TransCode Therapeutics Initiates Phase 2a Clinical Trial with TTX-MC138 in Patients with ctDNA Positive Colorectal Cancer

BOSTON, May 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNAZ), a clinical stage company pioneering immuno-oncology and RNA for the treatment of high risk and advanced cancer, today announced the initiation of its Phase 2a clinical trial. The study is to evaluate TransCode's lead therapeutic candidate, TTX‑MC138, in patients with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) positive colorectal cancer following curative‑intent therapy. The trial is being conducted in collaboration with Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative (QLHC), sponsor of the PRE‑I‑SPY clinical trial platform. The trial builds on growing clinical and scientific momentum supporting ctDNA‑guided strategies targeting minimal residual disease (MRD) in colorectal cancer.

The Phase 2a clinical trial is expected to enroll up to 45 patients with colorectal cancer who have completed standard curative-intent therapy and have no radiographic evidence of disease, but remain or become ctDNA-positive, indicating the presence of minimal residual disease.

Principal investigators are Dr. Emil Lou of the University of Minnesota and Dr. Zhaohui Jin of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. The trial is chaired by Dr. Paula Pohlmann of the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The trial leverages clinical sites currently participating and actively recruiting in QLHC's PRE‑I‑SPY platform trial. Several of those clinical sites are part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Those centers have considerable expertise and are at the forefront defining standard-of-care practices for the treatment of cancer.

It is anticipated that the trial will produce new data about the importance of ctDNA testing and the role of TTX-MC138 in reducing the risk of cancer recurrence in this at-risk patient population. The trial has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and received Institutional Review Board approval, enabling site activation and commencement of patient enrollment.

This clinical trial aims to evaluate the biological and clinical activity of TTX-MC138 in the minimal residual disease setting where therapeutic intervention may have the greatest opportunity to improve long-term outcomes. ctDNA testing is becoming increasingly important in oncology, particularly in colorectal cancer, because it provides a highly sensitive, real-time measure of residual disease and information about tumor biology that traditional methods often fail to detect. This approach has recently been successfully employed in the treatment of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

"TTX-MC138's safety profile, coupled with the durability of its anti-tumor effects, observed in TransCode's Phase 1a clinical trial is particularly encouraging. These findings are consistent with the drug's mechanism of action and provide a basis for a more rigorous efficacy evaluation. This positions TransCode and its collaborators to potentially intervene earlier in a patient's disease, and may in the future offer a new therapeutic option for patients at risk of developing metastatic disease" noted Daniel Vlock, MD, TransCode's Consulting Clinician.

About TTX-MC138

TTX-MC138 is a first-in-class therapeutic candidate designed to inhibit microRNA-10b, or miR-10b, a microRNA widely believed to be critical to the emergence and progression of many metastatic cancers. TransCode's Phase 1a first-in-human clinical trial achieved its primary safety endpoint and established a recommended Phase 2 dose, as announced at ESMO 2025.

About TransCode Therapeutics 

TransCode Therapeutics is a clinical stage company pioneering immuno-oncology and RNA therapeutic treatments for high risk and advanced cancers. The company's lead therapeutic candidate, TTX-MC138, is focused on treating metastatic tumors that overexpress microRNA-10b, a unique, well-documented biomarker of metastasis. In addition, TransCode has a portfolio of other first-in-class therapeutic candidates designed to mobilize the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. For more information, visit www.transcodetherapeutics.com.

About the I-SPY TRIALs

The I-SPY ("Investigation of Serial studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular analysis") Trials were designed to rapidly screen promising experimental treatments and identify those most effective for biologically defined patient subgroups. The trials represent a unique collaboration among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, industry partners, patient advocates, philanthropic sponsors, and clinicians across leading U.S. cancer research centers. Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative is the trial sponsor and oversees all operational, regulatory, and data-integration activities. The PRE-ISPY platform extends I-SPY into early feasibility testing to accelerate biologically targeted therapies into the curative setting. For more information, visit www.ispytrials.org.

About Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative

Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by UCSF researchers and Silicon Valley innovators. Its mission is to integrate clinical care with research, advance high-impact platform trials, and improve patient outcomes through adaptive learning systems, enhanced data infrastructure, and widespread trial accessibility. Quantum Leap sponsors and manages the I-SPY Trial programs. For additional information, visit www.quantumleaphealth.org.

Forward-Looking Statements 

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements concerning the timing, conduct and results of TransCode's collaborations, TransCode's Phase 1a clinical trial, and TransCode's planned Phase 2a clinical trial, statements about microRNAs and their involvement in cancer, and statements concerning the therapeutic potential of TransCode's TTX-MC138 and other therapeutic candidates. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with drug discovery and development; the risk that the results of clinical trials will not be consistent with TransCode's preclinical studies or expectations or with results from previous clinical trials; risks associated with the conduct of clinical trials; risks associated with TransCode's financial condition and its need to obtain additional funding to support its business activities, including TransCode's ability to continue as a going concern; risks associated with the timing and outcome of TransCode's planned regulatory submissions; risks associated with obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual property; risks associated with TransCode's ability to enforce its patents against infringers and defend its patent portfolio against challenges from third parties; risks of competition from other companies developing products for similar uses; risks associated with TransCode's dependence on third parties; and risks associated with geopolitical events and pandemics, including the COVID-19 coronavirus and military actions. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause TransCode's actual results to differ from those contained in or implied by the forward-looking statements, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in TransCode's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors in any subsequent TransCode filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of this release; TransCode undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law. 

SOURCE TransCode Therapeutics, Inc.