TORONTO and HOUSTON, April 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medicenna Therapeutics Corp. (“Medicenna” or the “Company”) (TSX: MDNA, OTCQX: MDNAF), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on the development of Superkines targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Nageatte Ibrahim, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Ibrahim will serve in a fractional capacity, bringing extensive clinical development and oncology expertise to support the advancement of the Company’s pipeline.

Dr. Ibrahim, former Chief Medical Officer of Oncology at Innovent Biologics USA, brings more than two decades of experience spanning oncology drug development, including over 12 years at Merck and GSK, and 9 years in academia where she held faculty and clinical appointments at Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ibrahim to Medicenna at this pivotal stage of our clinical development,” said Dr. Fahar Merchant, President and Chief Executive Officer of Medicenna. “Her deep expertise in global oncology drug development, including leadership on multiple landmark immunotherapy programs, will be instrumental as we advance our IL-2 superagonist platform and expand our clinical pipeline with our first-in-class antiPD1-IL-2 bifunctional program. Trained as a physician and scientist, she played a pivotal role in the development of the world’s best selling oncology drug, pembrolizumab, an anti-PD1 immunotherapy that has changed the treatment landscape for many cancers. Nageatte is a natural fit for Medicenna’s superkine immunotherapy pipeline, especially development of anti-PD1 bispecifics and the cancer indications being pursued by Medicenna in the MDNA11 ABILITY-1 trial. We are honored to work with Nageatte who has helped bring anti-PD1 immunotherapy to patients around the world, changing the treatment paradigm for melanoma and other difficult-to-treat cancers.”

“I am excited to partner with Medicenna and contribute to the advancement of its innovative cytokine-based immunotherapies,” said Dr. Ibrahim. “The Company’s IL-2 superagonist programs, MDNA11 and MDNA113, hold promise to improve outcomes for patients with various solid tumors with bizaxofusp (MDNA55) demonstrating compelling evidence of efficacy in patients with glioblastoma, one of the most challenging cancers with significant unmet needs. I look forward to working with the team to accelerate the clinical development of these therapies.”

Dr. Ibrahim most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Oncology at Innovent Biologics USA, where she established and led a global clinical development organization and played a key role in building the company’s U.S. presence. Prior to Innovent, she spent over a decade at Merck, where she advanced to Vice President of Global Clinical Development, Oncology. In that role, she led the strategic direction and execution of clinical programs for pembrolizumab across multiple tumor types and combination regimens.

During her tenure at Merck, Dr. Ibrahim led pivotal global registration studies supporting approvals of pembrolizumab in frontline metastatic and resectable advanced melanoma, and contributed to numerous additional global approvals across indications including Merkel cell carcinoma, gastric cancer, biliary tract cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and pediatric neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Her work also supported tumor-agnostic approvals such as MSI-H/dMMR and TMB-H indications. Earlier in her career at GSK, she contributed to the development of the dabrafenib and trametinib combination therapy, which received global approvals in melanoma.

Dr. Ibrahim is widely recognized for her leadership in building high-performing clinical teams and fostering collaborative, growth-oriented environments. She has also served as a Scientific Advisor to the Melanoma Research Alliance. In addition, she is the founder and CEO of Arc Nouvel Clinical Development Consulting, a firm focused on advancing innovative therapeutics through all stages of clinical development, and their team of experts were the pioneers in bringing pembrolizumab to patients across many indications in oncology.

About Medicenna Therapeutics

Medicenna is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on developing novel, highly selective versions of IL-2, IL-4 and IL-13 Superkines and first-in-class Empowered Superkines. Medicenna’s long-acting IL-2 Superkine, MDNA11, is a next-generation IL-2 with superior affinity toward CD122 (IL-2 receptor beta) and no CD25 (IL-2 receptor alpha) binding, thereby preferentially stimulating cancer-killing effector T cells and NK cells. Medicenna’s first-in-class targeted and tumor anchored PD-1 x IL-2 bifunctional program, MDNA113, is in development for solid tumors and was designed using the Company’s proprietary BiSKITs™ (Bifunctional SuperKine ImmunoTherapies) and T-MASK™ (Targeted Metalloprotease Activated SuperKine) platforms. Medicenna’s IL-4 Empowered Superkine, bizaxofusp (formerly MDNA55), has been studied in 5 clinical trials enrolling over 130 patients, including a Phase 2b trial for recurrent GBM, the most common and uniformly fatal form of brain cancer. Bizaxofusp has obtained FastTrack and Orphan Drug status from the FDA and FDA/EMA, respectively.

For more information, please visit www.medicenna.com, and follow us on X and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements regarding the future operations of the Company, estimates, plans, strategic ambitions, partnership activities and opportunities, objectives, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance, outlook or other statements that are not historical facts, such as statements on the therapeutic treatment potential and safety profile of MDNA11 (both as monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab) and MDNA113, additional milestones, the timing and/or release of any additional clinical updates, cash runway and financing plans, the bizaxofusp potential and partnering efforts and discussions and strategic priorities. Drug development and commercialization involve a high degree of risk, and only a small number of research and development programs result in commercialization of a product. Results in early-stage pre-clinical or clinical studies may not be indicative of full results or results from later stage or larger scale clinical studies and do not ensure regulatory approval. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, or the scientific data presented.

Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “will”, “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “believe”, “seek”, “potentially” and similar expressions. and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions believed by the Company to be reasonable at the date of this news release. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and may be based on assumptions that could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include the risks detailed in the latest annual information form of the Company and in other filings made by the Company with the applicable securities regulators from time to time in Canada.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and except as required by law, we do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements.

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Investor and Company Contact:

Shushu Feng
Investor Relations, Medicenna Therapeutics
(416) 964-5442
ir@medicenna.com

Source: Medicenna Therapeutics Corp.