Verismo Therapeutics Announces $28 Million Investment from HLB Innovation to Accelerate KIR-CAR Clinical Development

• Investment supports continued Phase 1 clinical advancement of SynKIR™-110 in advanced solid tumors and SynKIR™-310 in B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

• Initial clinical data from STAR-101 Phase 1 trial of SynKIR™-110 to be presented at AACR 2026 Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Plenary Session on April 20, 2026

PHILADELPHIA , April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Verismo Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CAR T cell therapy company pioneering  a novel multi-chain KIR-CAR platform technology, today announced a $28 million investment from its parent company, HLB Innovation (KOSDAQ: 024850). The investment comes ahead of a significant clinical milestone: the first-ever presentation of KIR-CAR clinical data, which will be featured in the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials plenary session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego, CA, on April 20, 2026.

The funding will support ongoing Phase 1 clinical trials of Verismo's two KIR-CAR programs currently in the clinic: SynKIR™-110 in patients with advanced mesothelin-expressing solid tumors (STAR-101, NCT05568680) and SynKIR™-310 in patients with relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (CELESTIAL-301, NCT06544265).

Selection for an AACR Late-Breaking Clinical Trials plenary session is among the most prestigious distinctions in oncology research. The upcoming STAR-101 presentation marks Verismo's first-ever presentation of clinical data on a KIR-CAR candidate.

"This investment from HLB Innovation comes at a pivotal moment for Verismo and for the KIR-CAR platform," said Bryan Kim, CEO and Co-Founder of Verismo Therapeutics. "This funding ensures we have the resources to fully capitalize on that momentum — advancing our solid tumor and blood cancer programs toward the data readouts that will define the potential for multi-chain KIR-CAR cell therapy to provide durable results over current single-chain CAR Ts."

The following data readouts will be presented at the upcoming AACR 2026, reflecting the breadth of Verismo's novel KIR-CAR platform:

• Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Plenary Session — April 20, 2026: Initial results of a first-in-human dose-escalation study of KIR-CAR in patients with advanced mesothelin-expressing solid tumors
• Poster Presentation — April 21, 2026: Novel SynKIR™-310 outperforms CD3-based second-generation CD28 or 41BB co-stimulated CAR T in B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma xenograft mice and shows early clinical signal
• Late-Breaking Poster Presentation — April 20, 2026: Natural killer cell-based signaling in EGFR-targeted KIR-CAR T overcomes CD3-based CAR T functional deficits to eliminate resistant glioblastomas in vivo

About Verismo Therapeutics

Verismo Therapeutics, a subsidiary of HLB Innovation, is a pioneer in multi-chain KIR-CAR technology, with assets SynKIR™-110 (NCT05568680) and SynKIR™-310 (NCT06544265) currently in Phase 1 clinical trials. Verismo is the only company developing the KIR-CAR platform, using a modified NK cell-derived receptor and DAP12 pairing, designed to improve T cell functional persistence and reduce exhaustion, resulting in improved efficacy against challenging tumors. The KIR-CAR platform technology was developed specifically to address areas of high unmet medical need, including advanced solid tumors and B cell associated disorders and malignancies. For more information, visit: www.verismotherapeutics.com

About the KIR-CAR Platform

The KIR-CAR platform is a multi-chain T cell therapy that has shown highly effective solid tumor treatment in otherwise CAR-resistant animal models with hard-to-treat tumors. Using NK cell-derived killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) and DAP12 to split the target binding and T cell activation signals provides a novel paired immune-receptor activation that is independent from CD3 signaling, and works independent of co-stimulation. KIR-CAR enables sustained cell receptor expression in T cells, and induces deeper, more durable tumor treatments. Together, our multi-chain cell signaling platform provides the potential to deliver effective patient treatments by eliminating the constant background signaling and early T cell exhaustion observed in conventional single-chain CAR T therapy, with potential to treat both solid and hematologic tumors.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but are not limited to, those statements regarding our expectations for the timing, progress, and results of clinical trials; potential regulatory approvals; anticipated benefits, safety, and efficacy of our product candidates; our product development strategies; and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, risks related to clinical trials, regulatory processes, market acceptance, financial projections, and our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates. Forward-looking statements in this release represent our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof, and we expressly disclaim any obligation to update these statements as new information becomes available, except as required by law.

Editor's Note: The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) has licensed certain Penn-owned intellectual property to Verismo. Penn's Perelman School of Medicine receives funding for research and development of certain Verismo products. Penn may receive future financial benefits related to the licensing of certain Penn intellectual property to Verismo.

Investor Relations:
Pavel Aprelev, Ph.D.
Verismo Therapeutics
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Peter Collins
TogoRun
[email protected]
908-499-1200

SOURCE Verismo Therapeutics