Galmed partners with Tel Aviv University on brain cancer therapy

RAMAT-GAN, Israel - Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLMD) announced today a research collaboration agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University to evaluate Aramchol, the company’s brain-penetrating SCD1 inhibitor, as a targeted therapy for metastatic brain cancer. The announcement sent shares surging 33% over the past week, though the stock remains down 47% over six months. Trading at $0.76, the clinical-stage company carries a market capitalization of just $5 million.

The collaboration will combine genomic expertise from Tel Aviv University’s Ben-David Lab with modeling capabilities from the Satchi-Fainaro Lab to validate Aramchol’s efficacy in treating p53-deficient brain metastases, according to a press release statement.

Recent research published by Tel Aviv University identified a link between p53 inactivation and upregulation of SCD1 as essential for the proliferation of brain-metastasizing cells. The study demonstrated that loss of p53 induces metabolic adaptations in tumors, facilitating metastatic colonization in the brain’s lipid-rich microenvironment.

SCD1 is an enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids, essential for lipid synthesis and membrane production in proliferating cancer cells. The research showed SCD1 upregulation in p53-deficient tumors, suggesting its downregulation by Aramchol could potentially treat the metabolic-dependent brain tumor.

Brain metastasis affects individuals with a 2-year survival rate below 10%, despite current multimodal therapies including surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy.

The findings would also support Galmed’s clinical work underway at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center in colorectal cancers, where p53 mutations are highly prevalent.

Galmed, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has focused on developing Aramchol for liver disease treatment and is seeking to advance the drug for oncological indications beyond NASH and fibrosis.

The collaboration is managed by Ramot, Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company.

In other recent news, Galmed Pharmaceuticals has announced a Special General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for March 4, 2026. This meeting will be held in Israel at the offices of Meitar Law Offices, with details about the agenda and matters to be discussed made available through the company’s latest SEC filing. In addition, Galmed Pharmaceuticals has received a deficiency letter from Nasdaq due to non-compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share. The company has been granted a 180-day period, from January 29 to July 28, 2026, to regain compliance with this listing requirement. Galmed can meet this standard if its shares achieve a closing bid price of at least $1.00 for a minimum of ten consecutive business days within this timeframe. These developments mark significant events for Galmed Pharmaceuticals as it navigates its compliance and shareholder engagement strategies.

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