May 29, 2026

ASCO 2026 Opens + EASL Closes: Corbus CRB-701 HPV Cancer Data, Telix ProstACT PSMA Radioligand, MetaVia DA-1726 9.1% Weight Loss, BriaCell CAML Biomarker, Aligos HBV Combination, GLP-1 Breast Cancer Outcomes

ASCO opens + EASL closes: Corbus CRB-701 42.9% OPSCC, Telix ProstACT PSMA, MetaVia DA-1726 9.1% weight loss, BriaCell CAML biomarker, Aligos HBV, GLP-1 breast cancer.

10 stories · Covering clinical-trials, research, industry

Editor's Note

ASCO 2026 opened in Chicago today as EASL 2026 winds down in Barcelona, and the genuinely fresh readouts came from the conjugate and radioligand side rather than the GLP-1/MASH peptides that dominated the week's earlier coverage. Corbus Pharmaceuticals presented the first actual response numbers for CRB-701, its next-generation Nectin-4 antibody-drug conjugate, in HPV-driven cancers: 42.9% confirmed objective response in second-line oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 34.4% in second-line cervical cancer at the 3.6 mg/kg dose, with the registrational TEMPO-1 study in 2L OPSCC starting summer 2026. Telix Pharmaceuticals reported ProstACT Global Phase 3 Part 1 data — its PSMA-targeted lutetium-177 rosopatamab radio-antibody-drug conjugate met primary safety objectives in PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer combined with standard of care. On the non-oncology peptide side, Aligos Therapeutics added EASL data showing its ALG-170675 antisense oligonucleotide produces additive-to-synergistic effects with pevifoscorvir sodium, and that 40% of HBeAg-positive chronic HBV patients reached HBsAg levels low enough to potentially qualify for ASO therapy at week 48 — a sequencing strategy for functional HBV cure. A new nano-antimicrobial-peptide review published May 19 framed nanoparticle-delivered AMPs as a route past the toxicity, instability, and manufacturing constraints that have held the antimicrobial peptide field back. The day reflects the broader 2026 pattern: peptide and peptide-adjacent conjugates are maturing fastest in oncology, where the Nectin-4, PSMA, and B7-H3 target classes now have multiple clinical-stage programs competing.

Clinical Trials

Corbus CRB-701 ASCO 2026 Data (May 29): Next-Gen Nectin-4 ADC Hits 42.9% ORR in 2L Oropharyngeal Cancer, 34.4% in 2L Cervical Cancer; Registrational TEMPO-1 Study Starts Summer 2026

Corbus Pharmaceuticals reported updated CRB-701 (SYS6002) Phase 1/2 data at ASCO 2026, presented by Professor Yohann Loriot (Gustave Roussy) in the May 29 4:57 PM CDT gynecological cancer session (Abstract 5508). CRB-701 — a next-generation Nectin-4 antibody-drug conjugate with a site-specific cleavable linker, drug-antibody ratio of 2, and MMAE payload — demonstrated a confirmed objective response rate of 42.9% in second-line oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) at 3.6 mg/kg (median duration of response 6.3 months, PFS 5.6 months) and 34.4% in second-line cervical cancer (median DOR 8.0 months, PFS 4.3 months). Both tumor types express high Nectin-4 and are HPV-driven. The FDA granted CRB-701 two Fast Track designations. Corbus is on track to start the registrational TEMPO-1 study in 2L OPSCC in summer 2026 — a randomized 250-patient trial vs investigator's-choice monotherapy with ORR as the primary endpoint for potential accelerated approval. CRB-701 competes in the Nectin-4 space with Pfizer's Padcev (enfortumab vedotin) and Bicycle Therapeutics' bicyclic-peptide zelenectide pevedotin.

#corbus-pharmaceuticals #crb-701 #nectin-4 #antibody-drug-conjugate #oropharyngeal-cancer #cervical-cancer #asco-2026 #hpv

Clinical Trials

Telix ProstACT Global Phase 3 Part 1 ASCO 2026: PSMA-Targeted Lutetium-177 Rosopatamab Radio-ADC Meets Primary Safety Objectives in PSMA-Positive mCRPC

Telix Pharmaceuticals reported ProstACT Global Phase 3 Part 1 data at ASCO 2026 as a late-breaking presentation. TLX591-Tx (lutetium-177 rosopatamab tetraxetan) — a PSMA-targeted lutetium radio-antibody-drug conjugate — met its primary safety objectives in the safety and dosimetry lead-in, demonstrating an acceptable tolerability profile with no new safety signals when combined with enzalutamide (Xtandi), abiraterone (Zytiga), or followed by docetaxel in PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). ProstACT Global is an international Phase 3 trial evaluating TLX591-Tx plus standard of care versus standard of care alone. The drug sits in the PSMA-targeted radioligand class alongside Novartis's approved Pluvicto (lutetium-177 PSMA-617, a peptide-based radioligand), but uses an antibody rather than a small-molecule peptide as the targeting vector. The PSMA radioligand field — Pluvicto, ProstACT, plus the Aktis AKY-2519 B7-H3 miniprotein radioconjugate covered earlier this week — is one of the fastest-growing targeted-conjugate categories in oncology.

#telix-pharmaceuticals #prostact #psma #lutetium-177 #rosopatamab #radioligand #mcrpc #asco-2026

Clinical Trials

Aligos Therapeutics EASL 2026 HBV Combination Data: ALG-170675 ASO Synergizes With Pevifoscorvir Sodium; 40% of HBeAg+ Patients Reach HBsAg Levels Qualifying for ASO Therapy at Week 48

Aligos Therapeutics presented additional EASL 2026 data on its chronic hepatitis B (HBV) combination strategy. An analog of ALG-170675, a potential best-in-class antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), demonstrated additive-to-synergistic effects when combined with ALG-001075 (the active parent moiety of pevifoscorvir sodium, a capsid assembly modulator). Separately, 40% of HBeAg-positive chronic HBV patients treated with pevifoscorvir sodium for 48 weeks reached HBsAg reductions low enough to potentially qualify for ASO treatment — supporting a sequencing strategy toward functional HBV cure where the capsid modulator lowers viral antigen load before the ASO finishes the job. The data complements the ALG-055009 THR-β MASH results (46.2% liver-fat reduction) Aligos presented earlier in the week. The combination-and-sequencing approach mirrors the broader trend in liver disease toward layered mechanisms rather than single-agent therapy, and positions Aligos across the HBV, HDV, and MASH liver-disease franchises.

#aligos-therapeutics #alg-170675 #pevifoscorvir #antisense-oligonucleotide #hbv #functional-cure #easl-2026

Research

Nano-Antimicrobial Peptide Review (May 19): Nanoparticle Delivery Framed as Route Past Toxicity, Instability, and Manufacturing Barriers to AMP Clinical Translation

A review published May 19 in Drug Delivery and Translational Research analyzed nano-antimicrobial peptides (nano-AMPs) — antimicrobial peptides packaged into nanoparticle delivery systems — as a strategy to overcome the three barriers that have kept AMPs out of the clinic despite decades of promise: systemic toxicity, proteolytic instability, and manufacturing cost. The review focuses on activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, the hardest antimicrobial-resistance target where the conventional-antibiotic pipeline is thinnest. Nanoparticle encapsulation can shield AMPs from protease degradation, reduce off-target toxicity by controlling release, and improve tissue targeting. The piece joins the broader 2026 AMP research wave — AI-designed peptides (ProteoGPT, CAMPER), generative-AI discovery in Nature Microbiology, and ancient-microbiome AMP mining — that is collectively maturing the antimicrobial peptide field toward clinical viability against the ESKAPE pathogens responsible for most drug-resistant infections.

#antimicrobial-peptides #nano-amp #drug-delivery #multidrug-resistant #gram-negative #amr #nanoparticle

Industry

ASCO 2026 Annual Meeting Opens in Chicago (May 29-June 2) — Peptide and Targeted-Conjugate Oncology Slate Moves From Abstracts to Podium

The ASCO 2026 Annual Meeting opened today at McCormick Place Chicago, running through June 2, with more than 7,000 abstracts. The peptide-and-targeted-conjugate oncology cohort — pre-released in the May 21 abstract drop and the May 26 embargoed press briefing — now moves to live presentation. Friday May 29 brought the Corbus CRB-701 Nectin-4 ADC cervical/OPSCC data and the Dana-Farber/Bristol multiple myeloma and Pfizer lung cancer readouts. The peptide-mechanism slate across the meeting: Bicycle Therapeutics zelenectide pevedotin Duravelo-2 (bicyclic peptide-MMAE conjugate, oral June 1); Avacta AVA6000 FAP-Dox; BriaCell Bria-IMT cell-and-peptide immunotherapy; Sapience lucicebtide C/EBPβ antagonist (GBM); Aktis AKY-2519 B7-H3 miniprotein radioconjugate; Mayo TPIV200 folate-receptor peptide vaccine (TNBC, June 1); Telix ProstACT PSMA radioligand (June 1); plus the GLP-1 cancer slate (Abstract 3143, Roswell Park breast cancer). The targeted-conjugate categories — Nectin-4, PSMA, B7-H3, FAP, SSTR2 — are the densest peptide-adjacent oncology competition at the meeting.

#asco-2026 #peptide-oncology #targeted-conjugate #nectin-4 #psma #chicago #day-1

Clinical Trials

MetaVia DA-1726 48 mg Phase 1 Detailed Numbers at EASL 2026: 9.1% Mean Weight Loss and 9.8 cm Waist Reduction at Day 54 With FibroScan Liver Improvements

MetaVia's higher-dose Phase 1 readout for DA-1726 at EASL 2026 produced specific efficacy numbers: the 48 mg cohort in obese but otherwise healthy adults achieved 9.1% mean body-weight reduction and a 9.8 cm waist-circumference reduction at Day 54, with exploratory FibroScan liver improvements and no serious adverse events. DA-1726 is a once-weekly subcutaneous oxyntomodulin analog acting as a 3:1 ratio GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist for obesity and MASH. The 9.1% weight loss in roughly eight weeks is a fast trajectory for an early-phase obesity peptide and supports MetaVia's case heading into the 16-week Phase 1 Part 3 titration study reading out Q4 2026. The waist reduction (a glucagon-receptor-driven visceral-fat signal) and the FibroScan liver improvements position DA-1726 in the dual obesity-and-MASH lane alongside survodutide and pemvidutide. MetaVia's three ADA 2026 late-breaking abstracts (June 7 New Orleans) extend the DA-1726 and vanoglipel data sets.

#metavia #da-1726 #easl-2026 #oxyntomodulin #glp-1-glucagon #weight-loss #fibroscan

Clinical Trials

BriaCell Bria-IMT ASCO 2026 Biomarker Detail: 65% of Heavily Pretreated Breast Cancer Patients Showed CAML Stability/Drop Correlating With Better Progression-Free Survival

BriaCell's ASCO 2026 poster presentations added a biomarker finding beyond the headline 16.6-month median overall survival for Bria-IMT. In an ongoing analysis of heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients, 65% showed stability or a drop in Cancer-Associated Macrophage-Like cells (CAMLs) — circulating cells in the blood that reflect tumor activity — and that change significantly correlated with better progression-free survival. The CAML biomarker offers a potential early blood-based readout of Bria-IMT response, which matters for an immunotherapy where conventional imaging can lag the immune response. BriaCell's six ASCO 2026 data items (three posters, three publication-only abstracts) cover the pivotal Phase 3 Bria-ABC study of Bria-IMT plus checkpoint inhibitor plus further Phase 2 analyses. Bria-IMT is a whole-cell allogeneic peptide-and-cell immunotherapy in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer that has failed ADC, checkpoint, and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy. The biomarker work supports patient selection and response monitoring as the program advances toward accelerated-approval discussions.

#briacell #bria-imt #caml #biomarker #metastatic-breast-cancer #cell-immunotherapy #asco-2026

Research

ASCO 2026 GLP-1 Breast Cancer Outcomes Analysis: GLP-1 RAs Linked to Improved Outcomes in Patients With Breast Cancer Plus Obesity or Type 2 Diabetes

A separate ASCO 2026 analysis examined outcomes in patients with breast cancer and co-existing obesity or type 2 diabetes who received GLP-1 receptor agonists — adding breast-cancer-specific depth to the broader GLP-1-and-cancer signal that ran through the meeting. The analysis sits alongside Abstract 3143 (the 12,112-patient study showing 38-50% lower metastatic progression across four obesity-related cancers, with breast cancer at 10% vs 20% metastasis on GLP-1 vs gliptin) and the Roswell Park aggressive-breast-cancer analysis. The consistent theme across the ASCO 2026 GLP-1 oncology slate: in obesity-related and metabolically-driven cancers, GLP-1 therapy appears associated with better outcomes, with the strongest and most mechanistically interpretable signal in breast cancer where high tumor GLP-1 receptor expression tracked with 45% lower mortality. Adverse-event rates matched the comparator groups with no increase in pancreatitis or other GLP-1-associated concerns in the cancer setting. The data is observational and not yet RCT-grade, but the breast-cancer consistency across multiple independent analyses strengthens the case for prospective study.

#asco-2026 #glp-1-cancer #breast-cancer #obesity #type-2-diabetes #real-world-evidence #glp-1r-expression

Research

Nature Microbiology Generative-AI Antimicrobial Peptide Discovery: Transfer-Learning Language Models Mine and Generate AMPs Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

A Nature Microbiology paper (published May 22) reported a generative artificial-intelligence approach for discovering antimicrobial peptides against multidrug-resistant bacteria. The method uses transfer learning to give large language models domain-specific knowledge for high-throughput mining and generation of novel AMP candidates. The work joins the 2026 AI-AMP wave — ProteoGPT's 94.4% hit rate, the CAMPER mechanistic-AI MRSA platform, ancient-microbiome AMP mining, and the May 19 nano-AMP delivery review — that is collectively moving the antimicrobial peptide field from computational prediction toward clinical candidates. The convergence matters because antimicrobial resistance is projected to cause up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050, and the conventional small-molecule antibiotic pipeline has thinned to the point where membrane-targeting peptides with low resistance-development propensity are among the most credible near-term alternatives. The generative-AI design stack plus nanoparticle delivery addresses the two historical AMP bottlenecks — discovery throughput and the toxicity/stability/manufacturing gap — in parallel.

#antimicrobial-peptides #generative-ai #nature-microbiology #multidrug-resistant #transfer-learning #amr #ai-drug-design

Industry

EASL 2026 Closes in Barcelona (May 30) — MASH-Peptide Week Wrap: Survodutide NEJM, Pemvidutide Best of EASL, Multi-Mechanism Field Confirmed

EASL 2026 wraps in Barcelona Saturday May 30 after a week that confirmed MASH as a multi-mechanism therapeutic battleground. The GLP-1/glucagon peptide cohort delivered the headline data: Boehringer Ingelheim's survodutide full 48-week Phase 2 results in the NEJM (47-62% MASH improvement without fibrosis worsening, Phase 3 LIVERAGE enrolling); Altimmune's pemvidutide 48-week IMPACT data selected 'Best of EASL 2026' (triglycerides -23.7%, weight -7.5%, with HistoIndex qFibrosis fibrosis regression); MetaVia DA-1726 higher-dose Phase 1. The non-peptide cohort: Madrigal Rezdiffra eight-poster cardiovascular and portal-hypertension data, Aligos ALG-055009 THR-β (46.2% liver fat), Arrowhead ARO-INHBE RNAi (44% liver fat plus tirzepatide combination doubling weight loss), Galectin belapectin, Sagimet denifanstat. Novo Nordisk's ESSENCE Japanese and menopausal subgroups plus real-world burden data anchored the semaglutide MASH-labeling case. The week established that no single mechanism dominates MASH — GLP-1/glucagon leads on combined weight-plus-liver effect, THR-β and FGF21 lead on direct antifibrotic action, and combination therapy is the emerging 2027-2028 thesis.

#easl-2026 #mash #survodutide #pemvidutide #barcelona #multi-mechanism #week-wrap