Milestone follows FDA clearance of MAIA’s amended investigational new drug (IND) submission highlighting improved manufacturing capabilities and efficiencies 

U.S. expansion is funded by a $2.3 million NIH grant to MAIA to support third-line treatment evaluation

CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. (NYSE:MAIA) ("MAIA", the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer, today announced that the first U.S. patient has been dosed in its Phase 2 THIO-101 trial expansion evaluating its telomere-targeting lead candidate, ateganosine, in third-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The U.S. Phase 2 expansion is funded by a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support third-line treatment evaluation and MAIA has activated 3 sites in the U.S.

MAIA holds FDA Fast Track designation for ateganosine, a dual mechanism therapy designed to break down telomere structure and function in cancer cells while inducing immune activation. Prior data from THIO-101 Parts A and B show overall survival (OS) beyond 24 months in eight patients receiving ateganosine sequenced with a checkpoint inhibitor.