Nkarta Starts Outpatient NKX019 Dosing in Community Sites

The Tip Desk · October 17, 2026 · 3 min read

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and investments were $243.2 million as of June 30, 2026; the company said current cash and cash equivalents are expected to fund its current operating plan into 2029.

Nkarta, Inc. (NKTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered natural killer cell therapies for autoimmune diseases, said it has begun administering NKX019 through an expanding network of community-based sites after reaching an agreement with the FDA on outpatient dosing.

Enrollment continues across all indications in Ntrust-1 and Ntrust-2 at the 4 billion cell dose level, or 12 billion cells in a three-dose cycle. Initial clinical data from both trials are expected to be presented at a medical conference in 2026.

Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Hastings said expanding access to NKX019 in the communities where autoimmune patients already receive care is central to how the company is advancing the program. He said re-dosing is available, if needed, to patients in both trials.

In early April, Nkarta said it reached agreement with the FDA to amend its protocol to allow outpatient dosing in community settings. Outpatient dosing is now underway within that network, broadening patient access beyond those who can travel to academic medical centers.

Ntrust-1 and Ntrust-2 are multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation trials evaluating NKX019 in systemic sclerosis, idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, ANCA-associated vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus nephritis, and primary membranous nephropathy. The trials are enrolling up to 12 patients per dose level per disease indication. Patients receive a three-dose cycle of NKX019 on Days 0, 3, and 7 following lymphodepletion. No patients in either trial will receive supplemental cytokines or antibody-based therapeutics.

Research and development expenses were $29.0 million for the second quarter of 2026, up from $25.0 million in the first quarter. General and administrative expenses were $14.1 million. Non-cash stock-based compensation included in R&D was $0.7 million and in G&A was $1.1 million.

Net loss was $40.4 million, or $0.54 a share, for the second quarter of 2026, compared with $27.8 million, or $0.37 a share, in the first quarter. The second-quarter net loss included $11.8 million of non-cash charges, consisting primarily of share-based compensation of $1.9 million, depreciation of $2.7 million, and impairment of right-of-use assets, leasehold improvements, and other equipment of $8.0 million. The first-quarter net loss included $3.4 million of non-cash charges.

Interest income was $2.5 million in the three months ended June 30, 2026, down from $3.97 million in the year-ago quarter. Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share were 74,494,855.

Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and investments in marketable securities were $243.2 million as of June 30, 2026, down from $266.7 million as of March 31, 2026. Total assets were $337.6 million. Property and equipment, net, were $56.8 million. Operating lease right-of-use assets were $30.9 million. Total liabilities were $89.9 million, including $73.5 million of operating lease liabilities. Stockholders’ equity was $247.7 million.

Nkarta expects its current cash and cash equivalents to fund its current operating plan into 2029. It remains focused on enrollment in the Ntrust programs and on presenting the initial clinical dataset later in 2026.