On February 23, 2026 TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNAZ), a clinical stage company pioneering immuno-oncology and RNA therapeutics for the treatment of high risk and advanced cancers, reported the publication of a manuscript titled Template-Directed RIG-I Agonist Assembly for Image-guided Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy in the journal Molecular Imaging and Biology. The paper, published February 19, 2026, reports on a novel tumor-selective immunotherapy approach that activates innate immune signaling specifically within cancer cells while enabling non-invasive imaging of drug delivery. The study was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Anna Moore, Professor, Director of the Precision Health Program, and Associate Dean for Research Development at the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University and scientific co-founder of TransCode.
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The data describe a template-driven RIG-I agonist strategy to selectively activate retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) signaling inside tumor cells by leveraging overexpressed oncogenic microRNAs, such as miRNA-21, as intracellular assembly templates. This approach directly addresses longstanding challenges associated with RIG-I agonists, including off-target immune activation and inefficient systemic delivery.
"Our findings demonstrate a novel approach to precisely engage innate immune pathways directly within tumor cells, while minimizing systemic toxicity," said Zdravka Medarova, Ph.D., CSO of TransCode. "We believe that combining tumor-specific RNA templating with our TTX nanoparticle delivery platform brings RIG-I-based immunotherapy closer to clinical relevance." TransCode’s TTX delivery platform is currently being evaluated in clinical trials, underscoring the translational feasibility of this immunotherapy approach.
Molecular Imaging and Biology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official publication of the World Molecular Imaging Society, focused on translational research in molecular imaging and image-guided therapies with clinical and commercial relevance.
(Press release, TransCode Therapeutics, FEB 23, 2026, View Source [SID1234662875])