LONDON and PHILADELPHIA – April 14, 2026 – Avacta Therapeutics (AIM: AVCT, “the Company”, “Avacta”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing pre|CISION®, a tumor-activated oncology delivery platform, today announces that the life sciences industry publication In Vivo, published by Citeline, has named its CEO Christina Coughlin MD, PhD as one of its 2026 Rising Leaders.
In Vivo is a leading strategic business publication providing news, analysis and insights for the biopharma, medtech and diagnostics industries. The 30 people spotlighted on the Rising Stars list are selected by In Vivo’s editorial board, with the focus on entrepreneurs and innovators who represent the next wave of creativity in healthcare.
Dr. Coughlin’s story is here.
Shaun Chilton, Chairman of Avacta, commented:
“Following her time as a practicing oncologist, Chris turned her focus over 20 years ago to the biopharma industry and began her search to find the cure, inspired her own personal story of the impact of cancer in her life.
In the two years since Chris was appointed as our Chief Executive Officer, she has rapidly developed Avacta’s unique approach to treating cancer with its proprietary technology, pre|CISION®. She leads the company’s international team with a clear vision to conquer cancer by expanding the reach of existing therapies, while preserving patient vitality and healing. In a world where effective cancer therapy often means a difficult trade-off between efficacy and safety, pre|CISION can offer something different: hope without compromise.
Indeed, the skills that Chris and her extraordinarily talented team bring to bear could not be more clearly demonstrated than by one of the drug candidates, AVA6103, moving from discovery to first patients treated in a Phase 1a trial in just 24 months – an incredibly rapid time frame.
Chris is a very worthy selection as one of In Vivo’s 30 Rising Leaders and we are proud of both her recognition and to have her as our CEO. This is a well-deserved recognition.”