VST BIO Corporation Announces Series A Financing to Advance VB-001 and Adds William Sessa to Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- VST BIO Corporation ("VST BIO"), a biotechnology company developing stroke therapeutics, announces the closing of its Series A financing, led by Coefficient Giving, a philanthropic funder and advisor that partners with donors on cost-effective, high-impact giving across issues such as global health, science R&D and more. Coefficient Giving funding partners have invested a total of $45MM since the company's inception in 2020. Proceeds from the Series A will enable the company to advance its lead program into first-in-human studies in 2026, expand its platform, and build core development capabilities.

"We are pleased to have completed this financing to support advancement of VB-001 for the benefit of stroke patients," said Krisztina Zsebo Ph.D., CEO and Chairman of the Board of VST BIO. Dr. Zsebo continued, "The positive results of our monoclonal antibody in stroke preclinical studies demonstrated the potential of VB-001 to become an important treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke."

As part of the financing, VST BIO has appointed William Sessa, to its Board of Directors, effective March 3, 2026. Bill most recently has served as SVP and CSO for Internal Medicine at Pfizer until mid-2025, where he was responsible for early-stage discovery to phase 2b programs.  At Pfizer, he started innovative programs targeting the interface of metabolic driven, cardio-renal syndrome and advanced several NCEs into the clinic. He is also Alfred Gilman Emeritus Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine.

"Bill Sessa brings decades of experience in translating vascular therapeutics from basic research to proof-of-concept clinical trials, that will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth," said Michael Simons, co-founder of VST BIO. "His insights in drug development will strengthen our ability to deliver on our mission to stroke patients."

"I am excited to work with VST BIO who is developing a first in class molecule targeting vascular inflammation in stroke patients.  This bold approach, supported by extensive pre-clinical data, has the potential to transform the landscape for patients with this debilitating disease," said Bill Sessa.

About VST BIO Corporation

VST BIO is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on vascular diseases, e.g., developing first-in-class antibodies targeting edema and inflammation for patients with ischemic stroke. The company's lead candidate, VB-001 has demonstrated efficacy in a number of diseases including stroke, sepsis, and has the potential to reduce cytokine release syndrome in a number of clinical settings. VST BIO is headquartered in San Diego, CA.

For more information, please visit www.vst-bio.com

About Coefficient Giving

Coefficient Giving is a philanthropic funder and advisor that works with donors who share its commitment to cost-effective, high-impact giving. Since 2014, it has directed more than $4 billion in grants across more than a dozen cause areas and has conducted in-depth research to identify the areas where philanthropic capital can have the greatest impact. 

Coefficient Giving partners with major philanthropists to support their giving, providing research on cause areas and specific giving opportunities, strategic guidance on how to maximize impact, and operational support. For more information, visit coefficientgiving.org.

Media and Investor Contacts

Rebecque Laba, COO
VST BIO Corporation
(858) 665-2009
[email protected]

SOURCE VST Bio Corporation