VERAXA Biotech Initiates Cell Line Development for Lead BiTAC Cancer Therapy Program

VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA) announced the initiation of cell line development for its lead BiTAC(R) T-cell engager (“BiTAC-TCE”) program through a collaboration with ATUM. ATUM will apply its Leap-In Transposase(R) technology to generate stable clonal cell lines supporting IND/CTA-enabling activities and future clinical development. This collaboration follows encouraging preclinical data presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (“AACR”) Annual Meeting and is intended to support CMC development, including early process, analytical and formulation development, as well as the production of material for nonclinical studies.

VERAXA said its BiTAC-TCE platform is designed to improve tumor selectivity by splitting the T-cell engager into two complementary precursors that activate only when both bind separate tumor targets on the same cell. The company believes this conditional “AND”-gated approach could reduce off-tumor toxicity associated with conventional T-cell engagers while maintaining anti-cancer activity, potentially enabling higher dosing and a broader therapeutic window. The platform represents a significant advancement in the field of bispecific antibodies, which are designed to engage immune cells to attack cancer cells. Traditional T-cell engagers can cause systemic activation of T cells, leading to cytokine release syndrome and other toxicities. By requiring dual target binding, VERAXA's BiTAC platform aims to localize T-cell activation specifically to tumor cells, sparing healthy tissues.

The collaboration with ATUM leverages the Leap-In Transposase technology, which enables efficient and stable integration of large DNA constructs into host cell genomes. This is critical for developing cell lines that can consistently produce the complex BiTAC molecules. The cell lines will be used to produce material for toxicology studies and early clinical trials. VERAXA's decision to initiate cell line development marks a key milestone in translating its preclinical findings into a clinical candidate. The company has not disclosed specific timelines for IND filing, but this step suggests progress toward first-in-human studies.

For more details, the full press release is available at https://ibn.fm/FCIlk. Investors can stay updated with the latest news and updates from VERAXA at the company’s newsroom: http://ibn.fm/VRXA.