SAN
JOSE, Calif., Oct. 7, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Anixa Biosciences, Inc. ("Anixa" or the "Company")
(NASDAQ: ANIX), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment
and prevention of cancer, today announced the appointment of
Suyasha Gupta as Senior Director of Clinical Development. In this
role, Ms. Gupta will work closely with Dr. Pamela Garzone, Chief Development Officer, to
oversee the Company's ongoing Phase 1 breast cancer vaccine and
Phase 1 ovarian cancer CAR-T therapy clinical trials, as well as
the upcoming Phase 2 breast cancer vaccine clinical trial.
Suyasha Gupta is an accomplished clinical development scientist
with deep expertise in executing late-stage oncology and hematology
clinical trials. Prior to joining Anixa, Ms. Gupta served as a
Clinical Scientist at Genentech, where she managed critical Phase 2
and 3 studies across the cancer immunotherapy pipeline. Her
experience spans multiple indications (renal cell and bladder
cancer, follicular lymphoma) and molecules (Atezolizumab,
Mosunetuzumab). Her strength in clinical development also stems
from her prior experience in clinical operations where she managed
biomarker strategies for global trials across a diverse range of
therapeutic areas, including Oncology and Ophthalmology. Ms Gupta
is a dedicated leader in inclusive research, advancing multiple
initiatives to bolster diverse patient recruitment at Genentech.
She holds a Master's in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
"We are pleased to welcome Suyasha to our team," said Dr.
Garzone. "Her extensive experience managing complex oncology
trials, coupled with her proven ability to lead clinical
development programs, will be an invaluable asset as we advance our
pipeline of innovative therapies. Suyasha's expertise in oncology,
particularly in the design and execution of late-stage clinical
trials, aligns perfectly with our strategic goals. Her
contributions will be especially critical, not only for our current
trials, but also as we embark on later stage trials."
"I am excited to join Anixa, working on advancing cutting edge
science to develop therapies in areas with critical unmet need.
Their cancer vaccine and CAR-T program have a strong potential to
provide patients with new treatment options. I am looking forward
to working with the team as we take these platforms into late-stage
development," stated Ms. Gupta.
"We recently unveiled plans for our breast cancer vaccine Phase
2 trial, which will focus on a therapeutic approach rather than
prevention, a strategy we believe will lead to a faster and more
cost-effective path to approval. This strategy not only offers a
faster route to regulatory success but also ensures a more
cost-effective approach, maximizing the impact of our resources.
With Suyasha's leadership and expertise, we are confident that we
will bring this promising therapy to patients more efficiently and
effectively," concluded Dr. Garzone.
About Anixa Bioscience's Breast Cancer Vaccine
Anixa's breast cancer vaccine takes advantage of endogenously
produced proteins that have a function at certain times in life,
but then become "retired" and disappear from the body. One such
protein is a breast-specific lactation protein, α-lactalbumin,
which is no longer found post-lactation in normal, aging tissues,
but is present in certain breast cancers. Activating the immune
system against this "retired" protein provides preemptive immune
protection against emerging breast tumors that express
α-lactalbumin. The vaccine also contains an adjuvant that activates
an innate immune response, which allows the immune system to mount
a response against emerging tumors to prevent them from
growing.
Initial Phase 1 data was presented at the San Antonio Breast
Cancer Symposium in December 2023.
The data showed no safety concerns, with protocol defined immune
responses observed in a majority of patients. Additional data from
the Phase 1 trial will be presented at the Society for
Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in early November 2024.
The Phase 1 trial is conducted in collaboration with Cleveland
Clinic and is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of
Defense. Anixa is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the novel
breast cancer vaccine technology developed at Cleveland Clinic. The
grant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense was provided to
Cleveland Clinic.
This vaccine technology was invented by the late Dr.
Vincent Tuohy, who was the Mort and
Iris November Distinguished Chair in Innovative Breast Cancer
Research in the Department of Inflammation and Immunity at
Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. Cleveland Clinic
exclusively licensed this technology to Anixa Biosciences. Dr.
Tuohy was entitled to a portion of the commercialization revenues
received by Cleveland Clinic and also held equity in Anixa.
About Anixa Biosciences, Inc.
Anixa is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the
treatment and prevention of cancer. Anixa's therapeutic portfolio
consists of an ovarian cancer immunotherapy program 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. The Company's vaccine portfolio includes vaccines being
developed in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic to prevent breast
cancer – specifically triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the
most lethal form of the disease – 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. 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.
To learn more, visit www.anixa.com or follow Anixa on Twitter,
LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements that are not historical fact may be considered
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements are not statements of historical facts, but rather
reflect Anixa's current expectations concerning future events and
results. We generally use the words "believes," "expects,"
"intends," "plans," "anticipates," "likely," "will" and similar
expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Such
forward-looking statements, including those concerning our
expectations, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, some
of which are beyond our control, which may cause our actual
results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be
materially different from any future results, performance, or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are
not limited to, those factors set forth in "Item 1A - Risk Factors"
and other sections of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as
well as in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports
on Form 8-K. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
You are cautioned not to unduly rely on such forward-looking
statements when evaluating the information presented in this press
release.
Contact:
Mike Catelani
President, COO & CFO
mcatelani@anixa.com
408-708-9808
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SOURCE Anixa Biosciences, Inc.
