Genprex Announces the Passing of its Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Rodney Varner

 

Source:  Genprex, Inc. 5/8/2024

Ryan Confer Appointed Genprex President and CEO and to its Board of Directors

Genprex, Inc. ("Genprex" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes, today announced with great respect and sorrow the unexpected passing last night of the Company's co-founder, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rodney Varner, due to sudden complications after a courageous battle with cancer. 

Mr. Varner co-founded Genprex in 2009, and he has served on the Company's board of directors since 2012. He has served as President and CEO of Genprex since 2016. Under Mr. Varner's leadership, Genprex became a publicly traded company in 2018 and has successfully completed two Phase 1 clinical trials, opened three additional clinical trials, expanded its intellectual property portfolio, exclusively licensed new novel gene therapy technologies and has received three U.S. Food and Drug Administration Fast Track Designations and one Orphan Drug Designation.

Genprex expresses its sincere condolences to the Varner family and to Mr. Varner's friends and colleagues. Mr. Varner will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him. As a cancer patient himself, Mr. Varner was truly committed to Genprex's mission to help patients suffering with cancer and diabetes.

Genprex's Board of Directors issued the following statement:

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rodney, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. Rodney was an excellent company leader, with a clear mission and vision for the future of Genprex. He was dedicated and devoted to seeing Genprex succeed in developing its gene therapies. He will be remembered for his faithfulness and loyalty to Genprex, his devotion to his family, his remarkable law career, his sense of humor and love for the outdoors. We have lost a leader and a friend."

Ryan Confer, Genprex's Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to the Company's pre-existing transition plan, has been appointed by the Board of Directors to serve as President and CEO of Genprex as well as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Confer has served in chief level roles for a variety of early-stage companies since 2008. Mr. Confer has been a part of the Genprex team since 2011, before he was appointed Chief Operating and Financial Officer in 2013 and Chief Financial Officer in 2016. Mr. Confer will continue to serve as Chief Financial Officer until a successor has been identified. The Board of Directors will continue to meet to discuss matters related to the orderly transition and take steps to ensure continuity of business priorities and operations for the Company, including the initiation of a search for a permanent hire for the Chief Financial Officer role.

About Genprex, Inc.
Genprex, Inc. is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes. Genprex's technologies are designed to administer disease-fighting genes to provide new therapies for large patient populations with cancer and diabetes who currently have limited treatment options. Genprex works with world-class institutions and collaborators to develop drug candidates to further its pipeline of gene therapies in order to provide novel treatment approaches. Genprex's oncology program utilizes its systemic, non-viral Oncoprex® Delivery System which encapsulates the gene-expressing plasmids using lipid-based nanoparticles in a lipoplex form. The resultant product is administered intravenously, where it is taken up by tumor cells that then express tumor suppressor proteins that were deficient in the tumor. The Company's lead product candidate, Reqorsa® Immunogene Therapy (quaratusugene ozeplasmid), is being evaluated in three clinical trials as a treatment for NSCLC and SCLC. Each of Genprex's three lung cancer clinical programs has received a Fast Track Designation from the FDA for the treatment of that patient population, and Genprex's SCLC program has received an FDA Orphan Drug Designation. Genprex's diabetes gene therapy approach is comprised of a novel infusion process that uses an AAV vector to deliver Pdx1 and MafA genes directly to the pancreas. In models of Type 1 diabetes, GPX-002 transforms alpha cells in the pancreas into functional beta-like cells, which can produce insulin but may be distinct enough from beta cells to evade the body's immune system. In a similar approach, GPX-002 for Type 2 diabetes, where autoimmunity is not at play, is believed to rejuvenate and replenish exhausted beta cells.