Aprea Therapeutics Announces Dosing of Patient with HPV+ Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) in Ongoing ACESOT-1051 Trial

Core Insights - Aprea Therapeutics has initiated dosing of the first patient with HPV+ head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the ACESOT-1051 clinical trial evaluating APR-1051, marking a significant milestone in the study [1][4] - The ACESOT-1051 trial aims to assess the safety and efficacy of APR-1051, a WEE1 inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors, particularly those with specific gene alterations [3][5] Company Overview - Aprea Therapeutics is focused on developing innovative cancer treatments that target specific vulnerabilities in cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy cells [1][7] - The company's lead product, APR-1051, is a small molecule designed to address tolerability issues associated with the WEE1 class of inhibitors [3][7] Clinical Trial Details - The ACESOT-1051 trial is a Phase 1 study that will evaluate APR-1051's safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy in advanced solid tumors [5][6] - The trial consists of two parts: Part 1 focuses on dose escalation with an expected enrollment of up to 39 patients, while Part 2 aims for dose optimization with up to 40 patients [5][6] HPV+ Cancer Context - HPV+ head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is characterized by defects in the DNA damage response pathway, making it a potential target for WEE1 inhibition [2] - Approximately 70% of the 20,000 annual cases of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in the U.S. are linked to HPV [2]