Articles from Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc.

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asher Biotherapeutics (Asher Bio), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precisely-targeted immunotherapies for cancer, today announced two upcoming presentations at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from May 29 – June 2, 2026 in Chicago.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, today announced that the first patient has been dosed with AB248 in a Phase 1 first-in-human study, AB248-101. AB248, a CD8-targeted interleukin-2 (IL-2), is Asher Bio’s lead compound and first to enter the clinic for the treatment of patients with solid tumors. The Phase 1a/1b study, which consists of a dose escalation and expansion stage, will evaluate AB248 as a monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD1 therapy, in patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors, including melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). As previously announced, Asher Bio is conducting this Phase 1a/1b trial under a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada).

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, today announced the appointment of Elaine Sun to its Board of Directors (the Board). Ms. Sun currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Mammoth Biosciences, Inc. (Mammoth Biosciences).

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, today announced new preclinical data demonstrating proof-of-concept for cis-targeted cytokines as a novel strategy for enhancing chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) engraftment, expansion, and functionality culminating in the delivery of improved anti-tumor activity. This data will be presented in a poster at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans, Louisiana, December 10-13, 2022.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, chronic viral infection, and autoimmune disease, today announced new preclinical data for AB248, its CD8-targeted interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy, and for AB821, its CD8-targeted interleukin-21 (IL-21) immunotherapy. The data will be presented at the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) 37th Annual Meeting, being held in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 8-12, 2022.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, chronic viral infection and autoimmune disease, today announced new preclinical data demonstrating proof-of-concept for AB359 as a novel immunotherapy approach for chronic HBV. AB359 is Asher Bio’s CD8-targeted interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy for the treatment of chronic viral infection. The data will be presented in a poster presentation at the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) 2022 Annual Meeting, being held in Washington, DC, on November 4-8, 2022.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, chronic viral infection and autoimmune disease, today announced that it will present preclinical data showing that cis-targeted IL-2 or IL-21 cytokine fusion molecules selectively augment CAR-Ts in vitro and enhance in vivo anti-tumor activity and survival at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans, Louisiana, December 10-13, 2022.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, chronic viral infections and autoimmune disorders, today announced that it will present the first preclinical data for AB359, its CD8-targeted interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy for the treatment of chronic viral infections, at the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) 2022 Annual Meeting, being held in Washington, DC, on November 4-8, 2022. The preclinical data indicates that selective activation of the IL-2 pathway in CD8+ T cells drives antiviral activity in a model of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and supports the development of AB359 as a potentially more tolerable and more active IL‑2-based therapy for the treatment of chronic HBV.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to precisely engage specific immune cells to fight cancer, chronic viral infections and autoimmune disorders, today announced that it will present preclinical data for two of its cis-targeted immunotherapies, AB248 and AB821, at the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) 37th Annual Meeting, being held in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 8-12, 2022.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company developing precisely-targeted immunotherapies for cancer, chronic viral infections and autoimmune disorders, today announced the appointment of Bob Deresiewicz, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Deresiewicz is a recently retired partner, portfolio manager and global industry analyst with Wellington Management Company, LLP.

Asher Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Asher Bio), a biotechnology company developing precisely-targeted immunotherapies for cancer, autoimmune, and infectious diseases, today announced the appointment of Andrea Pirzkall, M.D., as its first Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Pirzkall has a multi-disciplinary clinical background and a proven track record in developing cancer therapies from research to commercialization.