TRI progresses brain cancer imaging trial prep - first patients Q1 2027

ASX:TRI

Published 23-SEP-2026 12:03 P.M.

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Announcement

Trust Centre

Our biotech Investment TrivarX (ASX: TRI) just put out a progress update on its Stabl-Im brain cancer imaging tech.

TRI is trying to solve the “early detection” problem in brain cancer.

Standard MRIs are good at seeing structure, so they usually only pick up tumours once they have grown to 2-3mm in size, rather than before they have begun to grow.

TRI's tech works by having a patient swallow a small dose of a non-radioactive stable isotope, which is taken up by replicating (cancerous) cells.

A standard MRI can then "see" those labelled cells, because stable isotopes have slightly different magnetic properties.

The end result (IF it works) is a non-invasive, radiation-free way to catch brain cancer early, using the MRI machines already sitting in hospitals.

Here is everything TRI has moving right now from today’s update:

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(source)

The design work for both the pre-clinical and clinical feasibility studies is now complete, and the pre-clinical animal studies have started.

The investigational product is in hand and being prepared for individual study participants in line with TGA requirements.

TRI secured that product supply back to be used in this in July which, which we covered here.

TRI is also selecting a clinical site and Principal Investigator, and lining up a specialist vendor for the deuterium analysis the study needs.

TRI CEO Dr Danielle Meyrick (previously at ~$5.5BN Telix) called this approach out as a "measure twice, cut once" philosophy, so getting the foundations right before the first trial starts.

This cautious approach is often a good thing, because needing to backtrack and begin any step again can be costly.

TRI has also started additional non-clinical studies looking at further potential applications for the platform, with results expected in the last quarter of this year.

The indicative timeline now runs to an ethics decision in January 2027, first participant enrolled in Q1 2027 and initial results in Q2 2027, a little later than the H2 2026 start previously targeted.

TRI included this summary of where things are at in today’s announcement:

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(source)

What is TRI’s tech?

Here is how the tech works:

A patient swallows a small dose of a compound (a non-radioactive stable isotope)
The stable isotope is taken up by “replicating cells” (these are the cancerous cells).
A standard MRI machine then "sees" the labelled cells, because stable isotopes have slightly different magnetic properties from their normal counterparts.

TRI's tech (IF it works) could mean brain cancers are picked up at the earliest stage, when they are still tiny cells.

The end result? A non-invasive AND radiation-free way to see tumours early.

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(source - video with Dr Daniel Tillett ) (slides from P3 here)

We compared it to trying to spot a handful of troublemakers in a stadium of 50,000 people.

From a distance, everyone looks the same. But hand every troublemaker a flare, wait for them to light them up and suddenly they're easy to pick out from the crowd.

That's what TRI's tech does, it makes the cells that matter light up on an MRI, so tumour activity can be spotted at a stage where it would otherwise blend into healthy tissue.