Novastra Therapeutics Appoints Chief Financial Officer as Company Advances Lead Candidate Toward Global Clinical Development

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novastra Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company developing a novel category of cancer immune therapy, today announced the appointment of Jarett Poll as fractional Chief Financial Officer. Jarett brings senior leadership experience from Alfasigma, where he led U.S. Business Development, and from prior roles in healthcare investment banking and private capital investing.

Building on positive interim results of an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1 proof-of-concept study of its lead candidate OAP-101 in advanced, checkpoint-refractory melanoma at the West China Medical Center (NCT06878612), Novastra is accelerating preparation for further global clinical development.

“Jarett brings the operational experience that will help us advance OAP-101 toward patients globally. With the scientific foundation in place, we’re building XIRT as immune infrastructure for oncology, additive to existing checkpoint, ADC, and cell therapies,” said Junling Guo, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Novastra Therapeutics.

The impact of checkpoint inhibition therapy remains limited by the fact that between 60% and 80% of people with solid tumors cannot benefit from it because their tumors effectively evade detection by the immune system. Novastra's systematic immune reprogramming therapy (XIRT™) is a novel category of cancer immune therapy. It operates as an upstream immune infrastructure that enables the generation of tumor-specific T cells that checkpoint inhibitors can then unleash.

“What drew me to Novastra is the strength of the underlying science and a clear clinical signal at an early stage,” said Jarett Poll. “My focus will be on forging the investor and partner relationships that propel our innovation across multiple tumor types and accelerae the development of Novastra’s novel therapies for patients.”

Prior to his role at Alfasigma, Jarett held senior roles at MTS Health Partners and NovaQuest Capital Management and served as an observer on the Board of Directors of Aceragen and Mycovia Pharmaceuticals. Jarett holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

Contact
Arne Naeveke, PhD, Head of Strategic Communications
[email protected]

About Novastra Therapeutics
Novastra Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company developing systematic immune reprogramming therapy (XIRT™) as a novel category of cancer therapy. XIRT is an upstream immune primer that enables the generation of tumor-specific T cells that checkpoint inhibitors can then unleash. XIRT leverages Novastra's OmniAntigen™ Platform (OAP), which has been designed to be applicable across a wide range of refractory solid tumors. OAP uses rapid, proprietary supramolecular metal-organic single-cell encapsulation to preserve all tumor antigens for presentation to the immune system. Embedded proprietary activators connect the innate and adaptive immune systems via the cGAS-STING pathway, a key player in anti-tumor immunity.

Encouraged by positive interim results of an investigator-initiated Phase 1 proof-of-concept study in advanced, checkpoint-refractory melanoma at the world-leading West China Medical Center (NCT06878612), Novastra is advancing OAP-101 toward global clinical development. OAP-102 targets high-risk pediatric neuroblastoma and is anticipated to enter an investigator-initiated Phase 1 study by mid-2026. OAP-103, an in vivo XIRT-InSitu reagent kit, is in preclinical development as an immune amplification companion for antibody-drug conjugate, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

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. Novastra undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/254de56a-1b5a-4aca-bd7d-71a3ff476c7d

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