Source: Genprex, Inc.-August 28, 2018
Genprex,
Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical stage gene therapy company
developing a new approach to treating cancer based upon a novel
proprietary technology platform, announced today that it has entered
into amendments with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
(MD Anderson) to extend the terms of two option agreements between
Genprex and MD Anderson pertaining the use of TUSC2, the active agent in
Genprex’s lead product candidate Oncoprex, in combination with
immunotherapies and the development and the use of biomarkers to predict
patient response to TUSC2 therapy.
“These agreements will provide the opportunity to obtain additional
patent protection for our TUSC2 gene therapy platform,” said Rodney
Varner, CEO of Genprex. “With these amended agreements in place, we will
continue to advance and expand our clinical development program with
Oncoprex for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and other
potential therapeutic targets.”
The first amended agreement provides Genprex with an option to
exclusively license patent applications and related intellectual
property relating to methods of treating cancer by combining TUSC2 with
any of the immune checkpoint inhibitors known to stimulate immune
responses, including but not limited to nivolumab (Opdivo®),
pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), ipilimumab (Yervoy®), and anti-KIR antibodies
such as lirilumab.
Researchers at MD Anderson reported
data from preclinical research at the 2017 meeting of the American
Association for Cancer Research demonstrating that TUSC2 alone or in
combination with checkpoint blockade (anti-PD-1 and/or anti-CTLA4)
significantly prolonged mouse survival in a non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC) metastasis model compared to checkpoint blockade alone. The
greatest increase in survival was seen with TUSC2 combined with
checkpoint blockade. The treatment response was associated with high
infiltration of NK cells and CD8 T cells, and low infiltration of
myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in the tumor microenvironment.
The second amended agreement provides Genprex with an option to
exclusively license an issued U.S. patent, foreign patent applications,
and related intellectual property pertaining to methods for predicting a
patient’s response to a TUSC2 therapy and methods for treating a patient
previously predicted to have a favorable response to a TUSC2 therapeutic
in conjunction with an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor
and/or a protein kinase inhibitor.
Each amendment extends the term of the related option agreement to March
13, 2019, in consideration of the payment of $25,000.
About Genprex, Inc.
Genprex, Inc. is a clinical stage gene therapy company developing a new
approach to treating cancer, based upon a novel proprietary technology
platform, including Genprex’s initial product candidate, Oncoprex™
immunogene therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Genprex’s
platform technologies are designed to administer cancer fighting genes
by encapsulating them into nanoscale hollow spheres called nanovesicles,
which are then administered intravenously and taken up by tumor cells
where they express proteins that are missing or found in low quantities.
Oncoprex has a multimodal mechanism of action whereby it interrupts cell
signaling pathways that cause replication and proliferation of cancer
cells, re-establishes pathways for apoptosis, or programmed cell death,
in cancer cells, and modulates the immune response against cancer cells.
Oncoprex has also been shown to block mechanisms that create drug
resistance.
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