Today's Top Gainers list features Q32 Bio, which announced a $55 million private placement financing; Soligenix, which is exploring the suitability of its ThermoVax platform to fight the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus; P3 Health Partners, which recently reported strong quarterly results; Editas Medicine, which is advancing its pipeline; and Guardant, whose Shield blood test has been added to updated American Cancer Society's colorectal cancer screening guidelines.
Read on…
QTTB Has a Good Hair Day
Q32 Bio Inc. (QTTB) ranked first among the biotech gainers on Tuesday, soaring more than 85% on news of a $55 million private placement financing.
In the private placement, the company has agreed to issue and sell 6.725 million shares for $8.00 each and pre-funded warrants to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock at $7.9999 per pre-funded warrant.
The private placement, being led by BVF Partners L.P., with participation from RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, and Atlas Venture, is expected to close on May 28, 2026.
The company's lead drug candidate is Bempikibart, which is being investigated in Part B of a phase 2a trial in patients with severe or very severe alopecia areata, dubbed SIGNAL= AA.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks hair follicles, leading to patchy or complete hair loss.
The 36-week topline data readout for Part B of the SIGNAL-AA Phase 2a clinical trial is expected in mid-2026.
The company reported PART A results from the phase 2a SIGNAL-AA trial, which involved 44 patients with severe or very severe AA, with baseline Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores of 50-100, in December 2024. The SALT score is a measure of the amount of scalp hair loss in people with Alopecia Areata.
According to the trial results, at Week 24, patients treated with Bempikibart showed a mean reduction in SALT score of 16% compared to just 2% reduction among placebo patients.
QTTB closed Wednesday's trading at $12.85, up 81.24%.
SNGX explores ThermoVax applicability for Bundibugyo virus
Soligenix Inc. (SNGX) is evaluating the suitability of its ThermoVax platform for Bundibugyo virus, the cause of the Ebola outbreak in Congo.
The company, in collaboration with Axel Lehrer, Professor at the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, has previously developed bivalent and trivalent vaccines, constructed from antigens against Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Marburg virus and the CoVaccine HT adjuvant, demonstrating thermostability, immunogenicity and durable efficacy.
Christopher Schaber, the CEO of Soligenix, said that the company's ThermoVax platform has stabilized vaccines for ricin toxin, Ebola-family viruses, and COVID-19, supporting its use as a proven thermostabilization approach for protein subunit vaccines. He added that the technology could help these vaccines compete with other platforms that require stricter cold storage.
SNGX closed Wednesday's trading at $0.86, up 68.75%.
LNAI On the Move
Lunai Bioworks Inc. (LNAI), an AI-driven drug discovery and biodefense company, was also one of the top movers of the day.
Last month, the company secured its first revenue-generating defense collaboration through its subsidiary BioSymetrics, deploying an AI platform for chemical threat assessment, with additional engagements currently under discussion.
A 1-for-8 reverse stock split was implemented on May 22, 2026.
LNAI closed Wednesday's trading at $2.62, up 24.17%.
P3 Health in Good Health
Shares of P3 Health Partners Inc. (PIII) jumped more than 20% on Wednesday on no specific news.
This population health management company supports providers with administrative services and care coordination for Medicare Advantage patients.
In the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, the company turned around to profit, reporting net income of $3.0 million compared to a net loss of $44.2 million in the same quarter last year, while total revenue reached $386 million, reflecting a 4% year-over-year increase.
For the full year of 2026, the company expects revenue to be in the range of $1.50 billion to $1.65 billion, indicating continued growth momentum. The total revenue was $1.46 billion in 2025.
PIII closed Wednesday's trading at $15.93, up 22.63%.
EDIT To Advance EDIT-401 Into Clinical Trial
Editas Medicine Inc. (EDIT), a gene editing company focused on developing transformative medicines for serious diseases, gained more than 15% on Wednesday.
The company's lead drug candidate is EDIT-401, which is expected to advance into a first-in-human clinical trial in patients with Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) later this year, with early human proof-of-concept data expected to be available by the end of 2026.
Editas plans to complete enrolling the dose-finding portion of the first-in-human clinical trial of EDIT-401, with topline data results expected to be available in 2027.
EDIT closed Wednesday's trading at $3.57, up 15.91%.
NNVC Exploring NV-387 to Fight Ebola
NanoViricides Inc. (NNVC), developing antiviral drugs, was up over 15% on Wednesday.
The company is developing NV-387, which it suggests could be effective against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that is spreading rapidly in Africa.
All filoviruses, including all Ebola strains, utilise the sulfated proteoglycans for initial cell attachment, and NV-387 is designed to target this interaction to inactivate the viruses.
NV-387 is available as an oral medication that has excellent stability at room temperature, enabling ease of transport, distribution, and delivery to patients. NV-387 oral gummies dissolve naturally in the mouth and do not require tablet swallowing, which is difficult for children, seniors, and also patients with sore throat.
The company noted that NV-387 Oral Gummies drug product is ready to be shipped to Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the impending Phase II clinical trial of NV-387 as a treatment for Mpox. It will thus be immediately locally available to combat the Ebola outbreak if it shows effectiveness against Ebola Bundibugyo in patients.
NNVC closed Wednesday's trading at $1.75, up 15.89%.
What's driving TCRT's Upward Momentum?
Alaunos Therapeutics Inc. (TCRT) was up over 11% on Wednesday on a promising preclinical readout for ALN1003, its investigational oral, non-hormonal, non-incretin small-molecule candidate for obesity and related metabolic disorders.
According to the findings, ALN1003 demonstrated consistent, favorable effects across key drivers of metabolic disease, including reductions in body weight and fat mass, improved insulin sensitivity, enhanced adipose function, and improved liver health in diet-induced obese mice.
TCRT closed Wednesday's trading at $2.81, up 11.51%.
Guardant's Shield Blood Test gains ACS Recommendation
Guardant Health Inc.'s (GH) FDA-approved Shield blood test has been recommended by the American Cancer Society in updated colorectal cancer screening guidelines.
Shield is the first and only FDA-approved blood test for primary colorectal cancer screening in average-risk adults age 45 and older. It requires just a blood draw during a routine doctor's visit.
The major screening guideline update recommends Shield as a choice for patients who decline or have not completed stool-based or visual examination screening tests.
The financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, were reported recently.
While net loss widened to $112.1 million or $0.85 per share in Q1, 2026, revenue was $301.7 million, an increase of 48% over the year-ago quarter.
For the full year 2026, the company expects revenue to be in the range of $1.30 billion to $1.32 billion, representing growth of 32% to 34% over 2025.
GH closed Wednesday's trading at $127.51, up 6.39%.
by Prabha Kurup
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