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 keynote address at the SCTR 2026 Retreat highlights the growing interest in cell-based therapies, particularly CAR-T treatments, which have shown promise in hematologic malignancies but face challenges in solid tumors. Anixa’s lira-cel employs a novel chimeric endocrine receptor-T cell (CER-T) technology, which uses the natural ligand of the FSHR receptor, FSH, to bind to tumor cells instead of an antibody fragment. This differentiation could potentially overcome some of the limitations of traditional CAR-T therapies in solid tumors, such as antigen escape and poor tumor infiltration.
The Phase 1 trial for lira-cel is being conducted in collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center, a world leader in cancer immunotherapy. The study targets women with recurrent ovarian cancer who have exhausted at least two prior lines of therapy, a patient population with limited treatment options. If successful, lira-cel could offer a new therapeutic avenue for this aggressive disease, which is often diagnosed at advanced stages and has a high recurrence rate.
Anixa’s broader pipeline includes vaccine technologies developed with Cleveland Clinic aimed at preventing and treating breast, ovarian, and other cancers. These vaccines target “retired” proteins expressed in certain cancers, leveraging the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. The company’s business model involves partnering with renowned research institutions to advance these technologies through development and commercialization.
The announcement of Conejo-Garcia’s keynote underscores the scientific community’s interest in Anixa’s approach. As a co-inventor, his insights into the CER-T platform are highly anticipated. The retreat will bring together researchers and clinicians to discuss the translation of cell-based therapies from bench to bedside, making Anixa’s presentation a focal point for those tracking advances in ovarian cancer treatment.
