SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Anixa Biosciences, Inc. ("Anixa" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ANIX), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer, today announced that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council approved "liraltagene autoleucel" for the non-proprietary name of the Company's novel FSHR-targeted CAR-T therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer. This U.S. approval follows the earlier approval for international use of the name by the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) Expert Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO). The USAN and INN nomenclature schemes for CAR-T cell therapies follow a two-word structure describing the gene and cell component.
"The assignment of the non-proprietary name in the U.S. represents an important step in the development and potential future commercialization of our CAR-T therapy. With this approval, and the prior approval by the INN Expert Committee of the WHO, we have the ability to establish a universally recognized and conflict-free non-proprietary drug name for our CAR-T therapy on a world-wide basis," said Dr. Amit Kumar, Chairman and CEO of Anixa. "We remain focused on the successful execution of our ongoing Phase 1 trial of liraltagene autoleucel, or lira-cel, for the treatment of ovarian cancer. The Phase 1 study is being conducted in partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center."
A USAN is a non-proprietary name selected by the USAN Council to ensure safety, consistency and logic in the choice of names of U.S. medications. The USAN Council is co-sponsored by the American Medical Association, the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, and the American Pharmacists Association. Each USAN is unique and is used to identify active pharmaceutical ingredients and ensures the clear identification, safe prescription and dispensing of medicines to patients.
About liraltagene autoleucel
Liraltagene autoleucel, or lira-cel, is a follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR)-mediated chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CAR-T) technology that targets FSHR, which is exclusively expressed on normal ovarian cells, tumor vasculature, and certain cancer cells. Since the target is a hormone (chimeric endocrine) receptor, and the target-binding domain is derived from its natural ligand, this technology is also known as CER-T (chimeric endocrine receptor-T cell) therapy, a new type of CAR-T. Liraltagene autoleucel is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human trial (NCT05316129) that is enrolling adult women with recurrent ovarian cancer who have progressed after at least two prior therapies. The study is designed to evaluate safety, identify the maximum tolerated dose, and monitor clinical activity. Lira-cel is based on technology exclusively licensed to Anixa by The Wistar Institute.
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. 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 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 Company'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. Cleveland Clinic is 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. To learn more, visit www.anixa.com or follow Anixa on LinkedIn, X, 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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