On October 28, 2025 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, reported that its research collaborators presented positive preclinical data for Reqorsa Gene Therapy (quaratusugene ozeplasmid) for the treatment of ALK-EML4 positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
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The data were presented at the 2025 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper), which took place October 22-26, 2025 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.
"The preclinical data presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC reinforces our oncology program strategy that reintroduces tumor suppressor genes to target cancer cells," said Ryan Confer, President and Chief Executive Officer at Genprex. "These data also add to the existing preclinical data showing that REQORSA has significant activity on its own as well as when combined with other therapies in a mouse xenograft model with ALK-EML4 rearrangement. The combination of REQORSA and an ALK inhibitor led to longer survival in the mouse model. ALK-EML4 rearrangements occur in approximately 4% of all patients with NSCLC. We believe these positive data open a pathway for a potential future clinical trial in ALK-positive lung cancer."
The featured Genprex-supported poster presented at the 2025 EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics:
Title: "Quaratusugene ozeplasmid mediated TUSC2 upregulation in EML4-ALK bearing non-small cell lung carcinoma induces apoptosis and is highly effective in preclinical studies"
Collaborator: The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Session: Poster Session C
Session Date and Time: Saturday, October 25, 2025 from 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. ET
In the study researchers demonstrated that REQORSA can overexpress the tumor suppressor gene, TUSC2, in EML4-ALK+ NSCLC cell lines and patient derived organoids (PDOs). The upregulation of TUSC2 by REQORSA therapy induced apoptosis in ALK+ NSCLC cells, including those resistant to alectinib. Researchers also demonstrated that combining REQORSA with alectinib further increases apoptosis. Using in vivo mouse experiments with xenografts of a human ALK+-EML4 NSCLC cell line, treatment with REQORSA and alectinib together improved survival when compared to control. These experiments provide support for a trial of REQORSA in patients with ALK+-EML4 NSCLC.
This poster has been made available on Genprex’s website here.
About Reqorsa Gene Therapy
REQORSA (quaratusugene ozeplasmid) consists of a plasmid containing the TUSC2 gene encapsulated in non-viral lipid-based nanoparticles in a lipoplex form (the Company’s Oncoprex Delivery System), which has a positive charge. REQORSA is injected intravenously and specifically targets cancer cells. REQORSA is designed to deliver the functioning TUSC2 gene to negatively charged cancer cells while minimizing uptake by normal tissue. Laboratory studies conducted at MD Anderson show that the uptake of TUSC2 in tumor cells in vitro after REQORSA treatment was 10 to 33 times the uptake in normal cells.
(Press release, Genprex, OCT 28, 2025, View Source [SID1234657066])