DOYLESTOWN, PA — Aprea Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: APRE) is building patent protection around its two precision-oncology programs that could extend into the 2040s, reinforcing the intellectual-property position behind drug candidates targeting biomarker-defined cancers.
The clinical-stage company reported pending and granted patents covering its WEE1 kinase inhibitor and ATR inhibitor programs, including their compounds, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use.
Aprea’s WEE1 portfolio includes two pending U.S. patent applications, one pending U.S. provisional application, granted patents in Australia and Korea, and 12 pending applications outside the United States. If granted, patents in the WEE1 family would expire in 2047, excluding any additional regulatory exclusivity.
That portfolio covers APR-1051, Aprea’s lead WEE1 inhibitor, which is being evaluated in the ACESOT-1051 Phase 1 clinical trial involving patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors carrying certain cancer-associated gene alterations.
“A strong global intellectual property portfolio is a critical component of our strategy,” Chief Executive Officer Oren Gilad said, adding that the company intends to continue strengthening patent protection as its pipeline advances.
Aprea has a more mature patent estate around its ATR inhibitor program, with four granted U.S. patents, one pending U.S. application and one pending international application. Outside the U.S., the company has 22 granted patents and 13 pending applications.
Existing ATR patents expire between 2035 and 2037, while pending applications, if granted, could extend protection into 2045. Aprea also indicated that regulatory exclusivity of as much as five additional years may be available.
The ATR portfolio covers ATRN-119, for which Aprea established a recommended Phase 2 monotherapy dose of 1,100 milligrams once daily during the ABOYA-119 Phase 1/2a dose-escalation study in 2025.
Aprea subsequently closed that study to concentrate resources on APR-1051. The company is considering further development of ATRN-119 in combination with other cancer treatments, including radiation, chemotherapy, antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
The patent update spotlights Aprea’s effort to preserve potential long-term commercial rights around its oncology pipeline while directing current clinical-development resources toward APR-1051.
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