SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 7, 2024 - 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
SOURCE Anixa Biosciences, Inc.
