Cancer researchers at four major institutions join Intus Bio in developing a new, non-invasive screen for early-onset colorectal cancer using high-resolution bacterial microbiome discoveries.

MERIDEN, Conn., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Intus Biosciences, LLC (Intus Bio) today announced that it has received a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast-Track award to develop a non-invasive screening test for early-onset colorectal cancer and precancerous colorectal lesions using bacterial biomarkers found in the microbiome. Early-onset colorectal cancer is now the most common form of cancer for Americans under age 50.

The funded program, "Non-Invasive, Bacterial-Based Early-Onset Colorectal Screen," brings Intus Bio together with some of the world's leading investigators in colorectal cancer, including Dr. Cynthia Sears of Johns Hopkins University, Dr. David Drew, Dr. Long Nguyen and Dr. Andrew Chan of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Lynn Butterly and Dr. Joseph Anderson of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and Dr. Martha Shrubsole and Dr. Reid Ness of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Colorectal cancer incidence is rising by roughly 3% annually in adults ages 20 to 49, even as rates decline in older populations. Nearly three in four early-onset cases are diagnosed only after the disease has spread beyond the colon, in part because current screening guidelines begin at age 45, leaving many younger adults undiagnosed until symptoms appear. A growing body of research links the gut microbiome, composed primarily of bacteria, to colorectal cancer, making it a potential source of risk and disease detection biomarkers.

At the center of the project is Intus Bio's Titan-1 platform, which generates and analyzes high-resolution bacterial DNA sequencing data to identify bacterial biomarkers and assemble AI-powered diagnostic algorithms for disease diagnosis, early detection, and risk identification. The platform relies upon multiple scientific breakthroughs to move microbiome understanding beyond the high-level insights generated by legacy technologies, which lacked the detail required for clinical applications.

Titan-1 uses a precise approach to DNA sequencing to produce more reliable results, while also being able to include all bacteria in its analysis versus just those that have been previously named and recorded in databases. This means Intus Bio can identify specific and clinically actionable bacterial sequence features associated with early-onset colorectal cancer, whether they belong to known or previously unidentified bacteria. One critical aspect of the study is to detect precancerous lesions that precede cancer, giving the opportunity to prevent the disease.

"Intus Bio was founded to make the microbiome as important to healthcare as it is to our health," said Paul Denslow, CEO and Co-Founder of Intus Bio. "This award is a major milestone towards that goal and also underscores the revolutionary potential of our Titan-1 platform."

Mark Driscoll, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Intus Bio and Principal Investigator, added, "Non-invasive detection of early-onset colorectal cancer is a serious and growing unmet need, which our collaborators — all leading experts in the field — believe the groundbreaking Titan-1 can address. Success in this effort will herald an entirely new class of diagnostics, with the potential to transform our approach to multiple diseases."

About Intus Biosciences

Intus Biosciences, LLC is a Connecticut, USA-based biotechnology company. The company was founded with the aim of building the definitive technology and data standard to power discovery and products that make the microbiome as fundamental to healthcare as it is to health. The company's next-generation Titan-1 platform is revolutionizing microbiome and disease understanding, while also powering the company's leading commercial microbiome test, GutID, which is available in the US and internationally. Visit intusbio.com and gutid.com to learn more.

NIH Funding Acknowledgment

Research reported in this press release was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44CA314644. The content is solely the responsibility of Intus Biosciences, LLC and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Media Contact: Peter Lee, peter.lee@intusbio.com

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SOURCE Intus Bio