Genprex updates diabetes gene therapy collab, spins out new company

Genprex has updated its licensing agreement with University of Pittsburgh for multiple technologies for a gene therapy for type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as launched a new subsidiary to focus on its diabetes program development.

First announced in September 2024, the new subsidiary, which will be known as Convergen Biotech, will enable Genprex to separate its diabetes program from its oncology program. The company hopes this will expedite clinical development and enable potential direct investment and strategic collaboration into its diabetes program.

The new license agreement consolidates the Genprex’s licensed technologies from Pitt into a single updated agreement which replaces the existing license agreements. The amended and restated agreement grants Genprex a worldwide, exclusive license to patent applications and related technologies and a worldwide, non-exclusive license to use certain related know-how, all related to a gene therapy for both T1D and T2D using the genes of the Pdx1 and MafA transcription factors controlled by insulin, glucagon and MafB promoters. The license creates a comprehensive panel of gene therapies exclusively licensed by Genprex for the company’s diabetes gene therapy program.

Genprex’s diabetes gene therapy approach is comprised of a novel infusion process that uses an AAV vector to deliver Pdx1 and MafA genes directly to the pancreas. In models of type 1 diabetes, GPX-002 transforms alpha cells in the pancreas into functional beta-like cells, which can produce insulin but may be distinct enough from beta cells to evade the body’s immune system. In a similar approach, GPX-002 for type 2 diabetes, where autoimmunity is not at play, is believed to rejuvenate and replenish exhausted beta cells.