Thursday, October 1, 2026

MAIA Biotechnology Reports Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Trial Progress in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

 

Source:  MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. 

Strong pace of patient enrollment supports continued advancement toward regulatory milestones

Most recent assessment of novel telomere targeting agent sequenced with a checkpoint inhibitor showed 90.5% disease control rate (DCR) in heavily pretreated NSCLC

MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. (NYSE American: MAIA) (“MAIA”, the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer, today announced that enrollment has reached 65 patients in its ongoing pivotal Phase 3 trial, THIO-104, evaluating its novel telomere-targeting therapy as a third-line (3L) treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The THIO-104 trial currently has 38 trial sites activated in 6 foreign countries (Taiwan, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Poland and Hungary).

“Reaching 65 randomized patients marks an important milestone in our Phase 3 trial. With additional clinical sites expected to begin enrolling patients, we remain on track to achieve our goal of more than 100 randomized patients by year-end,” said Vlad Vitoc, M.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAIA. “As we’ve stated previously, statistical assessments of the Phase 3 trial point to a very high probability of technical success for regulatory approval of ateganosine.1 We believe third-line NSCLC is an excellent market entry segment due to the substantial unmet medical need in this large immunotherapy-resistant and chemotherapy-resistant population. No current standard of care exists in this NSCLC treatment setting and competition for clinical trial patients is limited.”

In its most recent assessment, ateganosine sequenced with a checkpoint inhibitor showed 90.5% interim disease control rate (DCR) in heavily pretreated 3L NSCLC in MAIA’s ongoing phase 2 THIO-101 clinical trial. This measure contrasts with reported 25%–35% DCRs for standard third-line chemotherapy regimens.

In July 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for ateganosine for the treatment of NSCLC. This designation allows for more frequent FDA communication, potential rolling review, and eligibility for Accelerated Approval and Priority Review. If approved, ateganosine will hold FDA New Chemical Entity (NCE) five-year marketing exclusivity. An NCE is a small molecule drug with a novel active ingredient that hasn’t been previously approved or marketed.

About Ateganosine

Ateganosine (THIO, 6-thio-dG or 6-thio-2’-deoxyguanosine) is a first-in-class investigational telomere-targeting agent currently in clinical development to evaluate its activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Telomeres, along with the enzyme telomerase, play a fundamental role in the survival of cancer cells and their resistance to current therapies. The modified nucleotide 6-thio-2’-deoxyguanosine induces telomerase-dependent telomeric DNA modification, DNA damage responses, and selective cancer cell death. Ateganosine-damaged telomeric fragments accumulate in cytosolic micronuclei and activates both innate (cGAS/STING) and adaptive (T-cell) immune responses. The sequential treatment of ateganosine followed by PD-(L)1 inhibitors resulted in profound and persistent tumor regression in advanced, in vivo cancer models by induction of cancer type–specific immune memory. Ateganosine is presently developed as a second or later line of treatment for NSCLC for patients that have progressed beyond the standard-of-care regimen of existing checkpoint inhibitors.

About MAIA Biotechnology, Inc.

MAIA is a targeted therapy, immuno-oncology company focused on the development and commercialization of potential first-in-class drugs with novel mechanisms of action that are intended to meaningfully improve and extend the lives of people with cancer. Our lead program is ateganosine (THIO), a potential first-in-class cancer telomere targeting agent in clinical development for the treatment of NSCLC patients with telomerase-positive cancer cells.

 

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