ASCO 2026 Preview: 10 Tickers to Watch

ASCO is one of the most consequential weeks of the year for biotech investors. A single abstract, oral presentation, or late-breaking dataset can change how a program is valued, how a regulator views the path ahead, and how much partner interest a company can attract. That is especially true in oncology, where a handful of presentations often ends up shaping the next several quarters of the market story.

Using BioPharmSignal’s livefeed and watchlist workflow, we pulled together companies on the ASCO 2026 calendar where the conference could act as a real inflection point. The list below mixes pivotal Phase 3 readouts, late-stage regulatory setups, high-volatility microcaps, and companies where one presentation could set the tone for the rest of 2026. If you want to keep up with the event as headlines land, add the most relevant tickers and keywords to your BioPharmSignal livefeed so the follow-up flow stays in one place.

Why this group stands out

This is not a random oncology watchlist. The names below cluster around a few especially important patterns:

- Programs that could reset how a biomarker-defined disease is treated in the first line

- Combination studies that may show whether an existing backbone can be pushed into tougher patient groups

- Earlier-stage or adjuvant settings where a successful dataset could broaden a drug’s role well beyond its current use

That mix is what makes the meeting so useful for investors and biotech teams. Some readouts may move a stock immediately. Others may matter because they change how the field thinks about a target, a subtype, or a treatment sequence.

1. $IDYA (IDEAYA Biosciences)

IDEAYA Biosciences is coming into ASCO with one of the most closely watched late-stage datasets in uveal melanoma. On June 1, the company is scheduled to present late-breaking pivotal OptimUM-02 Phase 2/3 data for darovasertib + crizotinib in metastatic uveal melanoma during an oral session. The study has already cleared its primary PFS endpoint (n=435), and the program is moving through FDA RTOR review with filing completion targeted for H2 2026.

**Why it matters:** This is the kind of dataset that can move a program from promising to practice-changing. If the efficacy and durability story continues to hold, darovasertib + crizotinib could become the first broadly usable systemic option in uveal melanoma. Because IDEAYA still has so much of its valuation tied to this lead asset (cap ~$2.6B), the ASCO presentation has the potential to affect both regulatory confidence and the stock’s longer-term setup.

2. $KPTI (Karyopharm Therapeutics)

Karyopharm Therapeutics will use ASCO to show pivotal SENTRY Phase 3 data for selinexor + ruxolitinib in first-line myelofibrosis. The presentation is set for an oral session on June 2, and the company has already said FDA sNDA engagement is planned.

**Why it matters:** This is a classic high-beta small-cap setup. Karyopharm is still a heavily shorted oncology name, with short interest near 35% of float and a market cap of roughly $200M, while also carrying a commercial XPO1 product. If SENTRY lands well, it could reopen the story around a new label path, change the market’s perception of the company, and trigger an outsized move simply because the stock is positioned so tightly.

3. $RVMD (Revolution Medicines)

Revolution Medicines may have the most important single presentation of the meeting. On May 31, the company is due to present plenary data for daraxonrasib (RMC-6236) in frontline pancreatic cancer (RASolute 302). The topline is already known to be positive, with both PFS and OS met, and the program carries Breakthrough Therapy designation and a CNPV. An NDA is planned for H2 2026.

**Why it matters:** The headline has already been set, but investors still want to know how strong the result really is. The size of the OS effect, the durability of benefit, and the combination details are all likely to matter. Since Revolution Medicines is closely tied to the larger RAS(ON) platform thesis, the plenary readout could shape sentiment well beyond this single study.

4. $COGT (Cogent Biosciences)

Cogent Biosciences is bringing full pivotal PEAK data to ASCO, with bezuclastinib + sunitinib in second-line GIST scheduled for an oral presentation on May 30. The study has already reported a 16.5-month median PFS and a 46% ORR. On the regulatory side, the NDA is under RTOR review, and the PDUFA date is November 30, 2026.

**Why it matters:** This is more than a conference update; it is part of the launch-de-risking sequence for a commercial asset. Investors will look for consistency across efficacy and tolerability, and they will also compare the program with other KIT-driven tumor approaches. If the data hold up, ASCO could strengthen confidence in the launch path while also supporting the company’s broader mastocytosis franchise.

5. $BDTX (Black Diamond Therapeutics)

Black Diamond Therapeutics is set to present oral Phase 2 data for silevertinib (BDTX-1535) in frontline non-classical EGFR-mutant NSCLC on May 30. The readout has already drawn interest because the company has shown a 15.2-month median PFS and strong CNS activity, with a 86% CNS ORR. Full duration-of-response and additional PFS detail are expected at the meeting.

**Why it matters:** For a company with a market cap of roughly $130M and a story centered mainly on one asset, this type of dataset can matter a lot. The CNS angle is especially important in EGFR lung cancer, where penetration into the brain can be a major differentiator. If the broader efficacy picture looks durable, investor confidence could shift quickly.

6. $IMRX (Immuneering)

Immuneering will present updated Phase 2a data for atebimetinib (IMM-1-104) in frontline pancreatic cancer during an oral session on June 1. The update expands the dataset to the full N=55 population after an earlier interim readout that showed a 17.3-month median OS.

**Why it matters:** Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest settings in oncology, which is why the earlier survival signal caught so much attention. The key question now is whether that signal remains intact as the sample size grows. For a micro cap of roughly $345M built around this lead program, confirmation at ASCO could significantly increase the asset’s visibility.

7. $IMNM (Immunome)

Immunome is presenting registration-enabling RINGSIDE Phase 3 data for varegacestat in desmoid tumors in an oral session on May 30. The trial has already met both its primary and key secondary endpoints, with a reported hazard ratio of 0.16 and a 56% ORR.

**Why it matters:** Those numbers already point to a potentially differentiated profile. ASCO will let investors see the fuller shape of the dataset before filing discussions move ahead. Because varegacestat is one of the company’s biggest value drivers (cap ~$2.5B), the way the market interprets this presentation could matter as much as the headline result itself.

8. $AGEN (Agenus)

Agenus will show updated botensilimab + balstilimab data in anti-PD-1 refractory cutaneous melanoma (C-800-23) as a poster on May 31. The update includes a reported 16.6-month median OS, keeping the franchise in focus at a meeting that tends to reward clear efficacy signals.

**Why it matters:** Agenus is still a micro cap, roughly $140M, so the market remains highly sensitive to any evidence that the botensilimab franchise can support a broader immuno-oncology story. Investors will be watching durability in survival and whether the data can extend beyond melanoma into a more generalizable profile.

9. $CRDF (Cardiff Oncology)

Cardiff Oncology is bringing updated CRDF-004 Phase 2 data for onvansertib combined with chemotherapy and bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer on June 2. The company will also host an investor webcast on June 3. It has already completed its FDA End-of-Phase-2 meeting, and the details of Phase 3 are expected in mid-2026.

**Why it matters:** That timing makes ASCO a key setup event rather than just a data update. Investors are likely to treat this presentation as a checkpoint on whether the pivotal path is getting clearer. For a micro cap near $124M, any improvement in the efficacy trend can have a big effect on confidence in the next phase of development.

10. $AAPG (Ascentage Pharma)

Ascentage Pharma comes into ASCO with three olverembatinib (HQP1351) presentations spanning leukemia and GIST: second-line CML-CP showing 91.3% CCyR and 60.9% MMR at cycle 24 (rapid oral, May 30), a Ph+ ALL POLARIS-1 update (May 30), and SDH-deficient GIST data showing 23.1% PR and 25.7-month PFS (poster, June 1).

**Why it matters:** Unlike many smaller oncology companies that are tied to one headline readout, Ascentage is arriving with multiple data shots on goal. The hematology efficacy numbers are already strong, and the company’s cash position exceeds its market cap (roughly $2.5B versus $2.0B), which gives the meeting a more asymmetric feel than many peers with similar market values.

Quick company map

If you want to move from the trial list into company-level follow-up, these are the public names most directly tied to the meeting:

- IDEAYA Biosciences: darovasertib + crizotinib

- Karyopharm Therapeutics: selinexor + ruxolitinib

- Revolution Medicines: daraxonrasib (RMC-6236)

- Cogent Biosciences: bezuclastinib + sunitinib

- Black Diamond Therapeutics: silevertinib (BDTX-1535)

- Immuneering: atebimetinib (IMM-1-104)

- Immunome: varegacestat

- Agenus: botensilimab + balstilimab

- Cardiff Oncology: onvansertib

- Ascentage Pharma: olverembatinib (HQP1351)

The 10 names above are a curated slice of the ASCO 2026 calendar. BioPharmSignal tracks upcoming readouts, PDUFA dates, and major medical conferences across biopharma in one place, updated daily, so you can spot the next move before it moves.