Novastra Therapeutics Establishes Scientific Advisory Board and Appoints Senior Advisors and Head of Clinical Development

• Experts in immuno-oncology, medical oncology, clinical development, and regulatory affairs to guide and support advancement of OmniAntigen™ Platform (OAP) programs
• OAP enables systematic immune reprogramming therapy (XIRT™), designed to overcome resistance of solid tumors to current therapies
  
  

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novastra Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel category of cancer immune therapy, today announced the creation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and the appointment of senior advisors and a Head of Clinical Development. The group of recognized leaders in immuno-oncology, medical oncology, clinical development, and regulatory affairs will guide and support the advancement of programs based on the company’s proprietary OmniAntigen™ Platform (OAP) through scientific validation and further development.

Novastra’s OAP enables systematic immune reprogramming therapy (XIRT™), with off-the-shelf in situ and autologous approaches designed to coordinate tumor-antigen presentation with innate immune activation, priming tumor-directed immunity. These approaches aim to overcome resistance of poorly immunogenic solid tumors to checkpoint inhibition and to act as an immune amplification companion for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

“Our OAP/XIRT approach aims to bring the next wave of innovation in immuno-oncology by making poorly immunogenic solid tumors visible to the immune system,” said Junling Guo, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Novastra Therapeutics. “The collective leadership and experience of this group of experts will be instrumental in advancing our in situ and autologous immunotherapy programs through scientific validation and clinical development.”

Inaugural members of Novastra's SAB include:

Stephanie Dougan, PhD, Associate Professor of Cancer Immunology and Virology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. An expert in cellular interactions that shape the tumor microenvironment and the immune response to tumors that do not induce a T cell response, Stephanie investigates strategies for augmenting anti-tumor T cell responses in melanoma and pancreatic cancer.

“The tumors that don't provoke a T cell response are exactly where we need new ideas,” said Stephanie Dougan. “I’m excited to support Novastra’s work to change what the immune system can recognize.”

Van Morris, MD, Associate Professor, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Section Chief, Colorectal Cancer, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Focusing on the treatment of colorectal and anal cancers, Van studies immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and emerging biomarkers. He is the Principal Investigator for a Phase 2/3 study of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a predictive biomarker for adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colon cancer.

“Too many patients with solid tumors don't benefit from the immunotherapies we have today,” said Van Morris. “I look forward to helping address that gap at its root.”

Saraswati Sukumar, PhD, Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and member of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Saraswati studies molecular and epigenetic alterations driving breast cancer to advance early detection and therapy. Her work has defined how homeobox (HOX) genes and epigenetically silenced pathways contribute to resistance to chemotherapy and endocrine therapy and has explored strategies to overcome it.

“Tumors find a way around almost everything we throw at them,” said Saraswati Sukumar. “Novastra rethinks the problem of immune priming, and I look forward to contributing to it.”

In addition, Novastra will be supported by a group of senior advisors:

Jerome Ritz, MD, Medical Oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, faculty member at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and founder and former Executive Director of Dana-Farber’s Connell and O’Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility. Jerome’s research has helped define the roles of donor T cells and B cells in beneficial graft-versus-leukemia responses and graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, supporting the development of new methods for selectively enhancing anti-tumor immunity.

“Understanding how the innate and adaptive immune systems coordinate to recognize and eliminate tumor cells is central to the next generation of cancer therapy,” said Jerome Ritz. “Novastra's approach to reprogramming that response is a compelling one.”

Lisa Loram, PhD, has deep experience leading regulatory affairs for advanced therapies, spanning first-in-human enablement through approval, for biotech and pharma companies, including Noema Pharma, Orchard Therapeutics, and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals. She has led multiple Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and multiple designations including Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), fast track, and orphan-drug designations (ODDs).

“A regulatory strategy built in from the start is critical for a novel therapy,” said Lisa Loram. “I am looking forward to helping Novastra chart a clear path for a genuinely new class of cancer therapy.”

Head of Clinical Development

Gus Khursigara, PhD, will provide leadership and integrate expert recommendations to establish and execute rigorous and effective clinical development plans for OAP/XIRT. He brings deep experience leading medical affairs and clinical development from IND submission through launch readiness across various therapeutic areas and modalities for biotech and pharma companies, including Ipsen, Inozyme Pharma, Biohaven, and Alexion. He has led strategic data generation plans to drive clinical development strategies, define protocol endpoints, and produce target product profiles, in close coordination with study investigators and external experts.

"Turning the early promise of OAP into a robust clinical program is a critical step toward reaching patients,” said Gus Khursigara. “I look forward to helping Novastra make that translation."

Reaching more patients with immunotherapy-refractory solid tumors who are currently left behind
Despite advances in checkpoint inhibition and ADCs, many patients with solid tumors still experience treatment resistance. For immunotherapy, a key challenge is the absence of an effective anti-tumor immune response because the tumor hides from immune recognition.^1-3

Built on OAP, XIRT is designed to overcome this challenge by priming the immune system. OAP enables rapid antigen encapsulation with a supramolecular nanocloak for effective presentation to the immune system. The nanocloak is designed to combine antigen delivery with innate immune stimulation, including activation of the cGAS-STING pathway, connecting the innate and adaptive immune systems.⁴ OAP enables the preservation of a broad repertoire of tumor-cell antigens in autologous settings. For in vivo applications, Novastra is designing an in situ approach where the nanocloak self-assembles within the tumor, capturing tumor-derived antigens released by ADCs, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

About Novastra Therapeutics
Novastra is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing systematic immune reprogramming therapy (XIRT™) as a novel category of cancer therapy to overcome the resistance of cold solid tumors to current therapies by priming the immune system. XIRT is built on Novastra’s proprietary OmniAntigen™ Platform (OAP), which is designed for use across a wide range of refractory solid tumors. Novastra is advancing a pipeline of autologous and off-the-shelf in situ programs.

OAP enables rapid antigen encapsulation with a supramolecular nanocloak for effective presentation to the immune system. The nanocloak is designed to combine antigen delivery with innate immune stimulation, including activation of the cGAS-STING pathway, connecting the innate and adaptive immune systems. OAP enables the preservation of a broad repertoire of tumor-cell antigens in autologous settings. Autologous candidate OAP-101 is supported by preclinical evidence and initial results from an investigator-initiated Phase 1 study in advanced, checkpoint-refractory melanoma. For in vivo applications, Novastra is designing an in situ approach where the nanocloak self-assembles within the tumor, capturing tumor-derived antigens released by ADCs, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

Novastra Therapeutics is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an operations hub in Shanghai. Explore more at www.novastra.bio.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Novastra Therapeutics, including statements about the development of its therapy candidates, the conduct and timing of clinical studies, anticipated regulatory milestones, and the company’s strategic and financial plans. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to clinical study outcomes, regulatory decisions, and availability of capital, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Interim or early clinical data may not be predictive of future results. Novastra undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.

Contact
Arne Naeveke, PhD
Head of Strategic Communications
media@novastra.bio

References

1. Shen et al. J Immunother Cancer. 2024
2. Haslam & Prasad, JAMA Netw Open. 2019
3. Haslam et al. Int J Cancer. 2025
4. He et al. Angew Chem Int Ed. 2024;63:e202314501
   
   

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