(NASDAQ:AKTX),
TAMPA, Fla. and LONDON, Feb. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Akari Therapeutics, Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX), an oncology biotechnology company developing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with novel immuno-oncology payloads, today announced the appointment of Prafulla Gokhale, Ph.D., Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Core and the Lurie Family Imaging Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to its Scientific Advisory Board.
“Dr. Gokhale's expertise in experimental therapeutics, RNA biology and translational oncology comes at a pivotal time as we advance AKTX-101 toward the clinic,” commented Abizer Gaslightwala, President and CEO of Akari Therapeutics. “His proven track record to develop novel translational experiments/data that lead to well-designed and high-impact clinical strategies will strengthen our development approach as we advance AKTX-101 to clinical trials. As we move closer to first-in-human studies, his insight will help ensure that AKTX-101 and our novel PH1 spliceosome-modulating payload enter the clinic with a focused, data-driven high-impact program to optimize results.”
Dr. Gokhale has over 20 years of experience in preclinical oncology drug discovery and development. He began his career as a faculty member in the Radiation Medicine Department at Georgetown University before moving to the pharmaceutical industry, where he led in vivo pharmacology teams with increasing responsibility at OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, and Verastem. He currently heads the Experimental Therapeutics Core at Dana-Farber, overseeing translational research programs that integrate genomics, molecular biology, patient-derived models, imaging and preclinical studies to advance novel therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Gokhale commented, “I am excited to join Akari's Scientific Advisory Board and work alongside a team advancing a truly differentiated approach to ADC development. Unlike conventional payload strategies that rely on tubulin inhibitors or DNA-damaging agents, PH1 targets RNA splicing, a fundamental regulator of cancer cell biology. This novel mechanism offers the potential to disrupt tumor survival pathways while also drive unique innate and adaptive immune system engagement. I look forward to collaborating closely with the team to further refine the translational strategy and support the advancement of AKTX-101 into the clinic.”
Dr. Gokhale's work has been widely published and funded, reflecting his leadership in transforming fundamental discoveries into clinical innovations for cancer and related diseases.
About Akari Therapeutics
Akari Therapeutics is an oncology biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with a unique payload, PH1, which targets RNA splicing. Utilizing its innovative ADC discovery platform, the Company has the ability to generate ADC candidates and optimize them based on the desired application to any antigen target of interest. Akari's lead candidate, AKTX-101, targets the Trop2 receptor on cancer cells and with a proprietary linker, enabling it to deliver its novel PH1 payload directly into the tumor with minimal off-target effects. Unlike current ADCs that use tubulin inhibitors and DNA damaging agents as their payloads, PH1 is a novel payload that is a spliceosome modulator designed to disrupt RNA splicing within cancer cells. This splicing modulation has been shown in preclinical animal models to induce cancer cell death while activating both the innate and adaptive immune system to drive robust and durable activity. In preclinical studies, AKTX-101 has shown to have significant activity and prolonged survival relative to ADCs with traditional payloads. Additionally, AKTX-101 has the potential to be synergistic with checkpoint inhibitors and has demonstrated prolonged survival as both a single agent and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. The PH1 payload has also been demonstrated to be very active against cancer cells with key oncogenic drivers such as KRAS, BRAF, ARV7, FGFR3 fusions, and others. The Company has initiated IND enabling studies for AKTX-101 with a goal of starting its First-In-Human trial by late 2026/early 2027. Akari is also developing AKTX-102, an ADC candidate targeting CEACAM5 (Carcinoembryonic Antigen-related Cell Adhesion Molecule-5), a well-validated tumor antigen broadly expressed across multiple solid tumors. AKTX-102 is designed to leverage Akari's proprietary PH1 spliceosome-modulating payload and novel antibody construct to enable differentiated tumor cell killing and immune activation.
For more information about the Company, please visit www.akaritx.com and connect on X and LinkedIn.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes express or implied forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, about the Company that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of the Company. Actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Words such as “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “future,” “opportunity” “will likely result,” “target,” variations of such words, and similar expressions or negatives of these words are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements regarding the ability of the Company to advance its product candidates for the treatment of cancer and any other diseases, and ultimately bring therapies to patients. These statements are based on the Company's current plans, estimates and projections. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific. A number of important factors, including those described in this communication, could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect future results and may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include, without limitation: the Company's need for additional capital; the potential impact of unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, costs, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition and losses on the future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, expansion and growth of the business; risks related to global as well as local political and economic conditions, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; potential delays or failures related to research and/or development of the Company's programs or product candidates; risks related to any loss of the Company's patents or other intellectual property rights; any interruptions of the supply chain for raw materials or manufacturing for the Company's product candidates, including as a result of potential tariffs; the nature, timing, cost and possible success and therapeutic applications of product candidates being developed by the Company and/or its collaborators or licensees; the extent to which the results from the research and development programs conducted by the Company, and/or its collaborators or licensees may be replicated in other studies and/or lead to advancement of product candidates to clinical trials, therapeutic applications, or regulatory approval; uncertainty of the utilization, market acceptance, and commercial success of the Company's product candidates; risks related to competition for the Company's product candidates; and the Company's ability to successfully develop or commercialize its product candidates. While the foregoing list of factors presented here is considered representative, no list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no, and hereby disclaims any, obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/244fe78c-84c8-430c-b605-1cfd5de83a63
Prafulla Gokhale, Ph.D.
