aibioAprea Therapeutics reports expanded patent portfolio for WEE1 and ATR programs
Tickers APRE
Aprea said it holds 28 issued and 30 pending patents for its precision oncology programs, with the WEE1 family of applications expiring in 2047 if granted.
Key facts
- Company
- Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: APRE)
- News type
- Company Updates
- Primary source
- Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. 8-K (2026-08-28)
Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APRE) announced on August 28, 2026 that it has expanded the intellectual property portfolio for its precision oncology programs, which now includes 28 issued and 30 pending patents. The announcement was issued from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and was furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission in a Form 8-K filed the same day.
Aprea describes itself as a clinical-stage precision medicine oncology company focused on targeted therapies for patients with biomarker-defined cancers. Its lead programs are APR-1051, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of WEE1 kinase, and ATRN-119, a small molecule ATR inhibitor. Both are in clinical development for solid tumor indications.
The WEE1 program
The intellectual property covering the WEE1 kinase inhibitor program includes two pending U.S. patent applications, one pending U.S. provisional application, two granted non-U.S. patents in Australia and Korea, and 12 pending non-U.S. patent applications. The release says the WEE1 family of applications, if granted, will expire in 2047, not including any regulatory exclusivities that may be awarded. The portfolio covers compounds, compositions and methods of use.
APR-1051 is being evaluated in the ACESOT-1051 Phase 1 trial in advanced or metastatic solid tumors harboring certain cancer-associated gene alterations. The study plans nine cohorts evaluating doses of 10 mg to 300 mg once daily. As of March 2, 2026, the company was enrolling cohort 8 at a dose of 220 mg once daily.
The annual report describes two unconfirmed partial responses. On January 29, 2026, the company announced a patient with PPP2R1A-mutated uterine serous carcinoma, a form of endometrial cancer, treated at the 150 mg dose level. At the protocol-defined 8-week first imaging assessment, the patient achieved a 50% reduction in target lesion size, and CA-125 fell from 732 to 70 U/mL. On February 18, 2026, the company announced a second patient with PPP2R1A-mutated endometrial cancer, treated at the 220 mg dose level, who also achieved a 50% reduction in target lesion size, with CA-125 falling from 362 to 47 U/mL. The company says preliminary results indicate that APR-1051 has been safe and well tolerated to date.
The ATR program
The ATR inhibitor program is protected by four granted U.S. patents, one pending U.S. application and one pending international application. The release also cites 22 granted non-U.S. patents and 13 pending non-U.S. patent applications. The granted patents expire between 2035 and 2037, and the pending applications, if granted, could extend exclusivity into 2045. Additional regulatory exclusivities of up to five years may also be available.
ATRN-119, also called mosipasertib, is an oral macrocyclic ATR inhibitor. During 2025, Aprea determined the recommended Phase 2 monotherapy dose of 1,100 mg once daily in the ABOYA-119 Phase 1/2a dose-escalation study. The company then closed that study to focus resources on APR-1051. The release says Aprea is considering combination approaches for ATRN-119.
Financial position
The company's SEC XBRL financial data show a net loss of $12.6 million for fiscal 2025, compared with $13.0 million for fiscal 2024. Cash from operations was negative $12.9 million in fiscal 2025 and negative $13.6 million in fiscal 2024. The data state that cash and cash equivalents were $41.2 million at June 30, 2026, according to the company's quarterly report. The annual report was filed on March 16, 2026.
What the patent news does not show
The patent count says nothing about whether either drug works. Most of the WEE1 filings are still pending, and the evidence so far is two unconfirmed partial responses in a dose-escalation study, which the annual report calls unconfirmed. The company closed the ATR study after setting a dose and is now only considering combination work, so that program is not in active enrollment. Aprea had $41.2 million in cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2026, against $12.9 million of cash used in operations in 2025, and it reported a net loss of $12.6 million. The annual report says Aprea expects to complete dose escalation in the ACESOT-1051 study in the third quarter of 2026. It also expects APR-1602, a macrocyclic DYRK1A/B inhibitor, to be ready to enter IND-enabling studies in the fourth quarter of 2026.