Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO; Nasdaq: NBTX) reported an 85.7% overall response rate and a 57.1% complete response rate in seven patients with stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer treated with JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3), drawing attention to a complete response rate that substantially exceeds the less than 5% historically observed with concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone.
The data come from Part 1 of the CONVERGE study, a Johnson & Johnson-sponsored randomized Phase II trial evaluating JNJ-1900 in patients with stage III unresectable NSCLC, and were presented at the 2026 European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology Annual Meeting.
In the seven patients who completed the full treatment regimen of JNJ-1900 combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and consolidation durvalumab, the disease control rate reached 100%. The complete response rate of 57.1% is notable against a historical benchmark of less than 5% for concurrent chemoradiation with or without durvalumab, a comparison the investigators cite from a 2017 New England Journal of Medicine publication by Antonia et al. No progressive disease was observed, and investigators noted a deepening of response over time. Specific adverse event data were not disclosed; the investigators described intratumoral and intranodal injection as feasible and safe in this population.
The sample size of seven patients limits interpretation. These are early, uncontrolled observations from a single arm of a randomized trial, and without a concurrent comparator arm reported at this stage, the response figures cannot be attributed to JNJ-1900 with confidence. The primary endpoint of CONVERGE was not specified in the available data.
JNJ-1900 is composed of crystalline hafnium oxide nanoparticles administered via a one-time intratumoral injection and activated by radiotherapy. Its mechanism does not involve binding a specific protein target; instead, the nanoparticles physically amplify local energy deposition within the tumor upon irradiation, generating oxygen free radicals that enhance radiation-induced tumor cell killing. The company proposes that this physical mechanism subsequently triggers an adaptive immune response. The combination with AstraZeneca's Imfinzi (durvalumab), a PD-L1 inhibitor already approved as consolidation therapy following chemoradiotherapy in unresectable stage III NSCLC, reflects an attempt to layer immune activation onto the local cytotoxic effect. Cross-trial comparisons are limited, but the current standard of care with durvalumab consolidation has not produced complete response rates above low single digits in this setting, making the early signal from CONVERGE of interest even at this sample size.