On November 5, 2024 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 at Meharry Medical College will present a poster detailing positive preclinical data from a study of the Company’s lead drug candidate, Reqorsa Gene Therapy (quaratusugene ozeplasmid)evaluating TUSC2’s role in modulating immune responses in cancer (Press release, Genprex, NOV 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234647725]). The poster will be presented at the 39th Annual Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Meeting being held November 6-10, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
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"We are pleased to have our academic partner present their findings on REQORSA at this prestigious cancer meeting, expanding on REQORSA’s ability to modulate immune responses in cancer," said Ryan Confer, President and Chief Executive Officer at Genprex. "We continue to bolster the growing body of evidence supporting REQORSA’s anti-tumor mechanisms, highlighting its therapeutic potential to treat a variety of cancers."
The Genprex-supported poster to be presented at the 2024 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting:
Title: "TUSC2 Modulates Cancer Immune Responses"
Collaborator: Meharry Medical College
In this study, researchers used comparative flow cytometry analysis of splenocytes, lymph nodes cells, and tumor infiltrating leucocytes (TILs) from TUSC2 Knock Out (KO) and TUSC2 Wild Type (WT) mice. FACS analysis was focused on the differences in T reg, Cytotoxic T cells and NK cells between the two mice groups. For analysis of immune responses to tumors, researchers challenged two groups of TUSC2 KO mice with syngeneic 129 Sv background metastatic lung cancer 344SQ cells and injected one group with TUSC2-expressing lipoparticles (REQORSA).
In the REQORSA supplemented group, the tumor growth was diminished. A significant reduction in T reg and significant increase in Cytotoxic T cells and NK cells were observed within TILs. A significant increase in Granzyme B expression within Cytotoxic T cells and NK cells was shown in REQORSA supplemented mice compared to the control group.
This research expanded on previous studies showing that REQORSA modulates immune cells within the Tumor Micro Environment. REQORSA-dependent changes in immune cells correlated with the reduction in tumor size in the experimental group, indicating that REQORSA may carry anti-tumor potential even for individuals with low overall TUSC levels in various tissues due to aging, chronic inflammation, metabolic diseases, etc. This research documents that REQORSA treatment has been shown to lead to increased immune response against tumors in TUSC2 KO mice.
TUSC2 is the tumor suppressor gene used in REQORSA. REQORSA consists of a TUSC2 gene expressing plasmid 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.
Following the conference, the poster will be made available to download on Genprex’s website, where it can be reviewed in greater detail.