Avacta Group Plc (AVCT.L), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in its pre|CISION tumor-activated oncology delivery platform, has announced the appointment of Mats Blom as a non-executive director and Chair of the Audit Committee.
Current Audit Committee Chair Paul Fry will step down from the Board on September 30, 2026, facilitating a smooth transition of duties to Blom.
Avacta’s pipeline features pre|CISION-enabled oncology candidates, with lead programs AVA6000 (fabridoxorubicin) and AVA6103 currently under clinical evaluation across various solid tumors. AVA6207, a dual-payload candidate, remains in the preclinical stage.
Blom brings extensive biotechnology finance experience, having served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Zealand Pharma A/S from 2010 to 2019, where he managed the company’s Nasdaq listing and its prior IPO on Nasdaq OMX Copenhagen. He also previously held CFO roles at Active Biotech and Anoto Group.
Christina Coughlin, Chief Executive Officer of Avacta, noted that Blom’s profound financial acumen and broad experience in the biotechnology and life sciences sectors across the U.S. and Europe will be vital as the company progresses its pre|CISION platform toward upcoming strategic milestones.
Currently, Blom serves as chair of the Board of Egetis Therapeutics AB and holds board positions at Hansa Biopharma AB and privately held Pephexia Therapeutics Aps.
Avacta expects to release initial clinical data for AVA6103 from the FOCUS-01 trial in the latter half of 2026. The company also plans to select a payload and clinical candidate for the AVA6207 program in the second half of the year.
Avacta shares are currently trading up 1.99% at GBp 77 on the London Stock Exchange.
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- Pakistan Shares Surge Over 2,000 Points as Investors Look Beyond Regional Uncertainty</TITLE]Bulls returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday as clarity over the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) monetary policy stance and strengthening foreign exchange reserves enabled investors to look past regional tensions, even as attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure kept the kingdom’s East-West pipeline offline and supply risks in the Gulf persisted.According to the PSX website, the market opened on a bullish note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing as much as 2,017.46 points during early trade to an intraday high of 169,988.12. As the session progressed, the market remained in positive territory.Buying was observed across key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cable and electrical goods, cement, commercial banks, engineering, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies, power generation and distribution, and refineries.The benchmark was trading at 169,443.27 points as of 11:50 am, up 1,472.62 points or 0.88% from the previous close.Renewed buying interest followed the SBP’s decision to maintain the policy rate unchanged at 11.5% at its September 14 meeting, citing the recent intensification of the prolonged Middle East conflict, which had pushed already elevated global commodity prices higher while supply-chain disruptions persisted.The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted that recent domestic macroeconomic data remained broadly in line with its expectations. Headline inflation rose to 11.1% year-on-year in August from 9.2% in July, while core inflation came in slightly below expectations.Investor sentiment was further supported by an improvement in the country’s external position, with the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves climbing to a record $21.4 billion. The increase, driven by proceeds from a $3 billion Eurobond and continued interbank market purchases, pushed reserves above the central bank’s $21 billion target for June 2027 almost nine months ahead of schedule.Globally, bond markets slumped on Tuesday, sending benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields to their highest level since 2007, as higher oil prices unsettled investors ahead of key central bank meetings in the U.S. and Japan.Asian equities extended losses from the previous session after leading figures in the artificial intelligence industry called for a slowdown in AI development. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.8%, led by a 1.18% decline in South Korea.Taiwan’s market dropped 0.43%, while Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.32% after fluctuating between gains and losses.US President Donald Trump played down concerns over the potential misuse of AI, saying existing US safeguards were sufficient and that doubts surrounding the technology’s development would benefit China.In early European trading, Euro Stoxx 50 futures edged 0.06% higher, while German DAX futures slipped 0.02% and FTSE futures fell 0.21%. US S&P 500 E-mini futures were down 0.22%.Oil prices rose on Tuesday as concerns over supply disruptions persisted after attacks on Saudi Arabian energy infrastructure left the kingdom’s East-West pipeline offline and cast doubt on efforts to ease shipping risks in the Gulf.Brent crude futures rose $1.37, or 1.3%, to $107.05 a barrel at 0406 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up $1.53, or 1.51%, at $102.92 a barrel. Both benchmarks rose more than 1% in the previous session.
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![Pakistan Shares Surge Over 2,000 Points as Investors Look Beyond Regional Uncertainty</TITLE]Bulls returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday as clarity over the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) monetary policy stance and strengthening foreign exchange reserves enabled investors to look past regional tensions, even as attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure kept the kingdom’s East-West pipeline offline and supply risks in the Gulf persisted.According to the PSX website, the market opened on a bullish note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing as much as 2,017.46 points during early trade to an intraday high of 169,988.12. As the session progressed, the market remained in positive territory.Buying was observed across key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cable and electrical goods, cement, commercial banks, engineering, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies, power generation and distribution, and refineries.The benchmark was trading at 169,443.27 points as of 11:50 am, up 1,472.62 points or 0.88% from the previous close.Renewed buying interest followed the SBP’s decision to maintain the policy rate unchanged at 11.5% at its September 14 meeting, citing the recent intensification of the prolonged Middle East conflict, which had pushed already elevated global commodity prices higher while supply-chain disruptions persisted.The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted that recent domestic macroeconomic data remained broadly in line with its expectations. Headline inflation rose to 11.1% year-on-year in August from 9.2% in July, while core inflation came in slightly below expectations.Investor sentiment was further supported by an improvement in the country’s external position, with the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves climbing to a record .4 billion. The increase, driven by proceeds from a billion Eurobond and continued interbank market purchases, pushed reserves above the central bank’s billion target for June 2027 almost nine months ahead of schedule.Globally, bond markets slumped on Tuesday, sending benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields to their highest level since 2007, as higher oil prices unsettled investors ahead of key central bank meetings in the U.S. and Japan.Asian equities extended losses from the previous session after leading figures in the artificial intelligence industry called for a slowdown in AI development. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.8%, led by a 1.18% decline in South Korea.Taiwan’s market dropped 0.43%, while Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.32% after fluctuating between gains and losses.US President Donald Trump played down concerns over the potential misuse of AI, saying existing US safeguards were sufficient and that doubts surrounding the technology’s development would benefit China.In early European trading, Euro Stoxx 50 futures edged 0.06% higher, while German DAX futures slipped 0.02% and FTSE futures fell 0.21%. US S&P 500 E-mini futures were down 0.22%.Oil prices rose on Tuesday as concerns over supply disruptions persisted after attacks on Saudi Arabian energy infrastructure left the kingdom’s East-West pipeline offline and cast doubt on efforts to ease shipping risks in the Gulf.Brent crude futures rose .37, or 1.3%, to 7.05 a barrel at 0406 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up .53, or 1.51%, at 2.92 a barrel. Both benchmarks rose more than 1% in the previous session.](https://i3.wp.com/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/psx.png?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Pakistan Shares Surge Over 2,000 Points as Investors Look Beyond Regional Uncertainty</TITLE]Bulls returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday as clarity over the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) monetary policy stance and strengthening foreign exchange reserves enabled investors to look past regional tensions, even as attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure kept the kingdom’s East-West pipeline offline and supply risks in the Gulf persisted.According to the PSX website, the market opened on a bullish note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing as much as 2,017.46 points during early trade to an intraday high of 169,988.12. As the session progressed, the market remained in positive territory.Buying was observed across key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cable and electrical goods, cement, commercial banks, engineering, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies, power generation and distribution, and refineries.The benchmark was trading at 169,443.27 points as of 11:50 am, up 1,472.62 points or 0.88% from the previous close.Renewed buying interest followed the SBP’s decision to maintain the policy rate unchanged at 11.5% at its September 14 meeting, citing the recent intensification of the prolonged Middle East conflict, which had pushed already elevated global commodity prices higher while supply-chain disruptions persisted.The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted that recent domestic macroeconomic data remained broadly in line with its expectations. Headline inflation rose to 11.1% year-on-year in August from 9.2% in July, while core inflation came in slightly below expectations.Investor sentiment was further supported by an improvement in the country’s external position, with the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves climbing to a record .4 billion. The increase, driven by proceeds from a billion Eurobond and continued interbank market purchases, pushed reserves above the central bank’s billion target for June 2027 almost nine months ahead of schedule.Globally, bond markets slumped on Tuesday, sending benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields to their highest level since 2007, as higher oil prices unsettled investors ahead of key central bank meetings in the U.S. and Japan.Asian equities extended losses from the previous session after leading figures in the artificial intelligence industry called for a slowdown in AI development. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.8%, led by a 1.18% decline in South Korea.Taiwan’s market dropped 0.43%, while Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.32% after fluctuating between gains and losses.US President Donald Trump played down concerns over the potential misuse of AI, saying existing US safeguards were sufficient and that doubts surrounding the technology’s development would benefit China.In early European trading, Euro Stoxx 50 futures edged 0.06% higher, while German DAX futures slipped 0.02% and FTSE futures fell 0.21%. US S&P 500 E-mini futures were down 0.22%.Oil prices rose on Tuesday as concerns over supply disruptions persisted after attacks on Saudi Arabian energy infrastructure left the kingdom’s East-West pipeline offline and cast doubt on efforts to ease shipping risks in the Gulf.Brent crude futures rose .37, or 1.3%, to 7.05 a barrel at 0406 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up .53, or 1.51%, at 2.92 a barrel. Both benchmarks rose more than 1% in the previous session.")
