Lisata Therapeutics, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: LSTA) lead pipeline candidate is certepetide (formerly known as LSTA1), which is being developed for treating a range of solid tumors. Earlier this month, the company announced upbeat data from a preclinical study evaluating certepetide for treating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer, with a poor prognosis. Data from the study showed that treatment with certepetide combined with standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapy and immunotherapy improved survival in mice with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Certepetide is an investigational drug candidate that allows co-administered or tethered anti-cancer drugs to better penetrate solid tumors by activating a novel uptake pathway. The candidate has exhibited the potential to improve the tumor environment, thereby making tumors more responsive to immunotherapy. Notably, the phase IIa BOLSTER study is currently investigating certepetide in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for cholangiocarcinoma. The positive preclinical data underlines the potential of certepetide in treating human patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. As a result, LSTA is now looking to add another arm to the BOLSTER study, which will evaluate certepetide in combination with SoC chemoimmunotherapy for treating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Shares of LSTA have rallied 33.7% year to date ...