Biotech Stock Alaunos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: TCRT) Sees Triple Digit Gains on Acquisition and Funding

Investorideas.com (www.investorideas.com) a trusted platform for investing ideas, including biotech and medical tech stocks, issues a news and trading alert for Alaunos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCRT).

The stock makes the Nasdaq top gainer list today on news, currently trading at $2.5900 +1.5400 (+146.67%) on volume of over 148 Million shares as of this report. The stock has a morning high of 3.1224.

Alaunos Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics. The Company’s obesity and metabolic disorders program is advancing ALN1003, an oral small-molecule candidate being evaluated as a potential differentiated, non-hormonal, non-incretin approach for obesity- and metabolic-disease-relevant biology.

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Alaunos Therapeutics announced today the completion of the acquisition of Velaris Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of potentially transformative therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (“PAH”) and related cardiopulmonary diseases. The acquisition gives the Company a portfolio of ActRII-Fc ligand traps and complementary biologics designed to address the underlying signaling imbalances that drive remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature in multiple cardiopulmonary conditions.

Highlights

• Acquisition of Velaris and concurrent oversubscribed $350 million private placement positions the Company to deliver multiple proof-of-concept datasets in pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Velaris Therapeutics, the ninth company launched based on Paragon-discovered assets, is advancing a pipeline built to address growth signaling imbalances that drive pulmonary vascular remodeling in PAH and secondary pulmonary hypertension (PH), including PH due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Velaris is developing a broad pipeline of ActRII-Fcs and an anti-PDGF-B antibody, designed to be developed as monotherapies or in combination, across cardiopulmonary indications
• The Company is expected to have financial runway into 2029 to support multiple data milestones, including clinical proof-of-concept data for VLR199 in 2028

A concurrent private placement of Series C non-voting convertible preferred stock (the “Private Placement”) was led by Fairmount with participation from Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, certain accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc., Wellington Management, Janus Henderson Investors, Access Biotechnology, BB Biotech, Perceptive Advisors, Sirenia Capital Management LP, ADAR1 Capital Management and other leading investment management firms. The private placement resulted in gross proceeds to Alaunos of approximately $350 million and is expected to fund operations into 2029, enabling the generation of key proof-of-concept data sets for VLR199 and VLR360, as well as through initial regulatory filings for VLR247 and VLR258.

Velaris is the ninth company launched based on assets discovered by Paragon. The lead program, VLR199, is an ActRIIA-Fc ligand trap designed to replicate the clinically validated pharmacology of the only approved activin-signaling inhibitor for the treatment of PAH and improve on the existing therapy where it is not fully optimized. Velaris’s pipeline additionally includes VLR247 and VLR258, two ActRII-Fc ligand traps based on ActRIIA and ActRIIB, respectively, engineered to spare ligands BMP-9 and BMP-10, which have been associated with hematologic adverse events. Together, this suite of product candidates is designed to provide significant optionality for Velaris to maximize the potential of activin-signaling inhibition. Velaris is also developing VLR360, an anti-PDGF-B monoclonal antibody targeting a complementary signaling pathway implicated in PAH. VLR360 and the ActRII-Fcs are designed to be developed as monotherapies or in combination, providing Velaris with the opportunity to address multiple underlying signaling imbalances that drive pulmonary vascular remodeling in PAH and related cardiopulmonary conditions.

“We aim to transform the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, starting with PAH,” said Michael Henderson, MD, President of Velaris. “PAH and secondary pulmonary hypertension, including PH due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF) and interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), significantly affect the lives of hundreds of thousands living with these conditions in the United States and even more globally. With these indications sharing the imbalanced growth signaling that drives PAH and mounting evidence demonstrating that effective PAH therapies also have utility in secondary PH, we believe the time is right for Velaris. We’ve built a capital-efficient plan to rapidly achieve proof-of-concept in PAH and demonstrate value. With a pipeline built to provide optionality around ligand traps, to address complementary signaling pathways, and to offer compelling follow-on opportunities beyond PAH, we are excited for this next chapter.”

“Since our founding, Alaunos has been committed to advancing innovative therapies designed to improve outcomes for patients,” said Holger Weis, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alaunos. “We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Velaris. We believe this transaction and the concurrent private placement provide a strong financial foundation for us to advance an exciting pipeline and offer our stockholders a compelling opportunity to realize value, with proof-of-concept data for VLR199 expected in 2028.”

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