SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARTV) (Artiva), a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose mission is to develop effective, safe and accessible cell therapies for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers, today announced the appointment of Thad Huston as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Huston brings proven expertise in capital allocation, operational execution and global commercialization to support Artiva as it advances AlloNK in autoimmune diseases and continues building an organization positioned for long-term value creation.

“We are delighted to welcome Thad to Artiva as he brings strong late-stage development and commercial expertise to our leadership team,” said Fred Aslan, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Artiva Biotherapeutics. “AlloNK has the potential to deliver deep B-cell depletion with biologics-like convenience. This is an important time for Artiva as we prepare to receive feedback from the FDA on a potential pivotal trial and share clinical efficacy data in rheumatoid arthritis in the first half of this year. Thad brings a valuable combination of financial discipline, operational rigor and commercial insight as we approach key clinical and regulatory milestones.”

“I’ve seen firsthand both the clinical impact and complexity of traditional cell therapies,” said Mr. Huston. “What excites me about AlloNK is its potential to deliver deep B-cell depletion in a consistent, scalable, outpatient-ready format with improved cost efficiency and broader reach. I look forward to partnering with the team as we advance AlloNK in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases and position Artiva for sustained growth.”

Mr. Huston has more than 30 years of global leadership experience spanning finance, commercial strategy, business development and operations across public companies in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Galapagos, where he led finance, commercial, operations, quality, IT and business development through the company’s strategic transition to an oncology-focused cell therapy organization. Previously, he led finance and IT at Kite Pharma, where he drove strategic planning and operational initiatives to support growth and profitability. He has also held senior leadership roles at LivaNova and Johnson & Johnson, including group chief financial officer responsibilities in medical devices and finance leadership roles across international markets. Mr. Huston holds a B.S. in finance from Pennsylvania State University and is a certified management accountant.

Inducement Grant
In connection with the appointment of Mr. Huston as Artiva's Chief Financial Officer, Artiva’s Board of Directors approved a new employment inducement grant to Mr. Huston of 220,000 restricted stock units (the “Inducement Grant”).

The restricted stock units approved under the Inducement Grant will be granted pursuant to Artiva’s 2025 Inducement Plan (the “Inducement Plan”), with the grant effective immediately following, and contingent on, the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 to register the shares issuable under the Inducement Plan. The restricted stock units will vest over four years, with 25% of the underlying shares vesting on February 15, 2027, and 1/12th of the remaining shares vesting quarterly thereafter, subject to Mr. Huston’s continued employment on each such date. The restricted stock units are subject to the terms and conditions of the Inducement Plan and the terms and conditions of the restricted stock unit notice and agreement covering the grant.

Artiva will grant the restricted stock units as an inducement material to Mr. Huston’s employment with Artiva in accordance with Nasdaq listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

About Artiva Biotherapeutics
Artiva is a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose mission is to develop effective, safe and accessible cell therapies for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers. Artiva’s lead program, AlloNK^® (also known as AB-101), is an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, non-genetically modified, cryopreserved NK cell therapy candidate designed to enhance the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity effect of monoclonal antibodies to drive B-cell depletion. AlloNK is currently being evaluated in three ongoing clinical trials for the treatment of B-cell driven autoimmune diseases, including a company-sponsored basket trial across autoimmune diseases that includes rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s disease and an investigator-initiated basket trial in B-cell driven autoimmune diseases. Artiva’s pipeline also includes CAR-NK candidates targeting both solid and hematologic cancers. Artiva was founded in 2019 as a spin out of GC Cell, formerly GC Lab Cell Corporation, a leading healthcare company in the Republic of Korea, pursuant to a strategic partnership granting Artiva exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Asia, Australia and New Zealand) to GC Cell’s NK cell manufacturing technology and programs. 

Artiva is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.artivabio.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the appointment of Thad Huston as Chief Financial Officer of Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) and the Company’s mission, product candidates (including their potential continued development, future commercialization, and transformative treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions), positioning for sustained growth, clinical trials, pipeline, and strategic partnerships. These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the management of the Company as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the events or circumstances referred to in the forward-looking statements may not occur. These and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results to differ from current expectations are discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date this press release is given. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Investors
Noopur Batsha Liffick, MPH
NBL LifeSci Advisory LLC
ir@artivabio.com

Media
Jessica Yingling, Ph.D.
Little Dog Communications Inc.
jessica@litldog.com

Source: Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc.