Entrada Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TRDA) used a presentation at Guggenheim’s 2026 Emerging Outlook Biotech Summit to outline its pipeline focus on intracellular therapeutics and to preview multiple clinical data catalysts expected in 2026, particularly in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).
Company focus and platform
CEO Dipal Doshi described Entrada as a Boston-based company with roughly 150–160 employees developing “intracellular therapeutics.” The company’s approach uses a proprietary delivery mechanism it calls endosomal escape vehicles (EEVs), designed to help deliver therapeutics inside cells. Doshi said the pipeline is currently led by programs in DMD and DM1.
2026 data expectations: DMD exon 44 and exon 45
Doshi characterized 2026 as a “data-rich year” and laid out several expected clinical readouts. In DMD, he highlighted planned clinical updates for two exon-skipping programs:
- ENTR-601-44 (exon 44): First patient clinical dataset expected in Q2 at a 6 mg/kg dose.
- ENTR-601-44: A second cohort with dose levels up to 12 mg/kg expected before year-end.
- ENTR-601-45 (exon 45): First cohort data expected in the middle of the year.
For the initial exon 44 readout at 6 mg/kg, Doshi said the key objectives are safety in patients and dystrophin production, building on what he described as a robust safety dataset from non-clinical work and a healthy volunteer study. He said the 6 mg/kg regimen consists of 5 mg/kg of the conjugate plus 1 mg/kg of the delivery vehicle.
On efficacy, Doshi said Entrada “readily expect[s]” to see double-digit dystrophin levels in the first cohort at 6 mg/kg. He added that dystrophin levels should be interpreted in the context of prior peer data, referencing Avidity’s del-zota program and stating it showed roughly 25% dystrophin above background. Doshi said Entrada expects to beat those levels in its second exon 44 cohort.
Safety and differentiation versus other approaches
During the discussion, Doshi contrasted Entrada’s cyclic cell-penetrating peptide chemistry with what he described as “linear peptide” approaches used by others. He said Entrada’s chemical structure has “very, very unique” characteristics and pointed to safety established in mice, non-human primates, and healthy volunteers.
Asked about PepGen’s DM1 data, Doshi said PepGen’s splicing results in DM1 “look pretty good,” while also raising concerns about potential safety liabilities tied to delivery vehicles. He emphasized Entrada’s ability to dose escalate, noting regulators have allowed dosing up to 12 mg/kg and 18 mg/kg in its programs, which he framed as an important part of therapeutic flexibility in pediatric and young adult populations.
Endpoints and functional measures
Doshi said that while dystrophin is a central biomarker, functional benefit is ultimately what matters. For the first cohorts in exon 44 and exon 45, he said the priority is safety and dystrophin production, and that functional benefit is being measured but is not expected to be seen in the initial cohort due to the short follow-up.
He noted that exon 44 patients have background dystrophin levels of roughly 6%–10%, which he suggested could make it take longer to demonstrate functional change. He contrasted that with exon 45, where he said lower background dystrophin could allow functional signals to emerge sooner.
Doshi described a study structure that includes a 19-week period with three doses, followed by an open-label period of roughly 39 weeks, suggesting that about one year of dosing and follow-up may be a more appropriate timeframe to assess functional benefit.
He also said Entrada plans to evaluate multiple functional endpoints and referenced broader field discussions about measures such as time to rise and other functional assessments, alongside regulatory and patient advocacy input.
U.S. enrollment plans and FDA dose limits
Doshi said Entrada has FDA approval to enroll an adult U.S. study, with current guidance to begin enrollment in the second half of the year. However, he said the company intends to review the upcoming 6 mg/kg exon 44 data and then discuss with the FDA whether it can increase U.S. dosing, noting the current U.S. cap is about 1.28 mg/kg.
He attributed the dose limitation to FDA conservatism in the absence of the later-generated 6 mg/kg healthy volunteer data, and said Entrada has had active discussions with FDA, including sharing and incorporating feedback on the ex-U.S. protocol. He said the company is weighing whether to proceed with the U.S. adult study as currently designed or pause and seek updated FDA feedback after reviewing the Q2 dataset.
Doshi added that because Entrada uses the same EEV across its exon 44, 45, 50, and 51 DMD programs—as well as in its DM1 collaboration with Vertex—he views a positive Q2 exon 44 dataset as a potential de-risking event for the broader portfolio.
About Entrada Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TRDA)
Entrada Therapeutics (NASDAQ: TRDA) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on enabling the development of protein-based therapeutics that can cross cell membranes and engage intracellular targets. Using its proprietary cell-penetrating miniature protein (CPMP) platform and intracellular targeting of proteins (iTOP) delivery technology, Entrada aims to expand the range of diseases addressable by large-molecule drugs.
The company’s pipeline includes programs in rare and serious diseases where conventional biologics have limited intracellular activity.
