v3.26.1
Note 1 - Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Notes to Financial Statements  
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 1 - Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

 

Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “Genprex,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q refer to Genprex, Inc. Genprex, incorporated in Delaware in April 2008, is a clinical stage gene therapy company pioneering the development of gene-based therapies for large patient populations with unmet medical needs. The Company’s oncology platform utilizes its systemic, non-viral ONCOPREX® Delivery System which uses lipid-based nanoparticles in a lipoplex form to deliver tumor suppressor gene-expressing plasmids to cancer cells. The 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 diabetes technology is designed to work in Type 1 diabetes by transforming 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 Type 2 diabetes, the Company’s technology is believed to work by replenishing and rejuvenating exhausted beta cells that make insulin.

 

Oncology Platform

 

Genprex’s lead oncology drug candidate, REQORSA® Gene Therapy (generic name: quaratusugene ozeplasmid), previously referred to as GPX-001, is initially being developed in combination with prominent, approved cancer drugs to treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (“NSCLC”) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (“SCLC”). REQORSA has multimodal effects on cancer cells. It has a mechanism of action whereby it decreases cancer cell growth by decreasing glucose metabolism, 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 increases the immune response against cancer cells. In preclinical studies, REQORSA has been shown to be complementary with targeted drugs and immunotherapies. The Company’s strategy is to develop REQORSA in combination with currently approved therapies and the Company believes REQORSA’s unique attributes position it to provide treatments that improve on these current therapies for patients with NSCLC, SCLC, and possibly other cancers.

 

The TUSC2 gene, which is the key component of REQORSA and plays a vital role in cancer suppression and normal cell metabolism, is one of a series of genes on the short arm of Chromosome 3 whose therapeutic use is covered by the Company’s exclusive worldwide licenses from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (“MD Anderson”). The Company believes that its ONCOPREX Delivery System allows for the delivery of a number of cancer-fighting tumor suppressor genes, alone or in combination with other cancer therapies, to combat multiple types of cancer and the Company is in early stages of discovery programs to identify other cancer candidates. Since not all patients respond to REQORSA, the Company has been collaborating with researchers at MD Anderson to identify biomarkers that might predict a strong positive response or a lack of response to REQORSA in patients with lung cancer. This preclinical effort has led to the identification of two proteins whose expression appears to predict response to REQORSA. This work, titled “TROP2 and PTEN are biomarkers of primary resistance to TUSC2 gene therapy in non-small cell lung cancer” was accepted for a poster presentation at the meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in April 2026. These findings suggest that TROP2 and PTEN may serve as biomarkers to predict TUSC2 response and guide therapeutic strategies in NSCLC. TROP2 (trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that functions as a cell surface receptor. TROP2 overexpression in adult tissues is a hallmark of many solid tumors, making it a major target for modern cancer therapies. PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) is a tumor suppressor gene that serves as a multi-functional cancer biomarker in a number of cancers, with potential for risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning. Validation in specimens from clinical trials will be needed to determine whether these potential biomarkers predict clinical response. In April 2026, the Company entered into a new sponsored research agreement with MD Anderson to study biomarkers that may predict patient response to REQORSA. The Company is testing patient samples from its clinical trials for selected biomarkers to determine if sensitivities exist among the Company’s existing patient population in an effort to guide patient selection and optimize clinical outcomes. 

 

Acclaim – 1: The Acclaim-1 study is a Phase 1/2 clinical trial that has three portions - a Phase 1 dose escalation portion, a Phase 2a expansion portion, and a Phase 2b randomized portion. The Company currently is enrolling and treating patients in the Phase 2a expansion portion of its Phase 1/2 Acclaim-1 clinical trial. The Acclaim-1 trial uses a combination of REQORSA and AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso® (osimertinib) in patients with late-stage NSCLC who have activating epidermal growth factor receptor (“EGFR”) mutations and disease progression on treatment with Tagrisso or Tagrisso-containing regimens. Following the May 2023 completion of the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study, the Acclaim-1 Safety Review Committee (“Acclaim-1 SRC”) approved advancement from the Phase 1 dose escalation portion to the Phase 2a expansion portion of the study. Based on a review of safety data which showed no dose limiting toxicities (“DLTs”), the Acclaim-1 SRC determined the recommended Phase 2 dose (“RP2D”) of REQORSA to be 0.12 mg/kg administered every 21 days. This was the highest dose level delivered in the Phase 1 portion of the study and is twice the highest dose level delivered in the Company’s prior clinical trial combining REQORSA with Tarceva® (erlotinib) for the treatment of late-stage lung cancer. There were three patients out of the twelve originally enrolled in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study who had prolonged progression-free survival (“PFS”). One patient attained a partial remission after the second course of REQORSA and Tagrisso and has maintained this response through 64 courses of treatment (approximately 48 months) and this patient continues to receive REQORSA and Tagrisso treatment to date. A second patient had stable disease without disease progression through 32 courses of treatment (approximately 24 months), but then had disease progression and REQORSA treatment was stopped. A third patient had stable disease without disease progression through 14 courses of treatment (approximately 10 months) before disease progression and is no longer receiving treatment. The results of the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study were published in Clinical Lung Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal covering various aspects of clinical and translational research of lung cancer, in January 2026. Genprex opened the Phase 2a expansion portion of the study and enrolled and dosed the first patient in January 2024. The Phase 2a expansion portion of the trial is expected to enroll approximately 33 patients, all of whom had disease progression on Tagrisso or Tagrisso-containing regimens. There will be an interim analysis following the treatment of 19 patients in the Phase 2a portion of the Acclaim-1 study. The Company expects to complete the enrollment of the first 19 patients for interim analysis in the Phase 2a expansion portion of the study in the first half of 2026 and expects the interim analysis in the second half of 2026.

 

The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has granted Fast Track Designation for the Acclaim-1 treatment combination of REQORSA and Tagrisso in NSCLC patients who have progressed on Tagrisso treatment.

 

The Phase 2a expansion portion of the Acclaim-1 study provides the Company the advantage of early insight into drug effectiveness in defined and distinct patient populations at the maximum tolerated dose or RP2D in order to better evaluate efficacy and increase the likelihood of a successful randomized Phase 2 trial which will follow the expansion portion of the study.

 

 

Acclaim – 3: The Acclaim-3 study has two portions - a Phase 1 dose escalation portion and a Phase 2 expansion portion. The Company is currently enrolling and treating patients in the Phase 2 expansion portion of its Phase 1/2 Acclaim-3 clinical trial. The Acclaim-3 clinical trial uses a combination of REQORSA and Genentech, Inc.’s Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) as maintenance therapy for patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (“ES-SCLC”) who did not develop tumor progression after receiving Tecentriq and chemotherapy as initial standard treatment. Patients are treated with REQORSA and Tecentriq until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity is experienced. In December 2024, the Company announced that it had completed the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the Acclaim-3 clinical trial. Based on full safety data, which showed no DLTs, the Acclaim-3 Safety Review Committee (“Acclaim-3 SRC”) determined that the RP2D of REQORSA will be 0.12 mg/kg administered every 21 days, which was the highest dose level delivered in the Phase 1 portion of the trial, and approved the opening of the Phase 2 expansion portion of the trial. Although decreases in tumor size are not expected during maintenance therapy with atezolizumab alone, there were two patients out of the six enrolled in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study who had marked decreases in measurable disease. The Company previously reported that the first patient treated in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the Acclaim-3 trial had a partial remission, which is defined as at least a thirty percent (30%) decrease in tumor size, from prior to the start of maintenance therapy to the time of the CT scan performed after two cycles of maintenance therapy.  A CT scan performed after four cycles of maintenance therapy (three months), confirmed that the patient still had a 30% decrease in tumor size in measurable lesions; however, one lesion not previously measurable had grown in size, thus leading to a conclusion of disease progression at that time.  Another patient in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the Acclaim-3 trial had a twenty-three percent (23%) decrease in tumor size from prior to the start of maintenance therapy to the time of the CT scan performed after two cycles of maintenance therapy. This patient received seven cycles of study therapy before progressing after 4.2 months. In addition, one patient in the Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study achieved an unconfirmed partial remission after 24 cycles of therapy and continues to receive study treatment in the trial after more than 19 months. The Company anticipates that the Phase 2 expansion portion will enroll approximately 50 patients at approximately 10 to 15 U.S sites. Patients will be treated with REQORSA and Tecentriq until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity is experienced. The primary endpoint of the Phase 2 portion is to determine the 18-week progression-free survival rate from the start of maintenance therapy with REQORSA and Tecentriq in patients with ES-SCLC. Patients will also be followed for survival. A Phase 2 futility analysis will be performed after the 25th patient enrolled and treated reaches 18 weeks of follow up. The Company expects to complete enrollment of the first 25 patients for interim analysis in the Phase 2 expansion portion of the study in the first half of 2026 and expects the interim analysis in the second half of 2026.

 

The Acclaim-3 clinical trial has received FDA Fast Track Designation for this patient population and Acclaim-3 has also received an FDA Orphan Drug Designation. 

 

Diabetes Gene Therapy

 

In diabetes, Genprex has exclusively licensed from the University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education (“University of Pittsburgh” or “UP”) multiple technologies relating to the development of a gene therapy product for each of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The same novel approach is used in each of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes whereby an adeno-associated virus (“AAV”) vector containing the Pdx1 and MafA genes is administered directly into the pancreatic duct. In humans, this can be done with a routine endoscopy procedure. The Company’s diabetes product candidates are currently being evaluated and optimized in preclinical studies at the University of Pittsburgh. GPX-002 is being developed for the treatment of both Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. GPX-002 for Type 1 diabetes is designed to work by transforming 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 work by replenishing and rejuvenating exhausted beta cells that make insulin. The Company is currently working with the University of Pittsburgh on species analyses for the animal models as well as other regulatory and clinical strategic planning, including the initiation of research in Type 2 diabetes animal models. In December 2025, the Company also executed on its strategic goal to submit a meeting request to the FDA by the end of the year to discuss the necessary Investigational New Drug (“IND”)-enabling preclinical studies, an important step before potentially initiating clinical trials in humans. See the discussion captioned “Recent Developments – Diabetes Gene Therapy Updates” in “Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q below for more information on the Company’s meeting with the FDA which occurred in February 2026. In May 2025, following the completion of the Company’s August 2022 sponsored research agreement with UP, the Company entered into a new sponsored research agreement with UP to study Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes in animal models. The new sponsored research agreement also includes a revised research plan to encompass the Company’s most recent technologies to which Genprex originally acquired exclusive rights from UP in July 2023 as amended and restated in the comprehensive New UP License Agreement in February 2025 (as defined and described below). These include a MafB promoter to drive expression of the Pdx1 and MafA transcription factors that can potentially be used for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. See also “Note 6 – Commitments and Contingencies”. 

 

On  February 17, 2025, the Company and the University of Pittsburgh entered into an amended and restated Exclusive License Agreement (the “New UP License Agreement”), which updated and consolidated into a single agreement the Company’s prior license agreements with UP. Pursuant to the New UP License Agreement, UP granted to the Company a worldwide, exclusive license for certain patents and related technology, collectively referred to as the “Licensed Technology,” and a worldwide, non-exclusive license to use certain related know-how. The Licensed Technology covered by the New UP License Agreement is based on the same general gene therapy approach as covered under the Company’s prior license agreements with UP (less the previously-licensed macrophage technology), whereby an adeno-associated virus vector containing the Pdx1 and MafA genes is administered directly into the pancreatic duct. More specifically, the Licensed Technology covered by the New UP License Agreement is related to a gene therapy for both Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes using the genes of the Pdx1 and MafA transcription factors controlled by insulin, glucagon and MafB promoters.

 

In February 2023, the Company’s research collaborators at UP presented preclinical data in a non-human primate (“NHP”) model of Type 1 diabetes highlighting the therapeutic potential of GPX-002 at the 16th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (“ATTD 2023”) in Berlin, Germany. The statistically significant study results showed the treated animals had decreased insulin requirements, increased c-peptide levels, and improved glucose tolerance compared to baseline. In April 2023, the Company hosted a Key Opinion Leader virtual event entitled “Novel Gene Therapy to Treat Type 1 Diabetes,” which discussed preclinical data reported at ATTD 2023 supporting gene therapy to treat Type 1 diabetes. In June 2025, the Company’s collaboration partners had two presentations at the 2025 American Diabetes Association (“ADA”) 85th Scientific Sessions. The Company’s research collaborators from UP were invited to give an oral presentation highlighting their work in NHP models of Type 1 diabetes.  In addition, the Company’s contract development and manufacturing organization collaborators presented a poster on a non-viral lipid nanoparticle delivery system that would allow a patient to receive multiple treatments.

 

Formation of Wholly Owned Subsidiary

 

On February 18, 2025, Genprex announced the formation of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Convergen Biotech, Inc. (“Convergen”) in  connection with a potential separation of the diabetes clinical development program. If, and when, a potential separation is completed, the Company would plan to transfer the diabetes program into Convergen in an effort to focus development and commercialization efforts separately from the Company’s oncology program and other oncology pipeline assets. 

 

Capital Requirements, Liquidity and Going Concern Considerations

 

The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) applicable to a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and liquidation of liabilities in the normal course of business. However, the Company has sustained substantial losses from operations since inception and has no current source of revenue. In addition, the Company has used, rather than provided, cash in its operations. Genprex expects to continue to incur significant expenditures to further clinical trials for the commercial development of its patents.

 

The Company recognizes that it must obtain additional capital resources to successfully commercialize its product candidates. To date, Genprex has received funding in the form of equity and debt, and the Company plans to seek additional funding in the future. However, no assurances can be given that it will be successful in raising additional capital. If the Company is not able to timely and successfully raise additional capital, the timing of its clinical trials, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities.

 

Genprex believes that its current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund expenditure requirements for its necessary operations and expected clinical trial activities into the second half of 2027. Genprex has based these estimates, however, on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and could spend available financial resources much faster than it currently expects. The Company will need to raise additional funds to continue funding its development and operations. The Company plans to secure such additional funding and is evaluating various strategies to obtain additional financing, although the Company can give no assurance that its plans or strategies will be effectively implemented in such a way that they will sufficiently alleviate or mitigate the conditions and events noted above. 

 

As a result of its recurring losses from operations and the need for additional financing to fund its operating and capital requirements, there is uncertainty regarding the Company’s ability to maintain liquidity sufficient to operate its business effectively, which raises substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if Genprex is unable to continue as a going concern.