19 GHP Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards 2026 Historically, direct tumor injection has been a difficult treatment model because many tumors – including sarcomas, breast, and pancreatic cancers – are dense, pressurized, and contain high fat content. This makes it challenging for traditional water-based drugs to disperse or be absorbed effectively. Intensity Therapeutics’ lead investigational therapy, INT2306, is built on a proprietary chemistry platform that enables anti-cancer agents to become soluble in both fat and water simultaneously. By combining cisplatin and vinblastine – two potent anticancer agents given intravenously – with a diffusion and cell-penetration enhancer molecule, the therapy achieves broad dispersion throughout the tumor and drives the agents into cancer cells following intratumoral injection. “This localized approach allows us to kill tumor cells directly while largely avoiding systemic exposure, reducing side effects,” Lew explained. “Importantly, as tumors are destroyed, the immune system can begin to recognize the dying cancer cells as non-self. This identication process leads to a systemic response, for which our data suggest a targeting of both injected and non-injected tumors. The overall effect of this new, precisely delivered, local medicine is the potential for a longer life with a favorable safety profile.” Ultimately, Intensity Therapeutics’ work focuses on patients with solid tumors, including metastatic and presurgical settings, with the goal of delivering more effective and durable cancer treatments. Treating tumors directly can preserve the quality of life for patients who are forced to undergo therapy, reinforcing Intensity Therapeutics’ focus on concentrating therapy at the tumor site to reduce systemic exposure and its associated complications. This is a revolutionary approach to cancer treatment, in a landscape where therapies such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy expose the entire body to toxicity. This full-body exposure often leaves patients with lasting side effects, even when their treatment is effective. Intensity Therapeutics’ work represents a meaningful shift from traditional cancer treatment approaches, introducing a methodology that can significantly improve patient quality of life whilst potentially reducing overall healthcare costs. “We believe patients deserve better,” said Lew. “It’s not just about tumor response, but about helping patients live longer, healthier lives with fewer long-term consequences. By challenging traditional approaches and focusing on localized treatments that can still cause an anti-cancer attack throughout the body, we aim to deliver therapies that align more For decades, treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy have been unreliable intheirefficacyandtypicallyusecompoundsthatimpacttheentirebody.Thesetreatments often come with significant, sometimes permanent side effects, causing many patients to develop a fear of the treatment that is as strong as their fear of the disease itself. Intensity Therapeutics is advancing a novel precision-targeted approach, demonstrating that tumors can be treated in such a way that drives meaningful destruction and activates a systemic immune response, while also minimizing the toxicity associated with cancer therapy. We heard more from President and CEO Lew Bender below. Cancer Treatment Technology Innovator of the Year 2026 – USA closely with what patients truly need, providing effective cancer care with much less harm.” Intensity Therapeutics’ mission is driven by the clinical signals it has already seen to date. In advanced, treatmentresistant cancers, including in patients with no remaining options, the company has observed meaningful tumor regression and durable disease control. Notably, a subset of end-stage patients treated with INT230-6 alone demonstrated survival outcomes that exceed typical expectations. These results suggest that INT230-6 has the potential to redefine how aggressive solid tumors are treated, offering a targeted, effective, and patient-friendly alternative. Building on the progress it has made, Intensity Therapeutics’ focus for the remainder of 2026 is on advancing INT230-6 through late-stage clinical development whilst continuing to generate the data needed to bring this therapy to patients as quickly as possible. The team has already seen encouraging results across multiple studies, even in heavily pretreated, end-stage patients. Now, the most important milestones ahead are data readouts from the ongoing Phase 3 INVINCIBLE-3 trial in soft tissue sarcoma and the Phase 2 INVINCIBLE-4 study in presurgical triple-negative breast cancer. Reflecting on the significant results Intensity Therapeutics has achieved, Lew shared: “Our most significant breakthrough is demonstrating that we can directly treat tumors in a way that not only drives meaningful tumor destruction but also activates a systemic immune response while minimizing the toxicity typically associated with cancer therapy.” He continued: “These ongoing studies are designed to further validate both the efficacy and safety of our approach, and we’re particularly encouraged by early signals showing tumor shrinkage, significant tumor necrosis, and improved tolerability compared to standard of care. Looking ahead, our goal is to expand this intratumoral delivery approach across additional tumor types, continuing to build a pipeline that can redefine how solid tumors are treated.” Contact: Lew Bender Company: Intensity Therapeutics Web Address: www.intensitytherapeutics.com
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