Decoy Therapeutics Builds Momentum with Accelerating Execution, Entering a Highly Catalytic Phase with a Clearly Defined Path to Clinical Development of its Antiviral Pipeline

Highly differentiated AI-powered D-MAV discovery platform targeting drug
discovery in the multi-billion-dollar antiviral markets

Company to participate in Virtual Investor Closing Bell event to discuss path
forward today at 4:00 PM ET. Access the event here

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and HOUSTON, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Decoy Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DCOY) (Decoy, or the Company), a biotechnology company pioneering Designable Multi-Antivirals (D-MAVs™), a new category of antivirals engineered to work across multiple viruses, today highlighted a series of recent strategic, operational and scientific achievements that underscore accelerating momentum and a clear trajectory toward becoming a clinical-stage company. The Company also outlined upcoming milestones that are expected to drive shareholder value.

Over the past several months, Decoy has executed across multiple fronts, strengthening its capital markets' position, advancing its pipeline and further validating its differentiated D-MAV discovery platform capabilities. These efforts are positioning the Company to potentially realize a number of value creating catalysts in the not-too-distant future.

"We are executing with urgency and purpose as we advance our pipeline assets to the clinic as expeditiously as possible," said Rick Pierce, Chief Executive Officer of Decoy Therapeutics. "We are undertaking substantive steps to achieve these goals and look forward to keeping stakeholders informed on our progress."

Decoy has recently achieved key corporate milestones that strengthen its foundation for long-term growth and increased investor visibility, including:

• Strategic AI relationship with Quantori + Google Cloud (March 2026): Expected to increase computational peptide design capacity by 25–100x, accelerating candidate discovery and optimization
• Selection as Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Pioneer (February 2026): Recognition among leading global innovators highlights the Company's breakthrough technology approach
• Global Access Commitment with Gates Foundation (January 2026): Supporting scalable, low-cost manufacturing and global distribution of antiviral therapies
• Launched Robust Investor Relations and Social Media Strategy (February 2026): Enhancing awareness, engagement and transparency with investment community

At the core of Decoy's strategy is its proprietary IMP³ACT™ platform, which integrates AI-driven design, machine learning and rapid peptide-conjugate synthesis to dramatically compress drug development timelines from years to months. Unlike traditional antivirals that target a single pathogen, Decoy's D-MAV approach enables one drug to address multiple viruses by targeting conserved viral mechanisms. This platform-driven model supports rapid design-build-test-learn cycles, scalable "single shot" process that reduces synthesis timelines from months to days, and the generation of multiple pipeline programs from a single technological foundation. The platform also has potential applications beyond infectious disease, including oncology and other therapeutic areas.

Decoy is advancing a pipeline of broadly acting antiviral candidates targeting some of the largest and most persistent global disease burdens. Its DCOY-COV pan-coronavirus D-MAV is designed to target high-risk and immunocompromised populations and has demonstrated broad in vitro activity across known human coronaviruses. The program is supported by non-dilutive funding and global health partnerships, with a Phase 1 clinical trial expected in 2027. The Company is also advancing DCOY-TRI, a multi-virus respiratory program designed to target influenza, coronavirus and paramyxovirus (RSV and other viruses) families with a single D-MAV. This program could potentially address up to 55–70 percent of viruses that cause respiratory infections annually, with early data supporting broad multi-family activity. Together, these programs are designed to address a large, validated antiviral market, with precedents set by multi-billion-dollar therapies such as Paxlovid.

Decoy is entering a highly catalytic period with a clear roadmap toward clinical development and value inflection. Its accelerated development strategy, including the potential use of human challenge studies, is designed to compress timelines to clinical proof-of-concept and differentiate Decoy from traditional biotech development cycles.

Key upcoming milestones include:

• Lead candidate selection and IND-enabling studies
• Select initial indication and provide greater granularity on the clinical potential commercial strategy for our lead program
• Continued presentations and publication of preclinical and translational data
• Pursuing strategic and commercial partnerships
• IND or international equivalent filings and the initiation of first-in-human trials

Decoy operates at the intersection of several powerful macro trends, including increasing global demand for broad-spectrum antiviral solutions, growing adoption of AI-driven drug discovery platforms, heightened recognition of the need for pandemic preparedness and scalable manufacturing and expanding investment in peptide-based therapeutics. Recent industry activity, including large-scale acquisitions in the antiviral space, further underscores the strategic value of the Company's approach.

With a differentiated platform, advancing pipeline, strong external validation and accelerating execution, Decoy Therapeutics is positioning itself as a next-generation leader in antiviral innovation. As the Company advances toward the clinic, it offers investors exposure to a novel therapeutic category in D-MAVs, a platform capable of generating multiple assets, a large and globally relevant market opportunity, and a clear path to near- and mid-term catalysts.

"We believe the future of antiviral therapy is multi-target, rapidly developed and globally scalable," added Pierce. "Decoy is being built to deliver on that future."

As previously announced, the Company will be participating in a Virtual Investor Closing Bell event today, April 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET. Interested parties may access the event here.

About Decoy Therapeutics, Inc.

Decoy Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pioneering Designable Multi-Antivirals (DMAVs), a new category of antivirals engineered to target shared viral mechanisms, enabling a single, adaptable drug to work across multiple viruses. Built on the proprietary IMP³ACT platform, which combines AI-enabled design and rapid synthesis, Decoy develops antivirals designed to move faster into the clinic and expand what is possible in viral prevention and treatment. The Company's lead candidates target multiple respiratory viruses, addressing the health and societal burden of viral disease.

Learn more at decoytx.com and connect with the Company on X and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding Decoy, including expected achievement of milestones for its lead asset and future prospects of Decoy. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the management of Decoy, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as "may," "will," "can," "should," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "likely," "believe," "estimate," "project," "intend," and other similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: the risk that the Company will not obtain sufficient financing to execute on their business plans and risks related to Decoy's products and development plans, including unanticipated issues with any IND application process and the potential of the IMP³ACT™ platform. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by the Company in its reports filed with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, as revised or supplemented by other documents filed with the SEC. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, Decoy's actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected.

SOURCE Decoy Therapeutics, Inc