CERo Therapeutics Announces Biotech Industry Veteran Eric Francois to Join its Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:CERO) ("CERo" or the "Company"), an innovative cellular immunotherapy company pursuing new targets and novel phagocytic mechanism, announces the appointment of Eric Francois to the Company's Board of Directors.

"Eric's decades of financial, transactional and operational experience will make an immediate impact to CERo's board of directors," said Chris Ehrlich, Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Furthermore, his expertise in capital raising, M&A, and business development will be an impactful addition at this stage of our development."

Mr. Francois is an executive with over 25 years of professional experience in the life science industry. For 18 years he served as a senior banker with Raymond James, Credit Suisse, Lazard, and Cowen, where he provided board-level financial advice on numerous transactions.  Formerly, he served as Chief Financial Officer of SCYNEXIS (NASDAQ:SCYX), a publicly traded anti-invectives company, where he was responsible for raising over $300M through equity, debt and non-dilutive sources.  He also was an independent director at CervoMed Inc. (formerly known as Diffusion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) (NASDAQ:CRVO), where he coordinated efforts to merge with EIP Pharma, Inc . Eric earned his M.A in business and marketing from The Sorbonne University, where he also earned his B.A. degree in economics and business administration. 

"CERo Therapeutics has developed a unique approach to the immunotherapy of cancer, as has been demonstrated across its preclinical work and also in the currently underway human clinical trial," said Mr. Francois.  "I'm looking forward to collaborating closely with the board and management team to help advance the Company's strategy for all stakeholders, including patients, practitioners and stockholders."

About CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.

CERo is an innovative immunotherapy company advancing the development of next generation engineered T cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Its proprietary approach to T cell engineering integrates key functional attributes of both innate and adaptive immunity within a single therapeutic construct, designed to engage the body's immune repertoire for more comprehensive tumor targeting. This novel cellular immunotherapy platform is designed to redirect patient-derived T cells toward tumor cells through both adaptive perforin/granzyme pathways and innate engulfment mechanisms, including targeting of the TIM-4 ligand. This employs phagocytic activity to destroy cancer cells, creating what CERo refers to as Chimeric Engulfment Receptor T cells ("CER-T"). CERo believes the differentiated targeting properties of CER-T cells may offer advantages compared with currently approved CAR-T therapies and could potentially extend the reach of cellular immunotherapy to both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. CERo has initiated clinical trials for its lead product candidate, CER-1236, for hematologic malignancies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations of CERo. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this communication, words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "strive," "would" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. When CERo discusses its strategies or plans, it is making projections, forecasts or forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs of, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to, CERo's management.

Actual results could differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this communication. Certain risks that could cause actual results to differ are set forth in CERo's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the documents incorporated by reference therein. The risks described in CERo's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can CERo assess the impact of all such risk factors on its business, or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements made by CERo or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. CERo undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact:

Chris Ehrlich

Chief Executive Officer

chris@cero.bio

Investors:

CORE IR

investors@cero.bio