Genprex, U Pittsburgh in Pact on Possible Curative Diabetes Gene Therapy

• Company licenses patented diabetes gene therapy technology designed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh
• Results from in vivo animal studies indicate that normal glucose levels in the blood may be restored for an extended period of time
• Company plans to partner for the clinical development and commercialization of this therapy in the U.S. and internationally

Genprex, Inc. (“Genprex” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company developing potentially life-changing technologies for patients with cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that it signed an exclusive license agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for a diabetes gene therapy that may have the potential to cure Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, which together currently affect approximately 30.3 million people in the U.S, or 9 percent of the U.S. population.
The diabetes gene therapy, which was developed by lead researcher and Harvard graduate, Dr. George Gittes, at the Rangos Research Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, works by reprogramming beta cells in the pancreas to restore their function, thereby replenishing levels of insulin. The novel infusion process uses an endoscope and an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector to deliver Pdx1 and MafA genes to the pancreas. The proteins these genes express transform alpha cells in the pancreas into functional beta-like cells, which can produce insulin but are distinct enough from beta cells to evade the body’s immune system.
The diabetes gene therapy has been tested in vivo in mice and nonhuman primates. In studies of diabetic mice, the gene therapy approach restored normal blood glucose levels for an extended period of time, typically around four months. According to Dr. Gittes, the duration of restored blood glucose levels in mice could translate to decades in humans. Following preclinical studies, Dr. Gittes and his team plan to begin a Phase I clinical trial in diabetic patients, which could be the first-ever gene therapy tested in humans for diabetes.

“One of the biggest advantages of this gene therapy is that it could eliminate the need for insulin replacement therapy for diabetic patients,” said Dr. Gittes. “Lifting this huge burden for the millions of patients who must continuously monitor blood glucose levels and inject insulin daily would be a breakthrough in modern medicine. This therapy has the potential to truly disrupt the diabetes market.”
Genprex will add this technology to its research and development pipeline, diversifying its portfolio and expanding its clinical development programs. The company will continue its focus on developing its immunogene therapies for cancer, including Oncoprex™ immunogene therapy, its lead drug candidate for non-small cell lung cancer, in parallel with development of the new diabetes gene therapy.
https://patch.com/michigan/farmington-mi/genprex-university-pittsburgh-sign-license-agreement