MAIA Biotechnology has activated a new US site, the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and opened patient enrolment for the Phase II THIO-101 expansion trial.

The study aims to evaluate the telomere-targeting agent, ateganosine, as a third-line therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

This makes Winship the third participating US clinical site in the ongoing multi-centre study of the Phase II trial.

Emory University School of Medicine haematology and medical oncology department professor Ticiana Leal is serving as the principal investigator for the trial.

The open-label, dose-finding, multi-centre trial is investigating ateganosine followed by cemiplimab in NSCLC patients who have shown resistance to checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy.

Parts A and B demonstrated early efficacy, with some patients exceeding two years of survival, leading to the US expansion of the trial.

Ateganosine (THIO, 6-thio-dG or 6-thio-2’-deoxyguanosine) is a first-in-class, investigational agent undergoing clinical development for NSCLC.

The study is assessing ateganosine’s safety, tolerability, and efficacy, using overall response rate as the primary endpoint in advanced NSCLC patients who are resistant to prior therapies.

MAIA Biotechnology clinical operations director Matthew Failor said: “Winship is Georgia's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and is recognised at the forefront of cancer innovation and discovery nationwide.

“Winship offers a renowned thoracic oncology clinical research programme with a proven track record in clinical trial development and conduct. With its premier medical team and extensive body of research, this cancer centre is well-suited for our US Phase II trial of ateganosine.”

In July 2025, MAIA Biotechnology dosed the first subject in Taiwan in the expansion phase of its multi-centre THIO-101 Phase II trial, aimed at treating advanced NSCLC.