Avenzo Therapeutics names Herb Cross CFO ahead of planned public company transition. October 5, 2026 Herb Cross Avenzo Therapeutics has appointed biotechnology finance veteran Herb Cross as chief financial officer as the clinical-stage oncology company prepares for a potential transition to the public markets and advances multiple drug candidates through clinical development. Cross is expected to begin October 12, 2026, and will join Avenzo's executive leadership team. He brings more than 25 years of experience across biotechnology finance, corporate development, investor relations, operations and information technology. The appointment gives Avenzo a CFO who has previously led biotechnology companies through initial public offerings, capital raises and acquisitions as the San Diego-based company works toward becoming a public company. "His extensive experience in biotech across corporate finance and operations along with his deep understanding of the capital markets will be instrumental as we continue on our path towards becoming a public company," Avenzo Chair, President and CEO Athena Countouriotis, M.D., said. Cross most recently served as CFO of Jasper Therapeutics, where he led capital generation initiatives and worked to strengthen the company's financial operations and infrastructure. He also helped execute Jasper's acquisition by Kira Pharmaceuticals. Before Jasper, Cross was CFO of Atreca. He led Atreca's initial public offering and had responsibility for finance, corporate communications, human resources and corporate services. Cross previously served as CFO of ARMO BioSciences, where his responsibilities included administrative functions and business development. He led the company's IPO and subsequently headed corporate development efforts that resulted in ARMO's acquisition by Eli Lilly. That combination of public-market and transaction experience is particularly relevant for Avenzo as it moves several oncology programs through capital-intensive clinical development while preparing its financial infrastructure for a potential public-company future. "I look forward to partnering with the leadership team and the Board to execute a disciplined financial strategy intended to support the company's long-term growth," Cross said. Avenzo's pipeline includes small-molecule inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates, with several programs already in Phase 1/2 development. AVZO-021 is a selective CDK2 inhibitor being studied in a Phase 1/2 trial for advanced solid tumors and in combination regimens for HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. The company is also developing AVZO-023, a selective CDK4 inhibitor. AVZO-021 and AVZO-023 are being evaluated in the ORION-1 Phase 1/2 study in HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. AVZO-023 is administered with endocrine therapy, with or without AVZO-021. Avenzo is simultaneously advancing two bispecific antibody-drug conjugates. AVZO-1418, an EGFR/HER3-targeting ADC, is being evaluated in the AVENTINE-1 Phase 1/2 study for advanced solid tumors. Its second ADC candidate, AVZO-103, targets Nectin4 and TROP2 and is being studied in the BEACON-1 Phase 1/2 trial for advanced solid tumors. Running multiple early-stage oncology programs creates significant financial and operational requirements as clinical enrollment, manufacturing, regulatory work and potential later-stage development compete for capital. Cross's role will include helping align those development priorities with the company's financing strategy and broader corporate plans. His experience is also closely aligned with Avenzo's stated public-market ambitions. Moving from a private clinical-stage biotechnology company toward the public markets requires additional financial reporting, internal controls, investor relations and capital-planning infrastructure alongside the underlying clinical work. Cross has managed those processes at several biotechnology companies while also participating in strategic transactions that ultimately resulted in acquisitions. For Avenzo, his appointment adds that experience as the company approaches multiple anticipated clinical milestones and determines how to fund the next stages of development across its small-molecule and ADC portfolio.

Jasper Therapeutics has appointed Lisa Pitt as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Shiguang Liu as Vice President of Clinical Development. The appointments follow Jasper's merger with Kira Pharmaceuticals. Dr Pitt brings over 25 years of regulatory and medical affairs experience from both industry and the US Food and Drug Administration. She most recently served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Aiolos Bio before its acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Liu joins after more than a decade in research and development roles at Sanofi, where he most recently served as Clinical Lead and Senior Clinical Research Director focusing on rare diseases in renal and metabolic disorders. The clinical stage biotechnology company focuses on developing therapies for immune-mediated diseases.

Jasper Therapeutics announces key regulatory and clinical appointments. * 1 hr ago Lisa Pitt, Pharm.D., M.S.J. appointed Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs Shiguang Liu, M.D., Ph.D. appointed Vice President, Clinical Development REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Jasper Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: JSPR) ("Jasper"), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the design and development of innovative therapies to treat immune-mediated diseases, today announced the appointments of Lisa Pitt, Pharm.D., M.S.J. as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Shiguang Liu, M.D., Ph.D. as Vice President, Clinical Development. "We are excited to have Lisa and Shiguang join us at Jasper following our merger with Kira Pharmaceuticals," said Jeet Mahal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jasper. "Lisa's experience in regulatory affairs at multiple biotech companies and the FDA, along with Shiguang's expertise in clinical development in rare diseases in renal and metabolic disorders are key additions as we move forward with the development of vensobafusp alfa (KP104), briquilimab and KP701 across a number of immune diseases." Dr. Pitt brings over 25 years of experience in leading regulatory and medical affairs across both the industry and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most recently, she served as Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Aiolos Bio prior to its acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to that, she held regulatory affairs leadership roles at NorthSea Therapeutics, Horizon Therapeutics, and Viela Bio prior to its acquisition by Horizon Therapeutics. Dr. Pitt served as Senior Regulatory Health Project Manager at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation & Research in the former Division of Gastroenterology and Inborn Errors Products, where she managed the review of Investigation New Drug (IND), New Drug Application (NDA), and Biologic License Application (BLA) submissions. Earlier in her career, she served in Regulatory Affairs roles at AstraZeneca, PAREXEL Consulting, and Novartis. She started her career in laboratory quality assurance roles at Alpharma and Cambridge Biotech. Dr. Pitt received her Pharm.D. from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, an M.S.J. from Seton Hall Law School, and a Bachelor degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware, and completed a post-doctoral clinical pharmacy fellowship at Novartis. Dr. Liu joins after spending over a decade of progressive leadership roles in research and development, pharmacovigilance, and clinical development at Sanofi. Most recently, he served as Clinical Lead and Senior Clinical Research Director with a focus on rare diseases in renal and metabolic disorders and leadership in late-stage clinical trials and regulatory submissions. Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Liu held several academic appointments, including Assistant Professor at The Kidney Institute at the University of Kansas Medical Center, research faculty at the Duke University School of Medicine, and Visiting Fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Earlier in his career, he was an Associate Professor and Attending Physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University Medical School, where he also completed his residency training. Dr. Liu received his M.D. from Zhengzhou University Medical School as well as an M.S. in Medicine and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Material Inducement Grants Jasper also announced that on September 14, 2026, it granted three new employees options to purchase an aggregate of 243,000 shares of voting common stock (the "Options") as material inducements to each employee's employment with Jasper in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The Options were granted pursuant to the Jasper Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2022 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, which was approved by the compensation committee of Jasper's board of directors on March 14, 2022 and amended and restated on June 2, 2023. The exercise price of each Option is $0.6328. Each Option will vest over four years, with 25% of the total number of shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the date of commencement of such employee's employment with Jasper and 1/48th of the total number of shares subject to each Option vesting monthly thereafter, subject in each case to such employee's continued service to Jasper on each vesting date. About Jasper Jasper is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the design and development of innovative therapies to treat immune-mediated diseases. Jasper is advancing a pipeline of medicines including KP-104, briquilimab, and KP-701. KP-104 is a potential best-in-class dual-complement inhibitor that has demonstrated positive outcomes in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and is under evaluation in other high unmet need nephrology disorders. Briquilimab is an anti-KIT antibody which has demonstrated positive clinical results both as a conditioning agent for stem cell transplant and mast cell mediated diseases such as chronic urticarias and allergic asthma. KP-701, a novel, dual-acting anti-CD79BxCD32B monoclonal antibody (mAb) for autoantibody-mediated disorders currently advancing to the clinic. Alex Gray (investors) Jasper Therapeutics 650-549-1454 Argot Partners (investors and media)