SAN FRANCISCO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jade Biosciences, Inc. (“Jade” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: JBIO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing best-in-class therapies for autoimmune diseases, today announced that Jade’s Board of Directors granted an equity award to Edward R. Conner, M.D., effective as of April 22, 2026, in connection with his appointment as Chief Medical Officer.
The Board of Directors granted Dr. Conner non-qualified stock options to purchase an aggregate of 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Jade Biosciences, Inc. Employment Inducement Stock Incentive Plan (the “Inducement Plan”). The option grant was granted as an inducement material to Dr. Conner entering into employment with Jade in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
The Inducement Plan is used exclusively for the grant of equity awards to individuals who were not previously employees of Jade, or following a bona fide period of non-employment, as an inducement material to such individuals’ entering into employment with Jade, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
The stock options have an exercise price of $25.38 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Jade’s common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on April 22, 2026. The shares subject to the stock options will vest over four years, with 25% of the shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the applicable vesting commencement date and the balance vesting in 36 successive equal monthly installments thereafter, subject to Dr. Conner’s continued employment with Jade on such vesting dates.
The Company intends to file a registration statement on Form S-8 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to register the shares of common stock issuable under the Inducement Plan.
The award is subject to the terms and conditions of the Inducement Plan and the applicable award agreement.
About Jade Biosciences, Inc.
Jade Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing best-in-class therapies that address critical unmet needs in autoimmune diseases. Jade’s lead candidate, JADE101, targets the cytokine APRIL, and is currently being evaluated for the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy. Jade’s pipeline also includes JADE201, an afucosylated anti-BAFF-R monoclonal antibody, as well as JADE301, an undisclosed antibody candidate. Jade was launched based on assets licensed from Paragon Therapeutics, an antibody discovery engine founded by Fairmount. For more information, visit JadeBiosciences.com and follow the Company on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication, other than purely historical information, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including for purposes of the “safe harbor” provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements relating to Jade’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future of its pipeline and business including, without limitation, the potential of Jade’s product candidates to become best-in-class therapies and their potential therapeutic uses. The words “opportunity,” “potential,” “milestones,” “pipeline,” “can,” “goal,” “strategy,” “target,” “anticipate,” “achieve,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions (including the negatives of these terms or variations of them) may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Jade will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond Jade’s control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks that adverse events or safety signals may occur; Jade may experience unanticipated costs, difficulties or delays in the product development process; Jade’s product candidates may fail in development or may not receive required regulatory approvals; and the other risks, uncertainties and factors more fully described in Jade’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025). Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Jade’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this communication, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Jade does not undertake or accept any duty to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements. This communication does not purport to summarize all of the conditions, risks and other attributes of an investment in Jade.
Jade Biosciences Contact
Priyanka Shah
[email protected]
[email protected]
908-447-6134