Asgard Therapeutics Publishes Landmark Study Inducing Immunogenic TLSs Across Multiple Tumor Types
News related to:Asgard Therapeutics · 2 min read
LUND, Sweden, Nov. 04, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Asgard Therapeutics, a privately held biotech company, has announced significant advancements in cancer immunotherapy with the publication of a landmark study in the journal Immunity. The study highlights the company's ability to generate potent immunogenic tertiary lymphoid structures (imgTLSs) within tumors, a development that could transform cancer treatment approaches.
These include melanoma, colon, bladder, breast, lung, pancreatic, and glioblastoma, both subcutaneous and orthotopic models. This breadth of activity across multiple cancer types, all with different mutational burdens and tumor microenvironments (TMEs), suggests a tumor-agnostic effect.
Filipe Pereira, Co-founder and Head of Innovation at Asgard, emphasized the significance of these findings.
The study showed that reprogramming tumor cells into cDC1-like cells led to dramatic increases in durable complete responses compared to anti-PD1 monotherapy. In murine models of colon and breast cancer, the complete response rate reached 100%. Moreover, the treatment synergized with anti-PD1 in immune checkpoint blockade-resistant models.
Researchers also found a statistically significant positive correlation between the presence of larger imgTLSs and better long-term tumor control. This suggests that imgTLSs could serve as a clinical response biomarker in oncology.
In addition to the study, Asgard Therapeutics will present new data at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) 41st Annual Meeting, taking place from November 4 to 8, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona. The presentation will focus on tumor- and blood-based pharmacodynamic biomarkers of AT-108 activity, supporting their use to monitor treatment responses as the program advances toward clinical development.
The study, a collaboration between Asgard Therapeutics, Lund University, Shanghai Cancer Centre, and the University of Coimbra, can be found at doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2026.10.006. The mechanistic findings reported in Immunity are complemented by preclinical studies with Asgard’s lead candidate, AT-108. Following intratumoral administration, AT-108 induces dose-dependent immune remodeling, characterized by increased cytotoxic and activated T-cell populations, reduced immunosuppressive macrophages, and transcriptional signatures of B-cell and immunoglobulin-associated programs. Importantly, TME remodeling was reflected systemically in the blood, with measurable dose-dependent changes in circulating immune cells and transcriptional signatures, providing accessible pharmacodynamic biomarkers of AT-108 activity.
These findings represent a significant step forward in cancer immunotherapy and could have a transformative impact on the treatment of various cancers.