- Updated Phase I data highlight durable, systemic anti-tumor activity with STX-001 in advanced melanoma
- Additional presentation to highlight the design of ASCENT-1, initially evaluating STX-003, Strand’s systemically delivered, programmable IL-12 therapy, as a monotherapy before exploring combination regimens
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Strand Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering programmable mRNA therapeutics, today announced two presentations at the 2026 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting, taking place November 4-8 in Phoenix: an oral presentation featuring updated clinical data from its STX-001 program and a trial-in-progress poster on the design of ASCENT-1, the company’s Phase I trial of its flagship clinical program STX-003.
STX-001: Durable, systemic responses in advanced melanoma
Georgina Long, AO, PhD, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FAHMS, FAA, FASCO, Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), and Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney, will present updated results from the Phase I study of STX-001, Strand’s intratumorally delivered, self-replicating mRNA therapy expressing IL-12. The STX-001 abstract was recognized among the Top 150 highest-scoring abstracts at SITC 2026.
Abstract Title: Durable, Interferon-Associated Systemic Responses with STX-001, an LNP-Encapsulated IL-12-Expressing Self-Replicating mRNA, Used as Monotherapy in Advanced Solid Tumors in a Phase I/II Study
Abstract #: 823
Presentation Type: Oral presentation
Date and Time: Friday, November 6, 2026, 4:55-5:05 pm MT
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, West Building-300 Level, 301BC
STX-003: ASCENT-1 trial design
Trial principal investigator Melissa Johnson, MD, Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Lung Cancer Research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, will present the trial-in-progress poster, which outlines the rationale and design for evaluating STX-003 – a systemically delivered, programmable self-replicating mRNA expressing IL-12 – initially as a monotherapy in patients with solid tumors, with potential subsequent evaluation in combination with pembrolizumab. Dosing of the first patients was announced on October 28, 2026.
Abstract Title: Phase I/II trial of STX-003, a systemically delivered programmable self-replicating mRNA expressing IL-12 ± pembrolizumab in solid tumors
Abstract #: 537
Presentation Type: Poster presentation
Date and Time: Friday, November 6, 2026, Poster Sessions
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, North Building-Lower Level, Exhibition Halls 4-6
Both abstracts will be published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). Full details are available on the SITC website.
About Strand Therapeutics
Strand Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering programmable mRNA therapeutics to realize the full potential of genetic medicines. Strand’s proprietary Signal Stack platform, which includes EverScript circular RNA, AmpliScript self-replicating RNA, SignalPath targeted delivery, and logic-driven SignalLock genetic circuits, provides multiple approaches for controlling therapeutic activity across tissues and cell types to address foundational limits in targeting, durability and safety.
The company is advancing a pipeline focused on oncology and autoimmune disease. Its lead clinical program, STX-003, is a systemically delivered self-replicating mRNA therapy expressing IL-12 and leveraging Strand’s SignalLock circuitry to enable tumor-selective therapeutic activity. Strand is also advancing STX-005, an in vivo CAR-T program designed to combine targeted delivery with controlled, durable and re-dosable CAR expression. Strand’s first clinical program, STX-001, provides preliminary clinical evidence of systemic immune activation and anti-tumor activity from locally expressed IL-12 and helped establish the foundation for STX-003. Founded by MIT synthetic biology pioneers, Strand has raised over $250 million and is headquartered in Boston, MA. Learn more at https://www.strandtx.com, and follow Strand on LinkedIn and X at @strandtx.
Contacts
Media Contact
Thermal for Strand Therapeutics
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