The\u00a0American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) gathered in San Diego, California,\u00a0for the\u00a0annual congress\u00a0from April\u00a017 to 22\u00a0in 2026 to\u00a0report\u00a0progress in\u00a0cancer research and uncover discoveries in patient care.\u00a0We\u00a0look\u00a0at highlights from the event, as\u00a0Labiotech\u00a0spoke to\u00a0a few\u00a0biotechs\u00a0who presented data at AACR 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Merck unveils NSCLC data;\u00a0closing in on competition?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A major reveal was pharma giant Merck\u2019s phase 1\/2 trial data of its bispecific\u00a0antibody<\/a> called MK-2010. It managed to induce a 55% overall response rate (ORR)\u00a0in\u00a0previously untreated patients with PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer\u00a0(NSCLC).\u00a0These patients were given 20 mg\/kg once every three weeks.\u00a0In\u00a0those\u00a0patients who had been\u00a0previously\u00a0treated,\u00a0an 18% ORR was\u00a0observed\u00a0in\u00a0the 20 mg\/kg dose cohort and a 22% ORR in 30 mg\/kg cohort.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0side effects included hypertension\u00a0and excess\u00a0protein in the urine, which are\u00a0not uncommon\u00a0with VEGF inhibitor drugs. Merck\u2019s candidate, which was initially developed by China-based biotech LaNova Medicines\u00a0until the pharma giant\u00a0acquired\u00a0the company two years ago, is way behind other contenders\u00a0of its kind in the clinic.\u00a0<\/p>\n VEGF inhibitor developers like BioNTech,\u00a0Guangdong-based\u00a0Akeso, and\u00a0California-based\u00a0Summit Therapeutics, are all in the race to get the next approval in the field.\u00a0The Merck data announced at AACR 2026 is comparable to\u00a0Akeso\u00a0and Summit Therapeutics\u2019 50% ORR for\u00a0ivonescimab\u00a0and\u00a047%\u00a0ORR\u00a0of\u00a0BioNTech and Bristol Myers Squibb\u2019s\u00a0anti-VEGF drug\u00a0pumitamig, as well as big pharma company Pfizer and\u00a0Shanghai-based\u00a03SBio\u2019s\u00a062% ORR for\u00a0SSGJ-707\u00a0given at 10 mg\/kg and 55% for the therapy dosed at 20 mg\/kg in phase 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n AACR 2026: lung cancer data shows promise in NSCLC and SCLC\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, for patients with NSCLC data who are ROS1-positive \u2013 who make up about 1% to 2% of people with lung cancer\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and for whom\u00a0currently available\u00a0tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the primary treatment for this\u00a0indication\u00a0do not work, there are no established options.\u00a0At AACR 2026, Massachusetts-based\u00a0Nuvalent\u00a0presented data that\u00a0signals that this could change.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Nuvalent\u2019s\u00a0TKI\u00a0zidesamtinib\u00a0induced a 41%\u00a0and 47%\u00a0ORR who were previously given the TKIs\u00a0Augtyro\u00a0and\u00a0Ibtrozi, respectively. This response\u00a0had a median duration of response of 15.7 months \u2013\u00a0a\u00a0measure\u00a0of\u00a0how long a patient\u2019s cancer responds to treatment before it starts to grow again\u00a0\u2013 in patients who were on\u00a0Augtyro\u00a0prior to the trial.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cZidesamtinib\u00a0demonstrated clinically meaningful activity in this heavily pre-treated subgroup, including activity in\u00a0tumors\u00a0with the ROS1 G2032R resistance mutation and intracranial complete responses for patients with\u00a0central nervous system (CNS)\u00a0disease,\u201d said Christopher Turner, chief medical officer at\u00a0Nuvalent.\u00a0\u201cImportantly, this indicates that ROS1-positive NSCLC\u00a0tumors\u00a0may remain ROS1-dependent beyond treatment with\u00a0repotrectinib\u00a0(Augtyro)\u00a0or\u00a0taletrectinib\u00a0(Ibtrozi)\u00a0and we believe supports the potential for\u00a0zidesamtinib, if approved, to provide a clinically meaningful treatment option for patients who have exhausted available therapies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Various\u00a0biotechs\u00a0presented preclinical data\u00a0in lung cancer\u00a0as well, one of which was Maryland-based\u00a0Ascentage\u00a0Pharma.\u00a0Ascentage\u2019s\u00a0APG-5918, a small-molecule that targets the EED protein, is being evaluated in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC),\u00a0which is significantly more aggressive than NSCLC. In around 60% to 70% of cases, the cancer has spread throughout the body by the time of diagnosis.\u00a0Ascentage\u00a0claims that its candidate can epigenetically\u00a0\u2018prime\u2019\u00a0small-cell lung cancer cells to respond better to topoisomerase I inhibitors\u00a0so as to\u00a0overcome chemoresistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n The candidate APG-5918 in combination with a chemotherapy\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0antitumor activity in a preclinical model without leading to significant body-weight loss,\u00a0indicating\u00a0favorable\u00a0tolerability.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vaccine\u00a0data\u00a0for difficult-to-treat pancreatic cancer\u00a0looks optimistic\u00a0<\/p>\n Besides, advancements in pancreatic cancer research\u00a0were\u00a0spotlighted\u00a0at AACR 2026. One of the most difficult cancers to treat, with about a 12% overall five-year survival rate, pancreatic cancers often gain resistance to chemotherapies.\u00a0Early detection is rare and\u00a0many\u00a0tumors\u00a0are inoperable at diagnosis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Phase 1\u00a0findings<\/a>\u00a0of a cancer vaccine unveiled by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer\u00a0Center\u00a0showed that 87.5% of patients had\u00a0a T-cell response. The personalized vaccine was given in combination with\u00a0the monoclonal antibody\u00a0atezolizumab as well as\u00a0chemotherapy, and patients\u00a0remained alive\u00a0four to six\u00a0years after surgery, compared to 25% of\u00a0those who did not respond to the medication.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The vaccine is\u00a0deemed\u00a0to be \u2018personalized\u2019 because it relies on\u00a0taking\u00a0the immune cells of the patients.\u00a0These cells are then trained to attack specific mutations on their specific\u00a0tumor\u00a0cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese early results show this new immunotherapy approach has the potential to make a difference for one of the deadliest cancers,\u201d said\u00a0Vinod Balachandran, MD, the trial\u2019s principal\u00a0investigator\u00a0and\u00a0director of the Olayan\u00a0Center\u00a0for Cancer Vaccines at MSK. \u201cThe latest data from this small study suggest vaccines can meaningfully stimulate the immune system in some patients with pancreatic cancer\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and these patients continue to do well years after vaccination.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Balachandran pointed out that mRNA vaccines could provoke the immune system to recognize and attack pancreatic cancer cells\u00a0to\u00a0reduce the risk of\u00a0cancer recurring.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe results are encouraging,\u201d said\u00a0Balachandran. \u201cThey fuel our efforts to test personalized mRNA vaccines in more patients and more cancers.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer\u00a0Center\u00a0was also a key site for Revolution Medicine\u2019s pancreatic cancer trial. It tested its\u00a0KRAS inhibitor<\/a>\u00a0daraxonrasib,\u00a0which targets mutations in the RAS gene to help control the growth of cells.\u00a0KRAS mutations drive more than 90% of pancreatic cancer, and it is projected to be the second most deadly cancer in the U.S. by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n Patients had a 47% ORR in the ongoing clinical trial and progression-free survival was 7% at six months.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The response rate\u00a0\u2013\u00a0the number of patients with\u00a0tumors\u00a0that showed positive activity from the drug\u00a0\u2013\u00a0was 47%.\u00a0Eileen M. O\u2019Reilly, a key investigator of the study, thinks that while larger trials need to be held to\u00a0figure out\u00a0how much\u00a0better\u00a0daraxonrasib\u00a0is than chemotherapy,\u00a0the study results are promising.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u00a0is obviously a lot of optimism about this approach,\u201d she said. \u201cThis drug\u2019s effect on cancer appears to be at least comparable to chemotherapy and maybe even better.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n AACR 2026: why are ADCs so trendy?\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0the\u00a0hype around\u00a0antibody-drug\u00a0conjugates\u00a0(ADC)<\/a>\u00a0continues.\u00a0A new\u00a0ADC developed by Shandong-based Qilu Pharmaceutical\u00a0showed clinical benefit in a phase 1 study\u00a0in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.\u00a0This group of patients face both a poor prognosis and limited treatment options.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cADCs can now deliver highly potent drugs more selectively to tumor cells while limiting systemic side effects including off-target toxicity. This has made them an increasingly attractive therapeutic option for treating tumors, where achieving sufficient efficacy without unacceptable side effects has been challenging in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Dongzhou\u00a0Jeffery Liu, CEO of Heidelberg Pharma<\/p>\n The candidate QLS5132 consists of a monoclonal antibody that targets the protein CLDN6 as well as a chemotherapy. The drug is designed to target the surface of ovarian cancer cells,\u00a0where the CLDN6 protein is highly expressed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Across all dose levels, 18 patients experienced a 50% ORR and a disease control rate of 94.4%.\u00a0Moreover, the phase 2 dosage did not result in cases of interstitial lung disease, ocular toxicity, oral mucositis, or febrile neutropenia \u2013 all of which are side effects linked to chemotherapies.\u00a0Tao Zhu, chief physician who presented the study, called the findings \u201cencouraging\u201d and said that they support phase 3 trials of the ADC.\u00a0<\/p>\n ADCs have surely been gaining steam in recent times. According to\u00a0Dongzhou\u00a0Jeffery Liu, chief executive officer (CEO) of Heidelberg Pharma,\u00a0located\u00a0in Ladenburg,\u00a0Germany,\u00a0advances in linker technologies, payload design, and target\u00a0selection\u00a0are the reason for their growing popularity in the cancer care space.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cADCs can now deliver highly potent drugs more selectively to\u00a0tumor\u00a0cells while limiting systemic side effects including off-target toxicity. This has made them an increasingly attractive therapeutic\u00a0option\u00a0for treating\u00a0tumors, where achieving sufficient efficacy without unacceptable side effects has been challenging in the past,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The biotech\u2019s lead candidate is the\u00a0amanitin-based\u00a0ADC\u00a0pamlectabart\u00a0tismanitin\u00a0that is in early clinical studies for multiple myeloma. Liu told\u00a0Labiotech\u00a0that\u00a0the findings from the clinical phase 1 dose escalation trial are \u201cvery encouraging,\u201d with dose-dependent increases in ORRs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Heidelberg Pharma is pioneering the development of these antibody targeted amanitin conjugates, also known as ATACs. Amanitin is a toxin that is derived from\u00a0green death cap mushrooms and is being\u00a0utilized\u00a0as a payload for cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Liu pointed out that ADCs are moving faster than ever and they have the potential to partially replace conventional chemotherapy in certain indications.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis shift is already translating into improved efficacy and better tolerability for patients. Looking forward,\u00a0next generation\u00a0ADCs offer the potential for better cancer treatment through improved targets, optimized ADC design, and novel payloads that can overcome resistance. Payload innovations such as amanitin, which acts independently of cell proliferation, open the door to deeper and more durable responses and may enable\u00a0long\u2011term\u00a0disease control, including in non-oncology therapy,\u201d said Liu.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond traditional ADCs\u00a0<\/p>\n Furthermore, London-based startup\u00a0Promatix\u00a0Biosciences\u00a0plans\u00a0to bring next-generation ADCs to the clinic. It\u00a0is focused on targeting pairs of receptors expressed by tumor cells with minimal binding to tissues expressing only one of these receptors with the goal of causing tumor cell death while leaving healthy tissues untouched. Called the \u201cAND gate\u201d approach, it cannot be achieved by monospecific targeting of a tumor-associated antigen because in\u00a0nearly all\u00a0cases the tumor-associated antigen is also expressed in healthy tissue to some degree.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Promatix\u2019s\u00a0chief\u00a0scientific officer (CSO)\u00a0Roy\u00a0Petipher\u00a0explained how the biotech\u2019s candidate PBS293 works.\u00a0It is directed to cell\u00a0signaling\u00a0factors EGFR and EphA2 to then bind to the\u00a0tumor\u00a0cells.\u00a0When conjugated to a cytotoxic agent, this kills tumor cells with high potency but with much less impact on normal cells, supporting the thesis of higher therapeutic index.\u00a0The candidate has been found to internalize in\u00a0tumor\u00a0cells more efficiently than the bivalent parental antibodies directed to EGFR and EpHA2 and is\u00a0very effective\u00a0in a preclinical model using KRAS.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are\u00a0a large number of\u00a0bispecific ADCs in development, but these are not optimized for AND gate activity and target a\u00a0relatively small\u00a0number of known targets\u00a0(about 11 currently). This approach lacks novelty, and the lack of AND gate optimisation will not lead to improved tumor selectivity and, in many cases, might compound safety issues,\u201d said\u00a0Petipher.\u00a0\u201cImproved\u00a0tumor\u00a0targeting requires the identification of\u00a0tumor-associated antigens that are truly differentially expressed compared to healthy tissue.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Promatix\u2019s\u00a0proteomics approach allows these targets to be\u00a0identified\u00a0but, disappointingly, the number of single targets differentially expressed is\u00a0very low, as\u00a0only 24 in the cancers have\u00a0been\u00a0analyzed. However, identification of pairs of receptors that are differentially expressed has been much more successful,\u00a0explained\u00a0Petipher.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn the future, novel pairings targeted by bispecific antibodies optimized for AND gate activity\u202fare likely to lead to safer and more effective treatments and will dominant the ADC development landscape in coming years.\u202fThere has been remarkable progress in\u00a0identifying\u00a0improved protease-sensitive linkers and\u00a0payloads,\u00a0but novel target identification has\u00a0proceeded\u00a0a much slower pace. This will change and the other key development will be the use of dual payloads to overcome\u00a0acquired\u00a0resistance,\u201d said\u00a0Petipher.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Planegg-based\u00a0iOmx\u00a0Therapeutics\u00a0presented at AACR 2026. Its antibody IOMX\u20110675 is first-in-class and designed to unlock both innate and adaptive immunity in solid\u00a0tumors\u00a0by simultaneously blocking the immunosuppressive receptors LILRB1 and LILRB2, while sparing closely related activating LILR family members.\u00a0<\/p>\n IOmx\u2019s\u00a0director of Early Pharmaceutical Development, Alexander N. Marziale, explained how the antibody works.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBy intercepting LILRB1\/2\u2011mediated immune suppression, which is driven by ligands such as HLA\u2011G, IOMX\u20110675 restores cytotoxic\u00a0T\u2011cell\u00a0and\u00a0NK\u2011cell\u00a0function while reprogramming suppressive myeloid cells toward a\u00a0pro\u2011inflammatory,\u00a0tumor\u2011clearing\u00a0phenotype.\u00a0Preservation of activating LILRA\u00a0signaling\u00a0is expected to\u00a0maintain\u00a0beneficial immune tone that less selective approaches may compromise,\u201d said Marziale.\u00a0<\/p>\n Immunotherapeutics: an ever-evolving field\u00a0<\/p>\n New immunotherapies\u00a0like IOMX\u20110675 have stirred the technological field. According to Marziale, the\u00a0immunotherapeutics\u00a0field has undergone a fundamental transformation, from early,\u00a0largely empirical\u00a0approaches based on broad immune stimulation to today\u2019s precisely engineered,\u00a0mechanism\u2011driven\u00a0therapies. While initial efforts relied on\u00a0non\u2011specific\u00a0immune activation, such as cytokines or bacterial preparations, which\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0that the immune system could control cancer but were limited by toxicity and inconsistent efficacy, the introduction of monoclonal antibodies marked a major inflection point.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis progress culminated in immune checkpoint inhibitors, which validated the concept that releasing endogenous immune suppression could deliver durable clinical benefit across multiple solid\u00a0tumor\u00a0types and fundamentally change cancer treatment paradigms,\u201d said Marziale. \u201cToday, immunotherapy development is increasingly focused on overcoming resistance, expanding benefit beyond\u00a0checkpoint\u2011responsive\u00a0patients, and integrating\u00a0biomarker\u2011guided\u00a0approaches,\u00a0signaling\u00a0a shift from\u00a0single\u2011agent\u00a0breakthroughs toward\u00a0next\u2011generation\u00a0platforms designed for broader and more durable impact.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n One such up-and-coming approach is\u00a0Tacalyx\u2019s\u00a0technology targeting\u00a0tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs). These\u00a0are abundantly expressed on cancer cells, where they regulate\u00a0interactions between cells\u00a0that drive malignant phenotypes such as invasion,\u00a0angiogenesis\u00a0and immunosuppression. TACAs remain consistently expressed even in tumors lacking actionable genomic alterations or after standard therapies fail, positioning them as a differentiated and\u00a0largely untapped\u00a0class of cancer-specific targets with potentially lower susceptibility to resistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTacalyx\u00a0combines complex synthetic carbohydrate chemistry with sophisticated antibody generation methods to reliably generate functional antibodies against TACAs. This unique approach allows for the development of highly selective therapies, such as ADCs and T-cell engagers, that target \u2018undruggable\u2019 glycans while minimizing off-target toxicity,\u201d said Jean Engela, CEO of\u00a0Tacalyx.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Preclinically, its candidate TCX-201 delivered complete\u00a0tumor\u00a0regressions in colorectal and pancreatic models and was found to be safe. Plans to hit the clinic\u00a0are scheduled for next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Partnerships forged at AACR 2026\u00a0<\/p>\n Oncology\u00a0partnerships<\/a>\u00a0were\u00a0announced at AACR 2026,\u00a0too,\u00a0like\u00a0PacBio\u00a0and Covaris\u2019\u00a0pact<\/a>\u00a0combining\u00a0PacBio\u2019s\u00a0HiFi sequencing workflow with the Massachusetts-based\u00a0sample\u00a0manufacturer\u2019s extraction technology,\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0meant to allow researchers to revisit historical\u00a0tumor\u00a0samples and extract new genomic insights that were previously out of reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe PacBio and Covaris collaboration is focused on overcoming a long-standing barrier in cancer research: the inability to get high-quality genomic data from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE)\u00a0tumor\u00a0samples. These archived samples\u00a0represent\u00a0decades of clinically annotated cancer data but have been\u00a0largely inaccessible\u00a0due to DNA damage and fragmentation caused during preservation,\u201d said Amit Patel, senior director at\u00a0Pacbio.\u00a0<\/p>\n Early studies using the PacBio-Covaris workflow across brain, kidney and uterine\u00a0tumor\u00a0samples uncovered around two to three times more large-scale DNA changes than standard methods alongside millions of smaller mutations and were able to link many of these changes together for the first time, Patel explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese insights will accelerate the identification of new biomarkers, inform more precise patient stratification and support the development of targeted therapies, advancing the development of more personalized and effective cancer treatment strategies,\u201d said Patel.\u00a0<\/p>\n As\u00a0biotechs\u00a0and\u00a0pharmas\u00a0revealed promising data at AACR 2026\u00a0with more than 22,000 participants\u00a0in attendance,\u00a0it sets the tone\u00a0for\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0to come in the next couple of years, with clinical readouts and drug candidates moving towards the clinic expected\u00a0soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) gathered in San Diego, California,\u00a0for the\u00a0annual congress\u00a0from April\u00a017 to 22\u00a0in 2026 to\u00a0report\u00a0progress…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[30643,90532,64,63,3172,137,28675],"class_list":{"0":"post-623730","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-antibodies","9":"tag-antibody-drug-conjugates","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-events","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-partnerships"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}