Weekly Roundup: Exciting clinical stage updates and your LSX Nordic Congress summary
Progress for our clients in the clinic this week, with Mestag Therapeutics dosing the first patient in their STARLYS clinical trial and STORM Therapeutics to present data on its dose escalation study at ASCO later this month. More good news, as Hansa Biopharma entered a multi-million-Euro licensing agreement with SERB S.A. Bring on the bank holiday!
Hansa Biopharma entered into €115 million licensing agreement with SERB Pharmaceuticals for IDEFIRIX in Europe and MENA
Hansa Biopharma and SERB S.A. announced an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of IDEFIRIX (imlifidase) in the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) regions.
Watch the full webcast here.
STORM Therapeutics to present promising Phase 1 sarcoma data demonstrating activity of first‑in‑class METTL3 inhibitor STC‑15 at ASCO 2026
STORM Therapeutics, the clinical stage company targeting RNA modifications to reprogramme cells and develop novel cancer therapies, announced that a subset analysis of sarcoma patients enrolled in the Phase 1 dose escalation study of its lead candidate, STC-15, will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place 29 May-2 June, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.
Mestag Therapeutics announced the first patient was dosed with MST-0312 in the Phase I STARLYS trial
Mestag Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company harnessing fibroblast immunology for the benefit of patients with inflammatory disease and cancer, announced the dosing of the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating MST-0312 in patients with selected advanced solid tumours. The STARLYS trial is a first in human, adaptive, modular multi-part, multi-arm open-label study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and anti-tumour activity of MST-0312 alone and in combination with pembrolizumab.
Synklino granted US patent for lead candidate SYN002, designed to target and eliminate CMV-infected cells
Synklino, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a first-in-class, ex vivo therapy to transform kidney transplantation outcomes through better CMV prevention, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted patent approval for SYN002, its lead candidate designed to target and eliminate CMV-infected cells – including those harbouring latent infection. This is an important milestone for the programme, providing composition of matter protection for SYN002’s novel fusion protein design as Synklino prepares to advance the candidate into the clinic.
LSX Nordic Congress – Copenhagen | 19-20th May 2026
Optimum’s own Stephen Adams chaired the opening panel at LSX Nordic Congress on Tuesday. The panel, titled “Nordic Horizons: Maximising Growth, Investment and Internationalisation in The Nordic Life Sciences Ecosystem”, discussed how the Nordics’ high levels of trust, access to patient capital and collaborative environment are some of the key factors that make Scandinavia one of the best places in the world to build a biotech – but limited access to growth capital and potentially the willingness to back higher-risk investments could be holding it back.
👥Industry events
On Helix – Cambridge | 9th Jul 2026
This July, One Nucleus presents ON Helix – Disrupting Bio Innovation.
A one-day conference in Cambridge spotlighting and discussing the breakthrough technologies, policies and business models that are shaping the drug discovery and development landscape.
An excellent opportunity to connect with the pioneers leading this next wave of disruptive innovation and ensure you stay ahead in a rapidly evolving space.
Optimum is a proud supporter of One Nucleus events and is happy to share an exclusive 10% F&F discount. Please get in touch if you would like to use this or connect with the team there!
Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference – London | 8th Oct 2026
Save the date – Thursday the 8th of October 2026!
The date is set for Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference, which returns to the King’s Fund, London this October.
Join us for a day of invaluable insights from the thought leaders of the life sciences industry! The conference is free but invitation only, so please register your interest to attend here: https://www.optimumcomms.com/irconference2026/
Follow us on LinkedIn to hear updates on speakers and panellists, as they are announced.
That’s all folks! To stay in the know – subscribe to Optimum’s weekly wrap-up today!
