On April 22, 2026 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’ abstract has been selected for publication at the upcoming 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting taking place May 29 – June 2, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The abstract details positive clinical data from studies of predictive biomarkers in patients receiving its lead drug candidate, Reqorsa Gene Therapy (quaratusugene ozeplasmid), for the treatment of lung cancer.
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"We are pleased to be selected for publication at the 2026 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, one of the leading medical meetings for physicians and oncology professionals caring for people with cancer," said Ryan Confer, President and Chief Executive Officer at Genprex. "We are also excited to share our latest research on predictive biomarkers that may help enrich our lung cancer clinical trials. We believe this research may help predict patient response to REQORSA treatment, which could lead to improved patient outcomes."
The featured Genprex-supported abstract at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2026:
Title: "Predictive biomarkers for PFS in patients receiving quaratusugene ozeplasmid"
Abstract Number: e15184
About Reqorsa Gene Therapy
REQORSA Gene Therapy (quaratusugene ozeplasmid) decreases tumor glucose metabolism, interrupts cell signaling pathways that cause replication and proliferation of cancer cells, targets and kills cancer cells, and stimulates the natural immune responses against cancer. It re-expresses TUSC2 protein in the cell and also increases the anti-tumor immune cell population and down-regulates PD-L1, thereby potentially boosting the immune response to cancer.
REQORSA consists of a TUSC2 gene expressing plasmid encapsulated in non-viral lipid-based nanoparticles in a lipoplex form, which has a positive charge. REQORSA is designed to deliver the functioning TUSC2 gene to cancer cells while minimizing uptake by normal tissue. REQORSA is injected intravenously and specifically targets cancer cells. Cancer cells have elevated metabolism compared to healthy cells and as a result, are negatively charged compared to healthy cells, which are generally charge neutral. Thus, there is an electrostatic attraction of REQORSA to cancer cells. Cancers also have a leaky vasculature, so REQORSA leaks out of the blood vessels and can be taken up by cancer cells, which have a greater rate of pinocytosis (uptake of extracellular material) than normal cells. 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. Biopsies in three patients with NSCLC treated with REQORSA show major increases in TUSC2 protein expression in the tumor cells one day after REQORSA administration. We believe that REQORSA is the first systemic gene therapy to be used for cancer in humans.
(Press release, Genprex, APR 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234664680])