Company Description
Monopar Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: MNPR) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. According to its public disclosures and recent press releases, Monopar is advancing a late-stage drug candidate for Wilson disease and a set of radiopharmaceutical programs aimed at imaging and treating advanced cancers.
Core focus and therapeutic areas
Monopar describes itself as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with late-stage ALXN1840 for Wilson disease, a rare and progressive genetic condition in which the body’s pathway for removing excess copper is compromised, leading to toxic copper build-up in organs such as the liver and brain. The company’s programs also include radiopharmaceutical candidates designed for both imaging and therapy in patients with advanced cancers.
Public communications state that Monopar’s radiopharmaceutical pipeline includes:
- MNPR-101-Zr, a Phase 1-stage imaging agent for advanced cancers.
- MNPR-101-Lu, a Phase 1a-stage therapeutic radiopharmaceutical for the treatment of advanced cancers.
- MNPR-101-Ac (also referenced as MNPR-101-Ac225), a late preclinical-stage therapeutic candidate for advanced cancers.
ALXN1840 for Wilson disease
Monopar reports that it is advancing ALXN1840 (tiomolybdate choline) as an investigational therapy for Wilson disease. Company press releases describe multiple clinical data sets for ALXN1840, including:
- Phase 2 copper balance data (ALXN1840-WD-204) showing that treatment with ALXN1840 led to rapid and sustained improvement in daily copper balance in patients with Wilson disease, primarily through increased fecal copper excretion.
- Analyses indicating statistically significant improvements in copper balance over defined treatment periods in the ALXN1840-WD-204 study.
- Pooled long-term neurological efficacy and safety data from several clinical trials, with reported sustained neurological and psychiatric improvements in Wilson disease patients treated with ALXN1840, as measured by established rating scales.
Monopar’s disclosures note that these data have been presented at major scientific meetings, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) – The Liver Meeting and the American Neurological Association (ANA) Annual Meeting, and have been discussed in a peer-reviewed Letter to the Editor in the Journal of Hepatology.
Radiopharmaceutical programs and MNPR‑101 platform
Monopar’s radiopharmaceutical work centers on MNPR‑101, which it describes as a proprietary antibody targeting the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). Public statements indicate that uPAR is expressed in numerous tumor types, including pancreatic, breast, colorectal, ovarian, and bladder cancers. By selectively targeting uPAR, Monopar states that it aims to deliver radiopharmaceutical agents to tumors while limiting exposure to healthy tissue.
The company’s disclosures describe the following MNPR‑101-based agents:
- MNPR‑101‑Zr: MNPR‑101 conjugated to zirconium‑89, designed for imaging advanced cancers and used in first-in-human imaging and dosimetry studies.
- MNPR‑101‑Lu: MNPR‑101 conjugated to lutetium‑177, designed as an investigational treatment for advanced solid cancers and evaluated in first-in-human therapeutic trials.
- MNPR‑101‑Ac / MNPR‑101‑Ac225: a late preclinical-stage therapeutic candidate intended for the treatment of advanced cancers.
According to Monopar’s press releases, Phase 1 imaging and therapeutic clinical trials with MNPR‑101‑Zr and MNPR‑101‑Lu are active and enrolling in Australia. The company also reports that a physician-sponsored Expanded Access Program for MNPR‑101‑Zr and MNPR‑101‑Lu in patients with advanced solid tumors has received authorization to proceed from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is open for enrollment at a nuclear medicine center in Houston, Texas.
Regulatory and clinical development activities
Monopar has disclosed several regulatory milestones and development activities:
- The company reports that sponsorship of the investigational new drug (IND) application for ALXN1840 was transferred from Alexion Pharmaceuticals to Monopar, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acknowledging the change and confirming that Monopar is responsible for the program and its regulatory obligations.
- Monopar has stated that it is preparing to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for ALXN1840 to the FDA.
- The company has announced U.S. FDA clearance of an IND application for MNPR‑101‑Lu covering a Phase 1, open-label, multicenter dosimetry and dose-escalation trial in patients with uPAR-expressing advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Monopar notes that this IND incorporates proprietary linker technology designed to enhance the stability and biodistribution of its therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals.
Capital markets and corporate profile
Monopar states that its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol MNPR. The company has reported inclusion in the Russell 3000 Index and automatic inclusion in the Russell 2000 Index following the annual reconstitution of the Russell U.S. Indexes, characterizing itself as part of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market.
The company has also disclosed capital-raising activities, including an underwritten registered offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants conducted pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S‑3. Monopar has described the use of proceeds from such offerings for research and development, clinical trial expenditures, manufacture and supply of product, working capital, and a share repurchase from an existing significant stockholder.
Location and corporate governance
SEC filings list Monopar Therapeutics Inc. with a principal location in Wilmette, Illinois. The company files periodic and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Forms 8‑K that describe financial results, clinical and scientific presentations, capital markets transactions, and outcomes of its annual meeting of stockholders. These filings detail matters such as the election of directors, advisory votes on executive compensation, and ratification of the company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
Summary of business model
Based on its public statements, Monopar’s business model centers on discovering, acquiring, and developing clinical-stage drug candidates in areas of significant unmet medical need. Its current focus, as described in press releases and SEC filings, is on advancing ALXN1840 for Wilson disease and MNPR‑101-based radiopharmaceutical programs for advanced cancers through clinical development and regulatory interactions.