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Nkarta Appoints David R. Shook, MD, as Vice President, Clinical DevelopmentSOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced the appointment of David R. Shook, MD, as Vice President, Clinical Development. Dr. Shook is a practicing pediatric hematologist, oncologist, and transplanter, and an early pioneer of natural killer (NK) cell therapy. He currently directs Nkarta’s co-lead clinical programs, NKX101 and NKX019. In his expanded role, Dr. Shook will lead all clinical development and regulatory activities at Nkarta. Kanya Rajangam, MD, PhD, has resigned as Chief Medical Officer, effective June 5, 2022, and has accepted a position to oversee research and development activities at a private biotechnology company. “On behalf of Nkarta’s Board of Directors, I wish to thank Kanya for her many contributions to the company’s progress. Under her leadership, NKX101 and NKX019 reached crucial early development milestones and demonstrated preliminary evidence of anti-tumor activity in AML and NHL, respectively,” said Paul J. Hastings, President and CEO of Nkarta. “We are excited to welcome David, a seasoned and valued member of Nkarta’s clinical team, to his new position. This will be a seamless transition given David’s experience in leading the ongoing development of our co-lead programs, and his foundational work with Nkarta’s scientific founder, Dr. Dario Campana, on the engineering and enhancement of NK cells. We look forward to leveraging David’s considerable clinical expertise and understanding of Nkarta’s technology to advance our cell therapy candidates.” Nkarta’s clinical programs continue to progress. In April 2022, Nkarta reported preliminary single-agent proof of concept data for its independent co-lead clinical programs, NKX101 and NKX019. As previously announced, Nkarta is currently evaluating a higher-dose regimen of 1.5 billion x 3 doses of CAR NK cells in the dose escalation portion of the NKX101 and NKX019 Phase 1 clinical studies. Nkarta expects to submit updated data from these studies for presentation at a medical meeting this year. About David R. Shook, MD About NKX101 About NKX019 About Nkarta Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements Because forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: Nkarta’s limited operating history and historical losses; Nkarta’s lack of any products approved for sale and its ability to achieve profitability; the risk that the results of preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of future results; Nkarta’s ability to raise additional funding to complete the development and any commercialization of its product candidates; Nkarta’s dependence on the success of its co-lead product candidates, NKX101 and NKX019; that Nkarta may be delayed in initiating, enrolling or completing any clinical trials; competition from third parties that are developing products for similar uses; Nkarta’s ability to obtain, maintain and protect its intellectual property; Nkarta’s dependence on third parties in connection with manufacturing, clinical trials, and pre-clinical studies; the complexity of the manufacturing process for CAR NK cell therapies; and risks relating to the impact on Nkarta’s business of the COVID-19 pandemic or similar public health crises. These and other risks are described more fully in Nkarta’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the “Risk Factors” section of Nkarta’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 12, 2022, and Nkarta’s other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the SEC. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Except to the extent required by law, Nkarta undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. Nkarta Media/Investor Contact: |