Anixa Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIX) announced that Jose Conejo-Garcia, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Immunology at Duke University School of Medicine and co-inventor of Anixa's CAR-T technology, will deliver a keynote presentation at the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute 2026 Retreat: Cell-Based Therapies from Discovery to Translation on March 6, 2026. His remarks are expected to include discussion of Anixa's ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of liraltagene autoleucel, or lira-cel, an FSHR-targeted CAR-T therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer first discovered at The Wistar Institute, with the study enrolling women who have progressed after at least two prior therapies.
The selection of Dr. Conejo-Garcia as a keynote speaker at this prestigious research retreat underscores the scientific significance of Anixa's ovarian cancer immunotherapy program. The company's therapeutic portfolio consists of lira-cel, an ovarian cancer immunotherapy being developed in collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center, which uses a novel type of CAR-T known as chimeric endocrine receptor-T cell (CER-T) technology. This technology is differentiated from other cell therapies as the natural ligand of the FSHR receptor, FSH, binds to the FSHR receptor on the tumor cell instead of an antibody fragment.
Moffitt Cancer Center, Anixa's collaborator on the lira-cel program, is a world leader in cancer immunotherapy treatments, pioneering next-generation cell therapies such as CAR-T and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) to harness the power of the immune system. The Phase 1 trial represents a critical step in translating laboratory discoveries into potential clinical benefits for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, a condition with limited treatment options after multiple prior therapies have failed.
Beyond its therapeutic programs, Anixa's vaccine portfolio includes vaccines being developed in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic to treat and prevent breast cancer and ovarian cancer, as well as additional cancer vaccines to address many intractable cancers, including high incidence malignancies in lung, colon, and prostate. These vaccine technologies focus on immunizing against "retired" proteins that have been found to be expressed in certain forms of cancer. The breast and ovarian cancer vaccines were developed at Cleveland Clinic and exclusively licensed to Anixa, with Cleveland Clinic entitled to royalties and other commercialization revenues from the Company related to these vaccine technologies.
Anixa's unique business model of partnering with world-renowned research institutions on all stages of development allows the Company to continually examine emerging technologies in complementary fields for further development and commercialization. The upcoming presentation at the South Carolina research retreat provides a platform to showcase the scientific foundation of Anixa's approach to cancer treatment and prevention. For more information about Anixa Biosciences, visit https://www.anixa.com.
The implications of this announcement extend beyond a single speaking engagement. The inclusion of Anixa's research in a major translational research conference indicates growing recognition within the scientific community of the company's innovative approach to cancer immunotherapy. For patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, the ongoing Phase 1 trial represents hope for a new treatment modality that could potentially extend survival and improve quality of life. For the biotechnology industry, Anixa's model of collaborating with leading research institutions like Moffitt Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic demonstrates an alternative pathway for drug development that leverages academic expertise while maintaining commercial focus.
The presentation scheduled for 2026 suggests that Anixa anticipates continued progress in its clinical development programs over the coming years. As cell-based therapies gain increasing prominence in oncology treatment, companies developing differentiated approaches like Anixa's CER-T technology may be well-positioned to address unmet medical needs in difficult-to-treat cancers. The focus on ovarian cancer is particularly significant given the limited treatment options available for patients who have progressed after multiple lines of therapy, making any advancement in this area potentially transformative for patient care.
