Experimental T-cell drug invika halted growth of immunotherapy-resistant tumours in most patients at the optimal dose

An early clinical trial of the experimental drug invikafusp alfa (“invika”), published on 23 October 2026 in Nature Medicine, suggests it may help control solid tumours that no longer respond to standard immunotherapy. The study was led by researchers at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Mass General Brigham and Memorial Sloan Kettering.

How it works

Invika is a bispecific “dual T-cell agonist”: according to the NIH, it is designed to selectively stimulate the subset of T cells that fight tumours, rather than switching on the immune system broadly.

Results

• Of 27 participants treated at the optimal dose in the phase 1/2 START-001 trial, disease did not progress in 16 (59.3%).
• Four (14.8%) had their target tumours shrink by more than 30%. Two of them had metastatic colorectal cancer of a notoriously treatment-resistant type and were receiving invika as their seventh line of therapy; another had stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.
• At optimal doses the drug was well tolerated, the NIH says. At non-optimal doses there was no clear benefit.

Limitations

This is a small, early-phase study without a randomised control group, designed mainly to find a safe dose and look for signs of activity. It cannot show whether invika extends survival or how it compares with other treatments; larger randomised trials are needed. Patients should discuss trial options with their oncologist.