Press releases

Niel, Belgium – February 19th, 2026 – etherna, a leading provider of cutting-edge mRNA and
lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology across the biotech and pharma industry, announces that one
of its key collaborators, Almirall (www.almirall.com), a leading medical dermatology company,
nominated LAD116 as a novel therapy targeting non-melanoma skin cancer for further
development in IND enabling studies. LAD116 is based on etherna’s intratumoral mRNA/LNP
platform for therapies intended to generate a potent immune response directly within the tumor
microenvironment. The collaboration with Almirall on this potential new therapy will now focus
on manufacturing and producing GMP-grade material for IND enabling studies and intended
Phase I clinical trials.

Bernard Sagaert, CEO, etherna, added:
“This collaboration is a perfect example of what can be achieved when teams are fully aligned
and driven to succeed. The combined efforts of both companies to discover and advance an
mRNA-LNP based therapy to preclinical candidate nomination, on time and on budget, has been
outstanding. We are extremely happy to continue to support Almirall as they advance this
promising approach for non-melanoma skin cancer patients.”

Karl Ziegelbauer, Chief Scientific Officer, Almirall, commented:
“Almirall is committed to advancing innovation in medical dermatology to address significant
unmet medical needs. We are very excited to advance this innovative intratumoral approach to
potentially treat patients with non-melanoma skin cancer and we are delighted to see rapid
progress of our collaboration with etherna based on their mRNA and LNP capabilities.”

About etherna
etherna is a leading technology platform company pioneering the development of mRNA and
lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technologies, including manufacturing up to GMP. With over a decade of
expertise, the company provides pharma and biotech partners with an integrated suite of
proprietary platforms, including customizable lipid nanoparticles (cLNPs) and advanced mRNA
chemistry to enable the delivery of differentiated and efficacious RNA therapeutics. Founded in
2013 as a spin-off from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), etherna has evolved from a developer
of immunotherapies into a key strategic partner for the global life sciences industry, supporting
projects from early research over development to GMP manufacturing. The company is
headquartered in Niel, Belgium, with R&D facilities in Ghent and commercial operations in the
U.S. and Asia. www.etherna.bio

Media Contact: 

media@etherna.be