90.5% interim disease control rate (DCR) observed with combination therapy
Initial Part C efficacy observations align with previously reported THIO-101 clinical activity despite a more heavily pre-treated patient population
CHICAGO, July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. (NYSE American: MAIA) (“MAIA”, the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer, today announced positive initial efficacy data from its Phase 2 THIO-101 clinical trial expansion, Part C, evaluating its lead candidate, ateganosine, a dual mechanism of action drug incorporating telomere targeting and immunogenicity, as a third-line (3L) therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Initial data from the THIO-101 Part C 3L studies1 show a disease control rate (DCR) of 90.5% (19 out of 21 patients) in the efficacy evaluable population who had at least one tumor scan after starting treatment. Patients are treated with ateganosine followed by cemiplimab (Libtayo®) in cycles of 21 days. Current chemotherapy treatments deliver an approximate 25-35% disease control rate.2
“The initial efficacy data from the Part C studies are consistent with the encouraging efficacy signals we previously reported for Parts A and B of THIO-101, including an 88% disease control rate in third-line NSCLC patients. This measure of efficacy is close to triple the reported outcome for standard-of-care chemotherapy treatment,” said Vlad Vitoc, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAIA Biotechnology. “Importantly, patients enrolled in Part C of our trial represent a more heavily pre-treated population, with all patients having previously received docetaxel in addition to demonstrating resistance to both immunotherapy and other chemotherapies.”
MAIA recently announced that it has completed international enrollment in Part C of the Phase 2 THIO-101 expansion trial. Treatment with ateganosine followed by cemiplimab has shown an acceptable safety profile to date in a heavily pre-treated population.
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 THIO-101 Phase 2 Clinical Trial
THIO-101 is a multicenter, open-label, dose finding Phase 2 clinical trial. It is the first trial designed to evaluate ateganosine’s anti-tumor activity when followed by PD-(L)1 inhibition. The trial is testing the hypothesis that low doses of ateganosine administered prior to cemiplimab (Libtayo®) will enhance and prolong immune response in patients with advanced NSCLC who previously did not respond or developed resistance and progressed after first-line treatment regimen containing another checkpoint inhibitor. The trial design has two primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ateganosine administered as an anticancer compound and a priming immune activator (2) to assess the clinical efficacy of ateganosine using Overall Response Rate (ORR) as the primary clinical endpoint. The expansion of the study will assess overall response rates (ORR) in advanced NSCLC patients receiving third line (3L) therapy who were resistant to previous checkpoint inhibitor treatments (CPI) and chemotherapy. Treatment with ateganosine followed by cemiplimab (Libtayo®) has shown an acceptable safety profile to date in a heavily pre-treated population. For more information on this Phase II trial, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov using the identifier NCT05208944.
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. For more information, please visit www.maiabiotech.com.
Forward Looking Statements
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1 As of July 06, 2026
2 Matsumoto H, et al. Transl Lung Cancer Res 2021;10:2278–89