Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (APRE) highlighted emerging clinical activity for its WEE1 inhibitor APR-1051, including a confirmed partial response in its ongoing Phase 1 ACESOT-1051 trial, while also securing an oversubscribed $30 million private placement to support continued development.
Aprea is developing APR-1051 as a targeted therapy for biomarker- defined cancers, aiming to exploit vulnerabilities in tumors with specific genetic alterations.
APR-1051 Shows Confirmed Partial Response in Phase 1 TrialIn the ACESOT-1051 Phase 1 study, Aprea reported a confirmed partial response in a patient with PPP2R1A-mutated endometrial cancer treated at the 220 mg once-daily dose level. The patient achieved a 50% reduction in target lesion size at the first imaging assessment, which was further confirmed at the second assessment with an additional 9.5% reduction. CA-125 levels also declined from 362 U/mL at baseline to 40.2 U/mL.
To date, 24 patients have been treated across dose levels ranging from 10 mg to 220 mg once daily. Two patients with PPP2R1A-mutated endometrial cancer have achieved partial responses, and five additional patients have achieved stable disease.
APR-1051 has been generally well tolerated, with most adverse events reported as Grade 1 or 2, primarily nausea and fatigue.
Dose escalation is ongoing, with plans to advance to the 300 mg dose level in the second quarter of 2026. Aprea also plans to enroll additional patients whose tumor types or mutations may increase the likelihood of response, including those with uterine serous carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and HPV-positive tumors.
Company Expands Enrollment Plans for High-Need Patient Groups
In connection with the financing, Aprea stated that, beyond the existing biomarker-enriched cohorts in ACESOT-1051, it will use commercially reasonable efforts to enroll at least 50 patients with uterine serous carcinoma (USC) and additional patients with Cyclin E-overexpressing, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC). These groups represent populations with significant unmet medical need.
The company anticipates completing dose escalation in the second quarter of 2027.
Aprea Announces Oversubscribed $30 Million Private Placement
Aprea also announced an oversubscribed $30 million private placement led by Soleus Capital, with participation from Vestal Point Capital, Squadron Capital Management, and other new and existing investors.
As part of the offering, the company plans to sell:
-Pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 37.2 million shares at a price of $0.808 minus $0.001 per warrant, and
- Warrants to purchase up to 37.2 million shares of common stock, exercisable at $0.683 per share.
The offering is expected to close on or about March 31, 2026, subject to customary conditions.
Aprea intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes and research and development activities. Based on current plans and assumptions, the company expects the financing to extend its cash runway into the first quarter of 2028.
APRE has traded between $0.54 and $2.30 over the past year. The stock closed Friday's trading (March 27, 2026) at $0.68, down 2.43%. In pre-market trading the stock is at $0.74 up 8.35%.
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