CRISM Therapeutics Corporation (AIM:CRTX), a UK clinical-stage drug delivery company focused on localised and sustained chemotherapy delivery, said the first clinical site for its Phase II study of irinotecan ChemoSeed in glioblastoma has been formally activated.
Patient recruitment has now started, allowing the clinical team to begin identifying, screening and enrolling eligible participants.
The next milestone is treating the first patient with ChemoSeed, with a further update due once that happens.
"The activation of our first clinical site and opening of the study for patient recruitment is an important milestone for CRISM and the ChemoSeed programme," said Professor Christopher McConville, Chief Scientific Officer.
Professor Garth Cruickshank, Emeritus Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Birmingham and a member of CRISM's Scientific Advisory Board, said glioblastoma remains one of the hardest cancers to treat, with recurrence often occurring near the original tumour site despite surgery.
ChemoSeed is designed to deliver irinotecan directly into the tumour resection margin during surgery, when residual tumour burden is lowest, aiming to sustain high local drug concentrations while limiting systemic exposure.
Cruickshank said the site activation allows the process of identifying suitable patients to begin, adding he was "very pleased to see the trial reach this stage."
News Intelligence what this means for the company
CRISM has formally activated its first clinical site and begun patient recruitment for the Phase II trial of irinotecan ChemoSeed in glioblastoma—the next concrete step after completing site initiation on 13 August 2026. This moves the company from setup toward actual patient enrollment, with the next milestone being the first patient dosed; for a single-asset clinical-stage biotech, each trial progression reduces execution risk and brings the company closer to data that could validate its implantable drug-delivery platform.
Site activation and open recruitment represent forward momentum on CRISM's only clinical program, but the company remains pre-data and pre-revenue. The trial's pace and eventual efficacy readout will determine whether ChemoSeed can justify its clinical development costs and the £2.5 million raised in May 2026.
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