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AUSTIN, Texas - Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company with a market capitalization of $6.88 million, has entered into an exclusive patent license agreement with NYU Langone Health for a new drug candidate, Reqorsa® Gene Therapy, aimed at treating mesothelioma. The licensed patent, co-owned by both entities, grants Genprex patent exclusivity for this potential treatment. According to InvestingPro data, the company maintains a strong cash position relative to its debt, potentially supporting its development pipeline.
The therapy, which involves the tumor suppressor gene TUSC2, is currently under investigation. TUSC2 expression is downregulated in a majority of mesotheliomas, and preclinical studies have shown that treatment with Reqorsa® can significantly reduce cell proliferation and invasion while increasing apoptosis in mesothelioma cell lines. The company’s stock has shown recent momentum, gaining over 26% in the past week, though InvestingPro analysis indicates challenges with its current ratio of 0.83, suggesting tight liquidity conditions.
The agreement was announced today by Genprex, following positive preclinical data presented at the 2024 EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. The data demonstrated the tumor suppressive activity of TUSC2 delivered by Reqorsa®, suggesting its re-expression could be a viable therapeutic strategy for mesothelioma, a cancer with limited treatment options and a high mortality rate.
Genprex’s Senior Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing, Thomas Gallagher, expressed optimism about the potential of REQORSA to treat mesothelioma and the role of the license agreement in expanding the company’s clinical development pipeline.
The company’s Reqorsa® Gene Therapy consists of a plasmid containing the TUSC2 gene encapsulated in non-viral lipid-based nanoparticles. It is injected intravenously and targets cancer cells, delivering the functioning TUSC2 gene specifically to negatively charged cancer cells, minimizing uptake by normal tissue.
Genprex has established a Mesothelioma Clinical Advisory Board composed of renowned researchers to support its preclinical oncology program. The company’s lead product candidate is being evaluated in two clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), both of which have received Fast Track Designation from the FDA.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed annually in the U.S., with approximately 2,500 related deaths each year.
This news is based on a press release statement from Genprex, Inc. and does not constitute an endorsement of the company or its products.
In other recent news, Genprex, Inc. has announced promising preclinical data for its Reqorsa® Gene Therapy targeting KRASG12C mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The therapy, which aims to overcome resistance to the KRAS inhibitor Lumakras®, will be presented at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Additionally, Genprex is advancing its diabetes gene therapy program through a new collaboration with a contract development and manufacturing organization, focusing on a non-viral delivery system. This effort is part of their broader strategy, which includes a new licensing agreement with the University of Pittsburgh to develop therapies for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In a separate development, Genprex has received a delisting warning from Nasdaq due to non-compliance with minimum bid price and stockholders’ equity requirements. The company has until August 2025 to address the bid price issue and must demonstrate $2.5 million in stockholders’ equity by May 2025. Genprex has expressed its commitment to resolving these compliance issues while continuing its research and development efforts.
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