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Genprex and University of Pittsburgh Sign Exclusive License Agreement for Potentially Curative Gene Therapy Candidate for Diabetes
Company licenses patented diabetes gene therapy technology designed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Results from in vivo animal studies
About this update from Genprex, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\nCompany licenses patented diabetes gene therapy technology designed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh\n\n\nResults from in vivo animal studies indicate that normal glucose levels in the blood may be restored for an extended period of time\n\n\nCompany plans to partner for the clinical development and commercialization of this therapy in the U.S. and internationally\n\n\n AUSTIN, Texas & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nGenprex, 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.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200211005403/en/Genprex’s licensed diabetes gene therapy technology works to reprogram alpha cells in the pancreas into beta-like cells, restoring their function, thereby replenishing levels of insulin. Image source: Osipovich, Anna & Magnuson, Mark. (2018). Alpha to Beta Cell Reprogramming: Stepping toward a New Treatment for Diabetes. Cell Stem Cell. 22. 12-13. 10.1016/j.stem.2017.12.012. (Graphic: Business Wire)\n\nThe 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.\n\n\nThe 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 ...