Alpha Tau’s Pancreatic Cancer Push Reaches Samsung Medical Center, Ranked Fifth Worldwide in Oncology (NASDAQ: DRTS)

Alpha Tau Medical (NASDAQ: DRTS) announced on October 22 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Medical Center in Seoul to explore a pancreatic cancer trial. The hospital ranked fifth worldwide in oncology in Newsweek’s 2027 specialized hospital rankings, according to the announcement. A Korean study would require regulatory and ethics committee approvals, but the agreement brings a major cancer institution into discussions about an already expanding clinical program.

For Alpha Tau, the potential collaboration adds a new geographic dimension to a specific clinical question: can radiation delivered directly inside a pancreatic tumor improve treatment alongside chemotherapy? Its pancreatic program already includes studies in North America, Europe and Israel. Korea could become its sixth participating country, the company says.

Samsung brings experience with the disease Alpha Tau is targeting

The attraction of Samsung Medical Center goes beyond its name. Its pancreatic cancer surgical program performed more than 4,000 pancreatic resections between 2008 and 2025, according to information supplied by the hospital in the announcement. That experience could provide a substantial clinical setting for investigating an additional treatment approach.

Pancreatic cancer often closes off the surgical route before patients reach treatment. The National Cancer Institute explains that tumors can become technically unresectable by invading or pressing against nearby blood vessels. Chemotherapy is central to treatment of locally advanced disease, and controlling the tumor remains a challenge even when an operation is unavailable.

South Korea faces that problem directly. Alpha Tau’s announcement cites a five-year relative survival rate of 17% for pancreatic cancer in the country. The proposed collaboration therefore addresses a disease where new options could have considerable clinical relevance.

Samsung’s stated interest is appropriately exploratory. Hee-Chul Kim, general director of Samsung Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the hospital would “carefully review the clinical application of Alpha DaRT.” The next step is to turn that exploration into a defined, authorized study.

Alpha Tau is testing local radiation alongside systemic treatment

Alpha DaRT, investigational for pancreatic cancer, places radioactive sources inside a tumor. As radium-224 decays, it releases short-lived atoms that emit alpha particles over short distances. The intended benefit is concentrated tumor irradiation with limited exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

In pancreatic cancer, Alpha Tau has described insertion under real-time endoscopic ultrasound guidance. Its IMPACT pilot study combines a one-time Alpha DaRT treatment with first-line chemotherapy, allowing the company to investigate a local intervention while patients continue receiving treatment that works throughout the body.

That approach addresses a recognized treatment problem. In its August 2026 guideline update, the American Society for Radiation Oncology recommended radiation or chemoradiation after multiagent chemotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer to improve local control and reduce harm from local progression. Those recommendations concern established radiation approaches; Alpha Tau is investigating its own method of delivering radiation within the tumor.

The clinical rationale is understandable: systemic therapy and local tumor treatment address different aspects of the same disease. Alpha Tau’s studies are intended to determine whether its particular combination can deliver a useful balance of safety and benefit.

A larger patient dataset is approaching

IMPACT completed enrollment in August at 48 patients, four times its original 12-patient design, following three expansions. Alpha Tau attributed the expansion to demand from patients and clinicians. The company targets initial results for early 2027 to inform a planned pivotal study.

Earlier pancreatic work provides the background for that next test. At ASCO in June, Alpha Tau reported a pooled analysis of three prospective Phase I/II studies in Canada and Israel. Among patients treated after first-line chemotherapy, median overall survival from trial enrollment was 11.2 months in metastatic disease and 11.1 months in locally advanced disease. Treatment-associated grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 9% of subjects and resolved; no treatment-related deaths were reported. These early, uncontrolled studies support further investigation, with the larger IMPACT dataset expected to add evidence on the combination’s clinical performance.

The Samsung MOU gives that development story a new institutional connection. A hospital with extensive pancreatic cancer experience is exploring whether to bring the approach into its own clinical research, while an enrolled study moves toward results that could shape the next trial.

For Alpha Tau, the coming milestones are concrete: the outcome of Korean trial discussions and the early 2027 IMPACT readout. Together, they could show how far its pancreatic program can advance from exploratory studies toward a broader clinical development effort.

Recent News Highlights from Alpha Tau (NASDAQ: DRTS)

Alpha Tau and Samsung Medical Center Sign MOU to Explore Clinical Trial of Alpha DaRT® for Pancreatic Cancer Patients in Korea

Alpha Tau Announces FDA Approval to Expand Alpha DaRT® U.S. Recurrent Glioblastoma REGAIN Trial; New Trial Data to be Presented at SNO 2026 Annual Meeting

Alpha Tau to Participate in October Investor Conferences

Alpha Tau to Participate in September Investor Conferences

Alpha Tau Completes Patient Enrollment in its Multicenter IMPACT Pancreatic Cancer Pilot Study of Alpha DaRT® Following Strong Demand and Multiple Expansions