Calidi Biotherapeutics Announces Speaker Presentation at ASGCT Conference in Boston on May 14, 2026 Highlighting the RedTail Platform’s Ability to Deliver Genetic Medicines to Distal Sites of Disease with Systemic Therapy
Rhea-AI Summary
Calidi Biotherapeutics (NYSE American: CLDI) will present new preclinical data from its RedTail systemically delivered virotherapy platform at ASGCT on May 14, 2026 in Boston. Data will show targeted tumor delivery, immune-evasion EEV design, and high intratumoral expression of therapeutic payloads. The lead candidate, CLD-401, expresses IL-15 superagonist in the tumor microenvironment and an IND filing is expected by end of 2026. Calidi is also advancing in situ T-cell engager expression and pursuing strategic partnerships to accelerate clinical development.
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News Market Reaction – CLDI
On the day this news was published, CLDI declined 1.31%, reflecting a mild negative market reaction. This price movement removed approximately $32K from the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $2.39M at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
CLDI gained 3.77% while key biotech peers were mixed: APRE -4.48%, GNPX -4.61%, INAB -2.76%, NLSP -1.05%, and CELZ +1.90%. This points to a stock-specific move around the RedTail/ASGCT update rather than a broad sector rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 02 | Conference data update | Positive | -2.7% | Preclinical CLD-401 AACR data and IND timing reiterated for end of 2026. |
| Apr 01 | Platform data preview | Positive | +1.6% | RedTail platform and T-cell engager data to be presented at AACR. |
| Mar 27 | Earnings and update | Negative | -11.7% | Full-year 2025 net loss and low year-end cash with ongoing development plans. |
| Mar 24 | Clinical partnership | Positive | -3.6% | Avance Clinical partnership to accelerate Australian approval and Phase I CLD-401 trial. |
| Mar 12 | Manufacturing progress | Positive | -4.5% | Presentation of scalable CLD-401 manufacturing and supportive FDA Type D feedback. |
Recent positive operational and clinical-platform updates have often been followed by negative price reactions, while more mixed financial disclosures saw sharper downside.
Over the past month, Calidi has issued a series of updates centered on its RedTail platform and lead candidate CLD-401, including manufacturing progress, an Australian partnership for a Phase I trial, and multiple data presentations at AACR. Financial results for 2025 highlighted a net loss and modest cash, alongside capital-raising activities. Today’s ASGCT presentation news continues this pattern of preclinical and platform-focused communication and reiterates the goal of filing an IND for CLD-401 by the end of 2026, extending the narrative of systematic progress toward first-in-human studies.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights continued advancement of Calidi’s RedTail virotherapy platform, including preclinical data to be presented at ASGCT on May 14, 2026 and a stated goal to file an IND for CLD-401 by the end of 2026. In recent months the company has paired scientific progress with manufacturing, partnership, and financing updates. Investors may monitor ongoing capital needs, regulatory milestones, and the quality of forthcoming clinical data as key drivers of future risk and opportunity.
Key Terms
virotherapy medical
tumor microenvironment medical
extracellular enveloped medical
cd55 medical
il-15 superagonist medical
t-cell engagers medical
nk-cell medical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
SAN DIEGO, April 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) (“Calidi” or the “Company”), a biotechnology company pioneering the development of targeted genetic medicines, will present new data at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts on May 14, 2026. The Company will present data on its RedTail platform.
RedTail is Calidi’s systemically delivered virotherapy platform designed to selectively target tumors, remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME), and enable high-level expression of therapeutic genetic payloads directly at the tumor site while limiting peripheral exposure. Data presented at the ASGCT meeting by Antonio F. Santidrian, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Technical Operations for Calidi, will showcase the ability of the RedTail extracellular enveloped and CD55-overexpressing virus (EEV) to avoid immune clearance, replicate only in target cells, and deliver high concentrations of genetic medicine to sites of disease.
CLD-401, the lead candidate derived from the RedTail platform, is engineered to express high levels of IL-15 superagonist (IL-15 SA), a known T- and NK-cell activator, in the TME. The Company expects to file an IND for CLD-401 by the end of 2026. Additionally, Calidi is expanding the RedTail platform to enable in situ expression of T-cell engagers (TCEs) in solid tumors, including in combination with T-cell activating payloads such as IL15 SA. This strategy is intended to support localized T-cell- engagement within the tumor microenvironment following systemic administration.
“The data we will present at ASGCT highlight the advances we have made with our novel approach to the targeted, systemic delivery of genetic medicines” said Dr. Santidrian. “In our preclinical and syngeneic models, we are seeing profound biology driven by targeted genetic expression with RedTail candidates.”
“We continue to advance the RedTail platform with an IND filing expected this year for CLD-401” said Eric Poma, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Calidi. “We continue to expand what the RedTail platform can do with new payload, a novel approach to in situ T-cell engagers, and ongoing lead discovery in indications outside of oncology.”
The Company continues to expand the functionality of the RedTail platform and is also actively pursuing strategic partnerships to accelerate clinical development and broaden the impact of its RedTail platform.
About Calidi
Calidi Biotherapeutics (NYSE American: CLDI) is a biotechnology company pioneering the development of targeted therapies with the potential to deliver genetic medicines to distal sites of disease. The company’s proprietary RedTail platform features an engineered enveloped oncolytic virus designed for systemic delivery and targeting of metastatic sites. This advanced enveloped technology is intended to shield the virus from immune clearance, allowing virotherapy to effectively reach tumor sites, induce tumor lysis, and deliver potent genetic medicine(s) to metastatic locations.
CLD-401, the lead candidate from the RedTail platform, currently in IND-enabling studies, targets non-small cell lung cancer, head and neck cancer, and other tumor types with high unmet medical need. Calidi continues to advance its pipeline utilizing the RedTail platform including its novel approach to incorporate in situ T-cell engagers in solid tumors.
Calidi Biotherapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.calidibio.com or view Calidi’s Corporate Presentation here.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements for purposes of the “safe harbor” provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Terms such as “anticipates,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “project,” “should,” “towards,” “would” as well as similar terms, are forward-looking in nature, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning key milestones, including certain pre-clinical data, planned clinical trials, and statements relating to the safety and efficacy of Calidi’s therapeutic candidates in development. Any forward-looking statements contained in this discussion are based on Calidi’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects and are subject to multiple risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth or implied in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that Calidi is not able to raise sufficient capital to support its current and anticipated clinical trials, the risk that early results of clinical trials do not necessarily predict final results and that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change following more comprehensive review of the data, and as more patient data becomes available, the risk that Calidi may not receive FDA approval for some or all of its therapeutic candidates. Other risks and uncertainties are set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in the Company’s annual report filed with the SEC on Form 10-K on March 27, 2026, as may be amended or supplemented by other reports we file with the SEC from time to time. We disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
For Investors:
Dave Gentry, CEO
RedChip Companies, Inc.
1-407-644-4256
CLDI@redchip.com
