Advancing APR-1051 in HPV-Positive Cancers and Extended Cash Runway Underpin Aprea Therapeutics Buy Rating and $5 Target

Analyst Joseph Pantginis of H.C. Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating on Aprea Therapeutics, reducing the price target to $5.00.

Joseph Pantginis has given his Buy rating due to a combination of factors that highlight Aprea Therapeutics’ advancing clinical pipeline and strengthened financial position. He points to encouraging early data from the APR-1051 Phase 1 dose-escalation trial, which has shown a clean safety profile through mid-range doses and initial signals of anti-tumor activity, including durable stable disease and measurable tumor burden reduction. Pantginis emphasizes that the company is approaching several key inflection points, with updated APR-1051 safety and efficacy data expected in the first quarter of 2026 and completion of dose escalation anticipated shortly thereafter. These upcoming data events, combined with the drug’s next-generation WEE1 mechanism and biomarker-driven development strategy, support a favorable risk‑reward profile.

In addition, Pantginis highlights management’s decision to concentrate on HPV-positive cancers within the APR-1051 program after seeing early activity in an HPV-positive head and neck cancer patient and supportive preclinical evidence from a collaboration with MD Anderson. This focus on a biomarker-defined population with high unmet need may allow for a more efficient path toward registration, especially given data suggesting synergy with anti–PD-1 therapy. He also notes that the company has deliberately paused the ATRN-119 monotherapy trial to conserve capital and prioritize APR-1051, reflecting disciplined resource allocation around the most promising asset. Together with recent financing that extends the cash runway into the first quarter of 2027, Pantginis views Aprea as well positioned to deliver multiple value-creating catalysts in 2026, underpinning his Buy rating and $5 target price.

APRE’s price has also changed dramatically for the past six months – from $1.767 to $0.910, which is a -48.50% drop .