Alpha Tau to present Alpha DaRT plus pembrolizumab data at AHNS 2026
Alpha Tau Medical has announced that a clinical study abstract evaluating its Alpha DaRT technology in combination with pembrolizumab in elderly patients with locally advanced and metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been selected for a podium presentation at the American Head and Neck Society's 12th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. The presentation is scheduled for 21 July 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts, during the Proffered Papers session on Radiation and Adjuvant Therapies.
The abstract presents complete top-line data from a single-centre study conducted at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Interim results from the same study had previously been shared at Alpha Tau's R&D Day in January 2025. The company describes the patient cohort — elderly individuals ineligible for or unable to tolerate aggressive chemoradiation — as one of the most underserved populations in oncology. HNSCC is the sixth most common malignancy globally, with approximately 25–40% of cases diagnosed in patients aged 70 or older.
The technology and combination rationale
Alpha DaRT (Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy) works by inserting radioactive seeds directly into a tumour, releasing short-lived alpha particles that disperse locally and aim to destroy tumour tissue while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy cells. The company says preclinical work has suggested the treatment may also trigger an immune response, providing a scientific basis for pairing it with checkpoint immunotherapy such as pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor marketed by Merck.
In the combination approach, Alpha DaRT is added to a patient's existing standard-of-care immunotherapy regimen without disrupting it. Robert Den, Alpha Tau's chief medical officer, noted that across all head and neck cancer studies to date the company had observed "acute, low-grade toxicities associated with Alpha DaRT, with no chronic effects reported" — a property he described as central to the combination's appeal for patients who cannot absorb additional toxicity burden.
Prof. Aron Popovtzer, director of the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah and lead principal investigator, said the procedure was "straightforward" and that he looks forward to discussing the data with colleagues internationally.
Market context and competitive landscape
The intratumoral therapy space has grown considerably crowded in recent years, with multiple companies exploring combinations of localised treatments and systemic checkpoint inhibitors. Approaches range from oncolytic viruses and toll-like receptor agonists to focused ultrasound and conventional stereotactic body radiotherapy, all seeking to convert immunologically "cold" tumours. Alpha DaRT's differentiation rests principally on its alpha-particle delivery mechanism and the safety profile Alpha Tau has built across studies in the United States, Europe, Israel, and Japan — though the company has not yet disclosed full efficacy data from the elderly-patient combination study.
The broader HNSCC checkpoint combination landscape is competitive: pembrolizumab already holds first-line approval in recurrent or metastatic HNSCC as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy, meaning any intratumoral add-on must demonstrate a clear incremental benefit. Regulatory agencies including the FDA and EMA have in recent years sought robust overall survival data — rather than surrogate endpoints alone — in head and neck indications, a bar that will shape how the full dataset is received when it is publicly presented in July.
Alpha Tau was founded in 2016 and is listed on Nasdaq under the tickers DRTS and DRTSW. The company has not disclosed a timeline for regulatory submissions relating to the HNSCC programme or the combination approach.