Molecular Partners reports progress in Phase 2 TACTIC trial of MP0317 for cholangiocarcinoma

Molecular Partners AG announced on July 16, 2026 the dosing of first patients in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 proof-of-concept study of MP0317 combined with chemoimmunotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with advanced biliary tract carcinoma, also known as cholangiocarcinoma, in a trial called TACTIC.¹

The study, registered as NCT07036380 and conducted in France, aims to recruit 75 patients in a 2-to-1 design, with 50 patients in the experimental arm and 25 in the control arm.¹ The trial is designed to assess the clinical benefit of MP0317 combined with standard-of-care therapy, comprising the immunotherapy durvalumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin-based chemotherapy, compared with standard-of-care alone in the frontline setting.¹

As of the announcement, nine expert trial sites are activated and patient treatment is ongoing.¹ A data update from the trial is expected in 2027, with study completion targeted for 2028.¹ A trial-in-progress poster on the Phase 2 study has been accepted for presentation at the ESMO Congress 2026, taking place October 23-27 in Madrid, Spain.¹

MP0317 is described as a FAP-localized CD40 agonist designed to drive immune-mediated remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, hypothesized to improve 12-month progression-free survival compared with standard-of-care alone.¹

The company noted that a completed Phase 1 dose-escalation study of MP0317 in patients with advanced solid tumors treated 46 patients across 9 dose levels, with biomarker analyses showing tumor-localized CD40 activation and tumor microenvironment remodeling as intended by design.¹ Those Phase 1 results were published in Nature Cancer (Steeghs et al., 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s43018-026-01150-1).¹