Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc.

Whitehawk Therapeutics announced two real-world analyses supporting PTK7 as a durable and clinically relevant ADC target in pretreated, EGFR wild-type non-small cell lung cancer, presented at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Seoul. In tumor samples from patients with EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma, PTK7 expression remained largely stable following standard-of-care chemotherapy and immunotherapy and showed less treatment-associated variation than several late-stage ADC targets including MET, PD-L1 and ITGB6, with expression generally consistent across tumors with or without other actionable genomic alterations such as KRAS G12C, ALK and MET. A separate analysis found real-world overall survival was not impacted by PTK7 expression, supporting PTK7 as a target-engagement biomarker independent of prognosis. The findings reinforce the scientific rationale for HWK-007, Whitehawk's next-generation PTK7-directed ADC in Phase 1 development for non-squamous EGFR wild-type NSCLC, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. The analyses were conducted under a previously announced collaboration between Whitehawk and Tempus AI.

Whitehawk Therapeutics has appointed Vijay Iyengar, MD, to its Board of Directors, effective September 9, 2026. Dr. Iyengar spent nine years in senior leadership roles at Incyte Corporation, where he helped launch five brands across eight indications, expand the company into more than 20 countries and grow annual revenue from approximately $1B to more than $4B. Before Incyte, he held senior oncology leadership positions at Novartis and was an Engagement Manager in the healthcare practice at McKinsey & Company. Whitehawk President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Lennon said Dr. Iyengar's expansive oncology leadership experience will be valuable as the company advances its clinical programs and expands its ADC portfolio. Whitehawk Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology therapeutics company whose portfolio includes HWK-007, HWK-016 and HWK-206, antibody-drug conjugates in-licensed from WuXi Biologics under an exclusive development and global commercialization agreement.

Akari Therapeutics CEO Abizer Gaslightwala discussed the company's strategic research collaboration with Whitehawk Therapeutics in a Virtual Investor interview, highlighting growing industry demand for next-generation ADC payloads. The collaboration will evaluate Akari's proprietary PH1 spliceosome modulating payload technology in combination with Whitehawk's topoisomerase I inhibitor ADC platform through planned preclinical studies designed to assess dual payload synergy. Gaslightwala noted that recent strategic transactions underscore the increasing value placed on novel payload innovation, and he believes Akari's PH1 platform is well positioned to contribute to next-generation ADC development by expanding beyond conventional payload approaches. The discussion also explored the scientific rationale for combining differentiated ADC payload technologies and how dual payload approaches may expand therapeutic opportunities beyond traditional single payload ADCs.

Akari Therapeutics and Whitehawk Therapeutics have entered a strategic research collaboration to advance antibody drug conjugate innovation. The companies will conduct preclinical studies evaluating Akari's proprietary PH1 spliceosome-modulating payload technology in combination with Whitehawk's topoisomerase I inhibitor ADC platform. The research will assess dual payload compatibility and synergies, with Akari leading the design, execution, and evaluation of the activities. Akari's lead candidate, AKTX-101, targets the Trop2 receptor and is currently in IND-enabling studies, with a first-in-human trial targeted for mid-2027. Whitehawk's portfolio includes ADCs HWK-007, HWK-016, and HWK-206, which are in-licensed from WuXi Biologics. Akari's stock closed Monday at $10.66 and was down 14.17% at $9.15 in recent trading.