On March 18, 2026 TriSalus Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: TLSI) (the "Company"), an oncology company integrating novel delivery technology with standard of care therapies, and its investigational immunotherapeutic to transform treatment for patients with solid tumors, reported the publication of preclinical research evaluating Pressure-Enabled Drug Delivery (PEDD) of nelitolimod in liver tumor models in Frontiers in Oncology.
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The study evaluated the delivery and biologic activity of nelitolimod, an investigational Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist, when administered using PEDD, compared with conventional delivery approaches. The research examined therapeutic distribution in a porcine liver tumor model and anti-tumor activity in murine liver metastasis models.
Key findings from the study include:
Improved intratumoral delivery: PEDD administration with the TriNav Infusion System resulted in significantly greater distribution of nelitolimod within and around tumors compared with delivery through a conventional microcatheter in an Oncopig model of hepatic tumors
Evidence of enhanced immune activity: Treatment using PEDD was associated with reduced levels of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and increased infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells within the tumor microenvironment.
Reduced tumor growth: In a murine liver metastasis model, nelitolimod delivered using PEDD significantly reduced tumor growth compared with systemic administration at key time points during the study.
Potential impact of delivery on immunotherapy performance: The findings support the concept that improving therapeutic distribution within tumors may influence both immune activation and anti-tumor activity.
"This study highlights the critical role that delivery plays in determining how effectively therapies engage the tumor microenvironment, particularly for immunotherapies designed to activate local immune responses," said Mary Szela, President and Chief Executive Officer of TriSalus Life Sciences. "By combining PEDD-enabled delivery with nelitolimod, we observed improved distribution within tumors along with encouraging signals of immune activation and anti-tumor activity in these preclinical models. Importantly, these findings illustrate the broader potential of PEDD as a delivery platform capable of enhancing the intratumoral delivery of multiple therapeutic modalities while limiting exposure healthy tissue. We believe this approach may help unlock the full potential of immunotherapies and other agents for patients with difficult-to-treat solid tumors, including those in the liver."
For TriSalus Life Sciences, the data reinforces the Company’s strategy of combining PEDD-enabled delivery with locoregional immunotherapy approaches. The TriNav Infusion System is designed to temporarily overcome elevated intratumoral pressure and reopen collapsed microvasculature to promote distribution of therapeutics within tumors and surrounding tissue and increasing the level of the therapeutic in the tumor.
Nelitolimod is being investigated by TriSalus for use as an immunotherapy intended to stimulate immune responses within tumors. This study’s findings support continued investigation of approaches that combine targeted drug delivery with immune activation in solid tumors.
(Press release, TriSalus Life Sciences, MAR 18, 2026, View Source [SID1234663722])