NuvOx Announces Collaboration with Department of Veteran Affairs for Spinal Cord Injury Research

Tucson, AZ – April 22, 2026  – Today NuvOx Therapeutics, Inc. (“NuvOx” or the “Company”), a  clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel platform of oxygen therapeutics, today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with Department of Veteran Affairs (“VA”). The research project is to investigate whether NuvOx’s oxygen therapeutic product candidate, NanO₂™ (dodecafluoropentane emulsion), can improve oxygen delivery, as well as its effects combined with other hypoxia therapeutics, in animal models of spinal cord injury (“SCI”).

“NanO₂ was tested in a previous SCI animal study and showed promising results,” said Dr. Prodip  Bose, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist and Director, MRI/PET, and Translational Neurotrauma Rehabilitation Laboratory, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Affairs Health System. “The annual incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) is approximately 54 cases per one million people in the United States, or about 18,000 new SCI cases each year according to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. These patients suffer long term disabilities. This study is expected to be significant in elucidating underlying mechanisms and generating robust efficacy and safety preclinical data, which should provide a strong foundation for the design and implementation of future clinical investigations.”

Dr. Evan Unger, NuvOx’s Co-founder and Executive Chairman, stated: “We are thrilled about this project. NanO₂ is designed to enhance oxygen delivery to hypoxic regions in human body. As a platform therapeutics technology, it has been tested on over140 patients on multiple indications. We are very encouraged by previous preclinical SCI data, and look forward to partnering with VA, to validate our technology’s application in this field.”

Rong Wang, President and CEO of NuvOx, added, “SCI limits patients’ quality of life and presents significant cost to healthcare system. Most SCI cases are caused by trauma, thus impacting veteran population. VA is the perfect partner. We greatly appreciate VA’s championing research in this field and are honored to be part of this project. We hope this project reveals the potential of our technology for this critical unmet medical need.”

For more, visit Innovative Oxygen Therapeutics | NuvOx Pharma | Arizona.

About NuvOx:

NuvOx is a privately held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel platform of oxygen therapeutics for the treatment of diseases where hypoxia plays a role. Hypoxia, or low oxygen, is responsible for resistance to cancer treatment, brain damage in stroke, and the death of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

NuvOx’s product candidate, NanO₂, is designed to be a disruptive platform technology addressing multiple unmet needs, with positive results demonstrated in two completed Phase Ib/II studies: one in glioblastoma as a radiosensitizer and the other in stroke as a neuroprotectant. It has safety and efficacy data in 7+ indications in various preclinical and clinical stages, including Orphan Drug Designation for both glioblastoma and sickle cell anemia.

NanO₂ is designed to be synergistic, rather than competitive with standard of care. The company also has a strong IP portfolio: 11 Patent Families; 11 issued US patents and 31 foreign equivalents.

NuvOx has completed enrollment in a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase IIb clinical trial as a radiosensitizer in treatment of primary glioblastoma. In this study, the drug was well tolerated. A Phase IIb clinical trial for NanO₂ in treatment of acute ischemic stroke has also started, funded by the UK government. In addition, NuvOx is conducting a Phase Ib clinical trial for NanO₂ in treatment of respiratory distress in Canada, partially funded by BARDA.

About VA:

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.

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Forward-looking statement

This communication contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Such statements are based upon various facts and derived utilizing numerous important assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “plans” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may” and “could” are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts, although not all forward-looking statements include the foregoing.

The forward-looking statements include statements regarding the study being significant in elucidating underlying mechanisms and generating robust efficacy and safety preclinical  data, thereby providing a strong foundation for the design and implementation of future clinical investigations, NanO₂ enhancing oxygen delivery to hypoxic regions in human body, partnering with VA to validate the Company’s technology’s application in this field, revealing the potential of the Company’s technology for this critical unmet medical need, and NanO2 being a disruptive platform technology addressing multiple unmet needs.

Any forward-looking statements included herein reflect our current views, and they involve certain risks and uncertainties, including, among others, our ability to pursue our regulatory strategy, our ability to obtain regulatory approvals for commercialization of product candidates or to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements, our ability to develop strategic partnership opportunities and maintain collaborations, our ability to obtain or maintain the capital or grants necessary to fund our research and development activities, our ability to complete clinical trials on time and achieve desired results and benefits as expected, regulatory limitations relating to our ability to promote or commercialize our product candidates for specific indications, acceptance of our product candidates in the marketplace and the successful development, marketing or sale of our products, our ability to maintain our license agreements, the continued maintenance and growth of our patent estate and our ability to retain our key employees. These risks should not be construed as exhaustive. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was initially made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, unless required by law.