Sellas Life Sciences (SLS) Stock Rallies on Promising Leukemia Data

18 October 2025

Price & Performance: SLS closed around $2.14 on Oct. 17, 2025 ^[1] (52-week range $0.77–$2.29 ^[2]). Market cap is roughly $225–270M, and shares are up about 100% year-to-date. Recent trading has been volatile (for example, Oct.14 saw an unusual 761% surge in SLS call options ^[3]).
Pipeline Updates: Sellas’s lead AML immunotherapy (GPS) continues its Phase 3 REGAL trial (IDMC endorsed continuation; final data due by year-end) ^[4]. Its CDK9 inhibitor SLS009 just showed strong preclinical efficacy in a T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia model: monotherapy and venetoclax-combination arms both significantly extended survival (7.4–7.9 weeks vs. 4.4 weeks) ^[5]. Full SLS009 Phase 2 data in relapsed AML were also positive (44% response rate) ^[6].
Corporate News: The company announced a virtual R&D Day for Oct 29, 2025, to update investors on its AML pipeline (covering the ongoing GPS trial and SLS009 program) ^[7] ^[8]. On Sept. 11, Sellas raised $23.6M via warrant exercises and issued new warrants ^[9]. As of June 30, 2025 Sellas had about $25.3M in cash (plus $4.0M from July warrant exercises) ^[10].
Analyst Outlook: Financial analysts are optimistic on the pipeline. Maxim Group recently upgraded SLS to a “Buy” and raised its 12-month target to $7.00 ^[11]. (MarketBeat notes one Buy rating vs one Sell, for a consensus “Hold” ^[12].) The consensus price target is about $6–7 (roughly 220–240% above current levels) ^[13] ^[14].
Technical Signals: Short interest is high (~18% of float) ^[15], indicating skeptics, but recent technical indicators have turned bullish. For example, SLS stock is well above its 20- and 50-day moving averages (with TipRanks’ moving-average signals rated “Buy”) ^[16]. The stock did jump ~7% premarket on Oct. 16 ahead of the new data presentation, reflecting strong trader interest.

Stock Price and Performance

As of mid-October 2025, Sellas Life Sciences (NASDAQ:SLS) trades around $2.10–2.20. This is near the top of its 52-week range ($0.77 low) and about twice its price at the start of 2025 ^[17] ^[18]. Trading volume and volatility have picked up – for instance, on Oct. 14 a massive spike in call-option activity (761% above average) coincided with bullish sentiment ^[19]. The stock’s YTD gain (~100%) far outpaces many small-cap biotechs. Technical platforms note SLS is in “uptrend” territory: the stock is well above its 20-day EMA ($1.89) and 50-day EMA ($1.81) ^[20], which TipRanks flags as “Buy” signals. Meanwhile, about 18% of shares are sold short ^[21], a high level that could fuel further swings if any surprise news hits.

Pipeline and Clinical Updates

Investors are focused on Sellas’s cancer drug pipeline. The company’s lead asset galinpepimut‑S (GPS) is a WT1-directed immunotherapy in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (REGAL) for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In August 2025 an independent monitoring panel gave the green light to continue REGAL (finding no safety issues) and Sellas expects the final overall survival readout by year-end ^[22] ^[23].

The other major asset, SLS009 (tambiciclib), is a selective CDK9 inhibitor. In Q2 Sellas reported that a Phase 2 trial in relapsed/refractory AML met all endpoints (a 44% response rate in high-risk AML) ^[24] and that the FDA agreed to let Sellas advance SLS009 into a first-line AML study (targeting patients unsuitable for standard therapies). Now, at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference Oct. 17–21, Sellas unveiled preclinical results in a rare leukemia (T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, T-PLL). In a patient-derived mouse model, SLS009 alone or with venetoclax significantly extended survival (7.4–7.9 weeks) compared to venetoclax alone (4.4 weeks) ^[25]. There were no new safety issues, and blood tumor cells were markedly reduced. Sellas CDO Dr. Dragan Cicic called the findings “highly encouraging” and “important preclinical evidence” that CDK9 inhibition could benefit this aggressive leukemia ^[26]. MD Anderson’s Dr. Francisco Vega (lead author) noted the new T-PLL model “closely mirrors” the human disease, accelerating translation of promising therapies like SLS009 ^[27].

In short, Sellas has multiple catalysts: GPS Phase 3 data due soon, positive Phase 2 SLS009 AML results in hand, and now an ESMO poster on SLS009 in another leukemia. Management will discuss these in detail at the Oct. 29 Virtual R&D Day, which is explicitly billed as an “overview of the ongoing Phase 3 REGAL trial of GPS… and an update of SLS009” including the new Phase 2 data and plans for a new AML trial ^[28] ^[29].

Corporate Finance and Operations

Sellas has been bolstering its finances to support these programs. On Sept. 11 the company announced the exercise of existing warrants, raising about $23.6 million in gross proceeds ^[30]. Proceeds like this (plus a small $4.0M warrant exercise in July) have kept cash at roughly $25–30 million into H2 2025 ^[31]. With net burn relatively modest, the cash runway should fund operations through key trial readouts. The Aug. 2025 earnings report also noted Sellas added three oncology experts to its Scientific Advisory Board and that it had been added to the Russell 2000 index (raising visibility) ^[32]. These moves (plus the public financing) signal that the company is actively managing its growth and investor outreach around these milestones.

Analyst Commentary and Outlook

Financial analysts tracking SLS note the pipeline’s promise. In mid-October MarketBeat reported that Maxim Group had upgraded Sellas to a Buy with a $7.00 price target (up from $4.00) ^[33]. Price targets among analysts cluster around $6–7 (MarketBeat’s consensus is ~ $7.00) ^[34] ^[35]. That implies roughly 200–240% upside from current levels. (Note: most coverage is speculative – MarketBeat counts only one “Buy” and one “Sell” analyst, for an overall rating of Hold ^[36] – but the Buy rating is notable.)

Biotech investors on social media have also highlighted the momentum. A Stocktwits report (Oct 16) noted “extremely bullish” retail sentiment as Oct. 18 (ESMO presentation day) approached. Traders hoped for not only the new data but even speculated about M&A interest. Market skeptics like Weiss Ratings remain cautious (Weiss gave SLS a “Sell (D-)” grade on Oct. 8), but Sellas’s management and bulls emphasize the unmet need in AML and the differentiation of their therapies.

In technical terms, the recent breakout and high short-interest create both risk and reward. If SLS can deliver expected trial readouts, the stock could sustain its rally. Conversely, any delay or negative news might trigger volatile swings (as a large short book stands to cover losses). For now, chart indicators are positive: TipRanks shows moving averages signaling “Buy” ^[37], and the stock is above key pivot points.

Outlook

In summary, Sellas’s stock has drawn renewed attention in October 2025 thanks to its active pipeline. The combination of encouraging preclinical data (SLS009), positive early clinical results (AML Phase 2), and upcoming Phase 3 AML data makes SLS one to watch. Analysts’ $7 targets suggest that, if Sellas executes well on its trials, the stock could see triple-digit gains from current levels ^[38] ^[39]. However, investors should also heed the risks: small biotechs can swing wildly around data releases. All eyes will be on the Oct. 18 ESMO presentation and the Oct. 29 R&D Day, as these events will clarify just how promising Sellas’s pipeline really is.

Sources: Sellas Life Sciences press releases and filings ^[40] ^[41] ^[42] ^[43]; news reports (Nasdaq, MarketBeat) ^[44] ^[45] ^[46]; analyst consensus from StockAnalysis/MarketBeat ^[47] ^[48]; technical data from TipRanks ^[49].

Stocks to Buy: SLS SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. 2021 02 02

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Mateusz Kaczmarek Latest posts

A technology and finance expert writing for TS2.tech. He analyzes developments in satellites, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on their impact on global markets. Author of industry reports and market commentary, often cited in tech and business media. Passionate about innovation and the digital economy.

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Sellas Life Sciences (SLS) Stock Rallies on Promising Leukemia Data – Analysts Eye Triple-Digit Upside

Stock Price and Performance

Pipeline and Clinical Updates

Corporate Finance and Operations

Analyst Commentary and Outlook

Outlook

References

Tags:

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