In this episode of Beyond Biotech,  Vlad Vitoc, CEO and chairman of MAIA Biotechnology discuss about a promising new approach in cancer treatment: targeting telomerase, an enzyme that plays a crucial role in cancer cell immortality. The discussion explores how MAIA’s investigational drug THIO may offer a new way to treat cancers that resist conventional therapies.

Key Points:

MAIA Biotechnology is advancing a novel telomerase-targeting drug, THIO, which disrupts cancer cell immortality and enhances immune response. This dual-action therapy shows early promise in trials and could reshape the future of cancer treatment.

•  Telomerase as a Universal Cancer Target: Telomerase is reactivated in 85–90% of cancers, helping malignant cells maintain their ability to divide indefinitely. MAIA aims to exploit this by designing treatments that selectively target telomerase-expressing cells.
• THIO- A First-in-Class Telomerase-Targeting Drug: THIO (6-thio-dG) is a telomere-targeting nucleoside analog that incorporates into telomeres of cancer cells, disrupting telomerase activity and inducing rapid cancer cell death — without harming normal cells.
• THIO + Immunotherapy- A Synergistic Strategy: THIO not only kills cancer cells but also exposes them to the immune system, making tumours more vulnerable to checkpoint inhibitors like PD-1 blockers — offering a potential two-pronged treatment approach.
• Encouraging Clinical Trial Results: Early-stage trials (Phase II) show promising anti-tumour activity and tolerability of THIO in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in those who failed prior immunotherapy.
• A Paradigm Shift in Cancer Care: Vitoc argues that telomerase-targeting therapies could represent a fundamental shift in oncology — focusing on a hallmark of cancer rather than organ-specific mutations, opening the door to broader treatment applications.