Sapience Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology biotech advancing lucicebtide (ST101), a first-in-class peptide antagonist of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ). C/EBPβ is a transcription factor that drives tumor aggressiveness, mesenchymal cell transition, immune evasion, and stemness — and is upregulated across glioblastoma, melanoma, and metastatic solid tumors. Lucicebtide blocks C/EBPβ-dependent transcriptional programs and crosses the blood-brain barrier with confirmed tumor uptake and target engagement.
The May 2026 ASCO 2026 Phase 2 Window-of-Opportunity study update (n=9 evaluable, April 27 data cutoff) produced a projected median progression-free survival of 28.4 months in newly diagnosed glioblastoma plus standard-of-care chemoradiation — meaningfully exceeding the 4.0-6.9 month historic benchmark range. Six of nine patients remain alive past 22.3 months against a historical median OS range of 14.6-17.0 months. The full 125-patient program covers both recurrent GBM monotherapy and ndGBM combination cohorts. The Monday June 1 poster session at ASCO 2026 Chicago delivers the full data presentation.
Stories here cover lucicebtide trial readouts, the broader Sapience peptide pipeline, and the GBM peptide-therapeutic landscape. See #lucicebtide, #glioblastoma, and #asco-2026 for adjacent threads.
At ASCO 2026, Sapience Therapeutics presented updated Phase 2 data for lucicebtide (ST101), a first-in-class peptide antagonist of the transcription factor C/EBPβ, now studied in 125 patients. In newly diagnosed glioblastoma plus standard of care, projected median PFS reached 28.4 months and median OS was not yet reached, with 6 of 9 patients alive beyond 22.3 months. Spatial transcriptomics confirmed on-target activity through negative enrichment of the C/EBPβ regulon and suppression of mesenchymal transformation, with no dose-limiting toxicities or related serious adverse events.
The ASCO 2026 Annual Meeting opens tomorrow Friday May 29 at McCormick Place Chicago, running through June 2. The peptide-and-targeted-conjugate oncology slate that landed in the May 21 abstract release and the May 26 embargoed press briefing: Bicycle Therapeutics Duravelo-2 Phase 2 (zelenectide pevedotin 65% ORR / 58% BICR-confirmed in 1L urothelial, oral June 1 8:30 AM); Avacta AVA6000 FAP-Dox Phase 1a/1b in salivary gland (90% disease control); BriaCell Bria-IMT 16.6-month median OS in metastatic breast cancer; Sapience lucicebtide 28.4-month projected median PFS in glioblastoma; Corbus CRB-701 Nectin-4 ADC in HNSCC and cervical (oral May 29); Crinetics CRN09682 SSTR2 non-peptide drug conjugate BRAVESST2; Aktis AKY-2519 B7-H3 miniprotein radioconjugate; Mayo Clinic TPIV200 folate-receptor peptide vaccine in TNBC; plus the GLP-1 cancer slate (Abstract 3143, Roswell Park breast cancer). ASCO 2026 follows immediately after EASL 2026 closes May 30 — the back-to-back meeting structure makes the May 27-June 2 window the highest-density peptide-data week of 2026.
Sapience Therapeutics' May 21 ASCO 2026 data update on lucicebtide (ST101) — a first-in-class C/EBPβ peptide antagonist — included a specific data point worth surfacing for the Tuesday cycle. In the Phase 2 Window-of-Opportunity study (n=9 evaluable as of April 27 data cutoff), patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM) treated with lucicebtide plus standard-of-care chemoradiation achieved a projected median progression-free survival of 28.4 months — meaningfully exceeding the 4.0-6.9 month historic benchmark range. Six of nine patients remain alive past 22.3 months against a historical median OS range of 14.6-17.0 months. Median overall survival has not yet been reached. Lucicebtide crossed the blood-brain barrier with confirmed tumor uptake and target engagement via negative enrichment of the C/EBPβ regulon in tumor and myeloid cells. The poster session is scheduled for Monday June 1.
Sapience Therapeutics announced May 22 positive Phase 2 clinical and pharmacodynamic data update from its lucicebtide (ST101) trial in glioblastoma ahead of the ASCO 2026 Annual Meeting (May 29-June 2 Chicago). The Phase 2 Window-of-Opportunity study evaluates lucicebtide alone and in combination with standard-of-care chemoradiation, with dosing both before and after surgical resection. Nine patients were evaluable for analysis; the maturing data show durable progression-free and overall-survival improvements with a well-tolerated safety profile. Lucicebtide is a first-in-class peptide antagonist of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) — a transcription factor that drives tumor aggressiveness, immune evasion, and stemness in glioblastoma. The 125-patient program across recurrent GBM monotherapy and newly diagnosed combination cohorts is the largest peptide-mechanism dataset in GBM to date. The Monday June 1 poster session details the efficacy, pharmacodynamics, and safety in newly-diagnosed patients.
ASCO 2026 in Chicago opens Friday May 29 with the peptide-oncology calendar now fully fixed. Thursday May 29 4:57 PM CDT: Corbus CRB-701 Nectin-4 ADC oral session in cervical cancer. Friday May 30 4:30 PM CDT: Corbus CRB-701 HNSCC poster. Saturday May 30: BriaCell Bria-IMT three posters in metastatic breast cancer. Sunday May 31: Bicycle Therapeutics zelenectide pevedotin Phase 1 Duravelo-1 monotherapy update poster; Avacta AVA6000 FAP-Dox Phase 1a/1b in salivary gland cancers poster session. Monday June 1 8:30-8:36 AM CT: Bicycle Therapeutics Duravelo-2 oral abstract (Abstract 4516). Monday June 1: Sapience Therapeutics lucicebtide poster session for newly-diagnosed GBM. The peptide-oncology cohort is the largest single-meeting concentration of peptide-mechanism oncology data in recent ASCO history.