NuCana Appoints Theresa Bruce as Chief Operating Officer
Rhea-AI Summary
NuCana (NASDAQ: NCNA) appointed Theresa Bruce as Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2026. Ms. Bruce brings 25+ years of oncology clinical development experience and previously served as NuCana's Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations and as COO at Nexus Oncology.
Her remit includes advancing the pipeline with planned 2026 data readouts from the Phase 1/2 expansion of NUC-7738 + pembrolizumab (NuTide:701), preparing a registration strategy for NUC-7738, and further characterizing NUC-3373. The company anticipates a cash runway into 2029.
Positive
- COO appointment effective January 1, 2026
- Theresa Bruce brings 25+ years of oncology R&D experience
- Internal promotion from SVP Clinical Operations to COO
- 2026 data readouts planned for NUC-7738 combination (NuTide:701)
- Registration planning for potential NUC-7738 marketing approval
- Cash runway anticipated to extend into 2029
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, NCNA declined NaN%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
While NCNA was up 1.65%, close peers showed mixed moves: PMCB +3.67%, ACXP +5.93%, AIM +6.99%, ALZN +6.22%, and TNFA -9.72%, suggesting stock-specific dynamics around this announcement.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10 | Clinical data update | Positive | -0.2% | Phase 2 data showed clinical activity and favorable safety in PD-1-resistant melanoma. |
| Nov 13 | Earnings and update | Positive | -7.9% | Q3 2025 results, strengthened cash position, ATM financing and runway into 2029. |
| Nov 05 | Patent grant | Positive | +4.7% | China composition-of-matter patent for NUC-7738, adding to 85+ global patents. |
| Oct 14 | Clinical data update | Positive | +1.2% | NUC-3373 combo data with deep lesion reductions and durable responses reported. |
| Sep 05 | Listing compliance | Positive | +0.3% | Confirmed compliance with all Nasdaq listing criteria and extended cash runway. |
Recent news has been mostly positive (clinical, patent, listing, cash runway), yet 2 of 5 events saw negative 24h reactions, indicating that favorable updates have not consistently translated into immediate gains.
Over the past few months, NuCana reported several positive milestones. On Sep 5, 2025 it confirmed full Nasdaq compliance and a cash runway into 2029. Subsequent Oct 14 and Dec 10, 2025 updates highlighted encouraging NUC‑3373 and NUC‑7738 data, including durable responses in heavily pre-treated patients. A Nov 5, 2025 patent grant strengthened NUC‑7738 intellectual property protection with 85+ patents worldwide. Q3 2025 results on Nov 13 detailed enhanced liquidity and reaffirmed runway into 2029. Today’s COO appointment fits into this broader execution and pipeline-advancement narrative.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights NuCana’s strengthening of its executive team as it advances NUC‑7738 and NUC‑3373, with key Phase 1/2 data planned in 2026 and an anticipated cash runway extending into 2029. Recent history includes encouraging clinical results, a new NUC‑7738 patent, and confirmation of Nasdaq compliance. Investors may watch upcoming NUC‑7738 and NUC‑3373 data, further leadership developments, and any future financing or regulatory updates as indicators of execution strength.
Key Terms
phase 1/2 medical
pembrolizumab medical
melanoma medical
mode of action medical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
EDINBURGH, United Kingdom, Jan. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NuCana plc (NASDAQ: NCNA) (“NuCana” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving treatment outcomes for patients with cancer, announced the appointment of Theresa Bruce as Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2026.
“We are delighted to appoint Theresa as Chief Operating Officer and welcome her to NuCana’s executive leadership team,” said Hugh S. Griffith, NuCana’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Theresa brings more than two decades of experience leading global clinical development programs across biotechnology companies and clinical research organizations. Her operational leadership and deep clinical expertise will be instrumental as we advance our pipeline, including our plans to generate data in 2026 from the Phase 1/2 expansion study of NUC-7738 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with melanoma (NuTide:701), prepare an optimal registration strategy to support potential marketing approval of NUC-7738, and further characterize the mode of action and potential target indications for NUC-3373.”
“I am delighted to join NuCana’s executive team at a pivotal time for the Company,” said Theresa Bruce. “NuCana has an innovative pipeline and a clear strategic focus on developing more effective and safer cancer therapies. With multiple anticipated data readouts, particularly for NUC-7738, and an anticipated cash runway extending into 2029, I look forward to contributing to the Company’s continued progress and long-term value creation.”
Ms. Bruce has more than 25 years of experience in oncology research and development, with leadership responsibility across all aspects of clinical planning and delivery in oncology, hematology, and endocrinology. She previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Nexus Oncology and has held senior leadership roles at both clinical research organizations and biotechnology companies, including Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Chiltern and Veristat. Most recently, Ms. Bruce served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at NuCana. Prior to joining NuCana, she also worked as an independent consultant to U.S.-based biotechnology companies, where she supported the expansion of clinical trial portfolios outside of North America. Ms. Bruce holds an MBA from Glasgow Caledonian University, with a focus on Executive Leadership and Strategic Management, and is a Member of the Chartered Management Institute.
About NuCana
NuCana is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on significantly improving treatment outcomes for patients with cancer by applying our ProTide technology to transform some of the most widely prescribed chemotherapy agents, nucleoside analogs, into more effective and safer medicines. While these conventional agents remain part of the standard of care for the treatment of many solid and hematological tumors, they have significant shortcomings that limit their efficacy and they are often poorly tolerated. Utilizing our proprietary technology, we are developing new medicines, ProTides, designed to overcome the key limitations of nucleoside analogs and generate much higher concentrations of anti-cancer metabolites in cancer cells. NuCana’s pipeline includes NUC-7738 and NUC-3373. NUC-7738 is a novel anti-cancer agent that disrupts RNA polyadenylation, profoundly impacts gene expression in cancer cells and targets multiple aspects of the tumor microenvironment. NUC-7738 is in the Phase 2 part of a Phase 1/2 study which is evaluating NUC-7738 as a monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with melanoma. NUC-3373 is a new chemical entity derived from the nucleoside analog 5-fluorouracil, a widely used chemotherapy agent. NUC-3373 has recently been evaluated in a Phase 1b/2 modular study (NuTide:303) of NUC-3373 in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab for patients with advanced solid tumors and in combination with docetaxel for patients with lung cancer, and NuCana is currently evaluating further characterization of mode of action and target indications for further clinical studies of NUC-3373.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on the beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management of the Company. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including statements concerning the Company’s planned and ongoing clinical studies for the Company’s product candidates and the potential advantages of those product candidates, including NUC-7738 and NUC-3373; the initiation, enrollment, timing, progress, release of data from and results of those planned and ongoing clinical studies; the Company’s goals with respect to the development, regulatory pathway and potential use, if approved, of each of its product candidates; the utility of prior non-clinical and clinical data in determining future clinical results; and the sufficiency of the Company’s current cash and cash equivalents to fund its planned operations into 2029. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our ability to raise additional capital sufficient to fund our planned operations and the risks and uncertainties set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 20, 2025, and subsequent reports that the Company files with the SEC. Forward-looking statements represent the Company’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release to conform any of the forward-looking statements to actual results or to changes in its expectations.
For more information, please contact:
NuCana plc
Hugh S. Griffith
Chief Executive Officer
+44 131-357-1111
info@nucana.com
ICR Healthcare
Chris Brinzey
+1 339-970-2843
Chris.Brinzey@ICRHealthcare.com
FAQ
Who is NuCana's new COO and when did the appointment take effect for NCNA?
What experience does Theresa Bruce bring to NuCana (NCNA)?
What pipeline milestones did NuCana (NCNA) highlight tied to the COO role for 2026?
How long is NuCana's (NCNA) stated cash runway after the COO appointment?
Was Theresa Bruce previously employed at NuCana before becoming COO (NCNA)?
