
Presenter: Chief Executive Officer Dr. Christian Itin

A webcast of the presentation will be available on the "Events" page in the "Investor Relations & Media" section of the Company’s website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Company’s website for 90 days following the presentation.

Van Lanschot Kempen Life Sciences Conference
Management to host investor meetings
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Amsterdam

(Press release, Autolus, APR 7, 2026, View Source [SID1234664227])

On April 7, 2026 Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LYEL), a late-stage clinical company advancing a pipeline of next-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for patients with cancer, reported that members of its senior management team will present and participate in the 25th Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 11:00 am Eastern Time.

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A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed through the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.lyell.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website following the presentation date.

(Press release, Lyell Immunopharma, APR 7, 2026, View Source [SID1234664226])

On April 7, 2026 Pluristyx, a leader in advanced induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based solutions, reported expansion of its intellectual property portfolio with a U.S. patent allowance for claims covering cells expressing autoimmune-associated self-antigens coupled with its exclusive induced Allogeneic Cell Tolerance (iACT Stealth) technology for "cell cloaking".

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The newly allowed patent claims are specifically drawn to the use of iACT in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. With this technology Pluristyx can combine a genetic engineering package integrating iACT Stealth with self-antigen technology, and "train" a patient’s own immune system. This innovative approach allows for a precise, desired immune response to a self-antigen without dangerous "off-target" effects or using traditional debilitating systemic immune suppression.

This patent marks a pivotal shift in the use of cell therapy beyond oncology. By pairing iACT Stealth cloaking with specific self-antigens, Pluristyx is enabling development of "tolerogenic" cell therapies. Unlike traditional methods that broadly suppress the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to infections, this technology allows engineered cells to persist in the body and specifically retrain the immune system to stop attacking itself. This represents a new frontier in "living medicine," where engineered iPSC-derived cells act as a localized, intelligent platform for long-term autoimmune remission.

iACT Stealth is designed to work in tandem with Pluristyx’s FailSafe technology. FailSafe’s drug-inducible safety feature acts as a genetic "kill switch," allowing for the selective removal of any proliferating cells to ensure patient safety and is the only commercially-available safety switch technology.

"This addition to our patent portfolio furthers our commitment to advancing regenerative, living-medicine therapies, now in the autoimmune field," said Kaye Reiter, PhD, JD, Pluristyx Chief Legal Officer. "We continue to expand our exclusive intellectual property portfolio of combined iPSC, FailSafe, and iACT Stealth technologies that are setting the standard for functionality, safety, and scalability".

Pluristyx’s full suite of technologies, including iACT Stealth, FailSafe, and proprietary mRNA-based iPSC reprogramming technology, is available for immediate adoption through a streamlined research evaluation and commercial licensing model. This provides partners today with a powerful, clinical-grade foundation to bring tomorrow’s next-generation living medicines to market.

(Press release, Pluristyx, APR 7, 2026, View Source [SID1234664225])