# Akari Therapeutics CEO Ties PH1 Payload Strategy to Mid-2027 Phase 1 Start for AKTX-101 > Akari Therapeutics plans to start Phase 1 development of AKTX-101 in mid-2027, with CEO Abizer Gaslightwala citing demand for novel ADC payloads. - Published: 2026-10-15T13:52:30+00:00 - Section: Research & Clinical Trials - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-15/akari-therapeutics-aktx-101-phase-1 - Source: [GlobeNewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/15/3381754/0/en/akari-therapeutics-ceo-highlights-differentiated-adc-payload-strategy-and-path-toward-clinical-development-in-new-ceo-corner.html) ## Key takeaways - Akari Therapeutics plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical development of AKTX-101 in mid-2027. - CEO Abizer Gaslightwala said the PH1 payload drew interest at partnering and industry conferences in the US and China. - Akari Therapeutics reported a second-quarter net loss of $4.8 million and approximately $8.6 million in financing. [Akari Therapeutics](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00025oe/akari-therapeutics) plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical development of its lead antibody drug conjugate candidate AKTX-101 in mid-2027, President and Chief Executive Officer Abizer Gaslightwala said in a new CEO Corner segment. The company released the segment on October 15, 2026, according to [GlobeNewswire](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/15/3381754/0/en/akari-therapeutics-ceo-highlights-differentiated-adc-payload-strategy-and-path-toward-clinical-development-in-new-ceo-corner.html). ## Akari Therapeutics' PH1 Payload Strategy Akari Therapeutics is an oncology biotechnology company developing antibody drug conjugates with a novel RNA splicing disrupting payload, PH1, a spliceosome modulator designed to disrupt RNA splicing in cancer cells through a mechanism distinct from commonly used ADC payload classes. AKTX-101 targets the Trop2 receptor on cancer cells with a proprietary linker intended to deliver the PH1 payload directly into the tumor. Gaslightwala said ADC payload differentiation will matter more as patients receive ADCs as front-line therapies and develop resistance to current payload classes. He pointed to emerging clinical data presented at major medical conferences indicating that sequential treatment with ADCs using the same payload class does not provide benefit after relapse. "It was important for us to gauge interest and excitement in our novel payload technology and its application to ADC therapies in areas of growing unmet needs like ADC refractory patients, and I left the conferences even more convicted in our technology, strategy, and execution as a company," Gaslightwala said. He also cited recent industry transactions involving novel ADC payload technologies, including Novartis's agreement to acquire Myricx Bio and Genentech's collaboration with DualityBio, as evidence of strategic interest by large pharmaceutical companies in next-generation payload approaches. ## Akari Therapeutics' Recent Financing and Partnerships Akari Therapeutics raised approximately $8.3 million in the second quarter of 2026 through a PIPE financing and warrant exercises, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The company's market capitalization stood at $12.28 million as of that quarter, and its total funding reached $194.3 million, the same records show. Akari Therapeutics also formed a strategic partnership with WuXi XDC in April 2026 to accelerate development of AKTX-101 and advance the PH1 payload technology, according to the same records. ## How Akari Therapeutics Reached This Point Akari Therapeutics announced a strategic research collaboration with WhiteHawk Therapeutics in August 2026 to evaluate a dual-payload ADC strategy combining Akari's PH1 payload with WhiteHawk's TOP1 inhibitor ADC platform, Yahoo reported. Akari Therapeutics reported new preclinical data for AKTX-101 in August 2026 showing anti-tumor activity in urothelial cancer models resistant to existing TROP2-directed therapies, Stock Titan reported. The company said in August 2026 that it would present its PH1 ADC payload platform at five conferences in September 2026 across the U.S. and China, Stock Titan reported. ## Akari Therapeutics' Next Steps for AKTX-101 Akari Therapeutics continues to advance AKTX-101 through IND-enabling toxicology and safety studies, large-scale GMP manufacturing, and Phase 1 planning, with the goal of initiating clinical development in mid-2027. The company is also continuing discussions with potential strategic partners around PH1 and the broader potential of its payload platform. ## Companies in this story - [Akari Therapeutics company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00025oe/akari-therapeutics) · website: https://www.akaritx.com --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt