What Anixa Biosciences does

Anixa Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIX) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing immunotherapies for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Originally incorporated in Delaware in 1982 as ITUS Corporation and taken public in 1983, the company rebranded and pivoted to biotechnology in the early 2020s, with headquarters in San Jose, California and a small operating team of 1–10 employees.

The company's pipeline is built around two proprietary technology platforms. The first is a 'retired protein' cancer vaccine strategy, in which the immune system is primed against proteins that are normally expressed only in restricted tissues (e.g., α-lactalbumin in lactating breast tissue and AMHR2 in premenopausal ovaries) but re-emerge in malignancies. Lead programs include a breast cancer vaccine targeting α-lactalbumin — which completed Phase 1 with a 74% immune response rate across 35 participants and advanced into Phase 2 in April 2026 — and an ovarian cancer vaccine targeting AMHR2 in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic and the NCI. The second platform is Chimeric Endocrine Receptor-T cell (CER-T) therapy, an FSHR-targeted CAR-T approach using a natural FSH ligand rather than an antibody fragment; the lead asset, liraltagene autoleucel (lira-cel), is in a Phase 1 trial at Moffitt Cancer Center for recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, with survival observations reported up to 28 months in heavily pretreated patients. Core science is licensed from Cleveland Clinic (vaccines) and the Wistar Institute (CER-T), with clinical operations conducted at Cleveland Clinic, Moffitt, Roswell Park, and the University of Chicago.

Anixa is pre-revenue and operates a capital-efficient, partnership-driven model. It licenses patented technologies from academic institutions (Cleveland Clinic, Wistar, Duke), conducts development with contract research and manufacturing organizations such as Cytovance Biologics, and intends to partner with larger pharmaceutical companies for worldwide commercialization rather than building its own sales infrastructure. Future revenue is expected to flow from licensing royalties, milestone payments, and ultimately partnered product sales across oncology indications including triple-negative breast cancer, recurrent ovarian cancer, and high-risk genetic populations (BRCA1/2, PALB2 carriers).

Name

Anixa Biosciences

Legal name

Anixa Biosciences, Inc.

Website

https://anixa.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Anixa Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapies — including a 'retired protein' breast cancer vaccine (Phase 2) and an FSHR-targeted CAR-T therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer (Phase 1) — with future commercialization planned through pharmaceutical partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Immunotherapy

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy) (HLAAAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oncology & Hematology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAC), Clinical Development & Regulatory for Vaccines (trials, pharmacovigilance, lot release) (HLAAAEAK), Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK)

Keywords

• Cancer immunotherapy
• CAR-T therapy
• Cancer vaccines
• Breast cancer treatment
• Ovarian cancer treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Melville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Royalties: Anixa licenses its technologies from research institutions (Cleveland Clinic, Wistar Institute) and may sublicense or co-develop with larger pharmaceutical companies. Cleveland Clinic is entitled to royalties and other commercialization revenues from vaccine technologies.
2. Milestone Payments: Potential future milestone payments from pharmaceutical partnerships related to clinical development, regulatory approvals, and commercialization achievements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Anixa Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing proprietary cancer immunotherapies, including a Chimeric Endocrine Receptor-T cell (CER-T) therapy (liraltagene autoleucel) for recurrent ovarian cancer and "retired protein" vaccines targeting α-lactalbumin for breast cancer and AMHR2 for ovarian cancer. The company in-licenses technologies from leading research institutions and conducts clinical trials with the goal of partnering with pharmaceutical companies for worldwide commercialization.

Product overview

Anixa Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a portfolio of cancer immunotherapies and vaccines. The pipeline consists of liraltagene autoleucel (lira-cel), a CAR-T/CER-T therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer in Phase 1 trials; a breast cancer vaccine targeting α-lactalbumin which completed Phase 1 and is advancing to Phase 2; an ovarian cancer vaccine targeting AMHR2; and a discovery-stage program for lung, colon, and prostate cancer vaccines. All vaccine programs use a proprietary retired-protein vaccine strategy developed in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liraltagene Autoleucel (lira-cel) An FSHR-targeted CAR-T (CER-T) therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer using genetically engineered patient T cells to target the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor on tumor cells. Administered via intraperitoneal route. Currently in Phase 1 clinical trial at Moffitt Cancer Center.
• Breast Cancer Vaccine A vaccine targeting human α-lactalbumin protein for treatment and prevention of breast cancer. Based on retired-protein vaccine strategy, designed to prime the immune system against tumor cells expressing α-lactalbumin while avoiding harm to normal tissue. Completed Phase 1 with 74% immune response rate and is advancing to Phase 2.
• Ovarian Cancer Vaccine

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% of participants demonstrated protocol-defined immune responses in Phase 1 breast cancer vaccine trial
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cytovance BiologicsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 April 2026Development and manufacturing agreement with Cytovance Biologics, a full-service contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), to produce cGMP clinical materials for Phase 2 breast cancer vaccine trial.
• Cleveland CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleveland Clinic is Anixa's primary strategic partner for cancer vaccine development. The breast and ovarian cancer vaccines were developed at Cleveland Clinic and exclusively licensed to Anixa. Cleveland Clinic is entitled to royalties and commercialization revenues. Phase 1 trials conducted at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. G. Thomas Budd and Dr. Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck as principal investigators.
• Moffitt Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoffitt Cancer Center is Anixa's partner for ovarian cancer CAR-T therapy (lira-cel) development. The ongoing Phase 1 trial is conducted at Moffitt with Dr. Robert M. Wenham as principal investigator. Moffitt is a world leader in cancer immunotherapy including CAR-T and TILs. The technology was developed using Wistar Institute's CER-T platform.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCI collaborates with Anixa and Cleveland Clinic on ovarian cancer vaccine development, supporting the AMHR2-targeted immunoprevention approach.
• Wistar InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationFSHR-mediated CAR-T technology exclusively licensed to Anixa by The Wistar Institute. Dr. Jose Conejo-Garcia, co-inventor of the technology, is Professor at Duke University and previously worked at Wistar.
• Roswell Park Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on lira-cel CAR-T therapy presentation at New York Academy of Sciences symposium, with Dr. Marco L. Davila from Department of Medicine involved in the project.
• University of Chicago School of MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on lira-cel CAR-T therapy program with Dr. Richard Koya from University of Chicago involved in the project team.
• Duke University Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on lira-cel CAR-T therapy with Dr. Jose Conejo-Garcia, co-inventor of FSHR-mediated CAR-T technology and Professor of Immunology, involved in the project.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Moderna: Partnered with Merck on mRNA-4157 (V940), a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine. Directly comparable to Anixa as a clinical-stage therapeutic cancer-vaccine developer, with overlapping indication strategies in oncology.
• BioNTech: Develops mRNA-based cancer vaccines, including individualized neoantigen programs for melanoma and other solid tumors. Directly comparable to Anixa as a therapeutic cancer-vaccine developer using novel biological platforms, with a similar strategic focus on oncology immunotherapy.
• ImmunoGen: Developed Elahere (mirvetuximab soravtansine), approved for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer—the same indication as Anixa's lira-cel CAR-T. Directly comparable as a focused ovarian cancer therapy developer targeting the same underserved patient population.

Emerging players

• Gritstone bio: Develops neoantigen-based cancer vaccines (SLATE, GRANITE programs) for solid tumors including colorectal cancer. Comparable to Anixa's cancer vaccine pipeline with a similar therapeutic-vaccine mechanism but using distinct delivery platforms.
• Allogene Therapeutics: Develops allogeneic (off-the-shelf) CAR-T therapies, including candidates in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Comparable as a CAR-T developer; while Anixa's lira-cel is autologous, Allogene represents the emerging competitive modality Anixa's autologous approach will be benchmarked against.

Broad incumbents

• Merck & Co. Keytruda is approved for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the lead indication for Anixa's breast cancer vaccine. Merck also partners with Moderna on the mRNA-4157 cancer vaccine. Comparable as a major oncology incumbent with overlapping indication strategy and potential partnership interest in Anixa's pipeline.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb: Markets multiple CAR-T therapies (Breyanzi, Abecma) and checkpoint inhibitors (Opdivo) used in ovarian cancer. Comparable as a broad oncology incumbent with an established CAR-T franchise—directly relevant to Anixa's lira-cel CAR-T program and potential acquirer profile.
• Gilead Sciences (Kite Pharma): Through Kite Pharma, markets Yescarta and Tecartus CAR-T therapies. One of the established commercial leaders in cell therapy, directly comparable to Anixa's CAR-T development effort and a logical potential commercialization partner for lira-cel.
• Novartis: Markets Kymriah, the first FDA-approved CAR-T therapy. Comparable as a broad oncology incumbent with deep CAR-T experience and a relevant acquirer/partner profile for clinical-stage CAR-T developers like Anixa.
• AstraZeneca: Markets Lynparza (PARP inhibitor for BRCA-mutated breast and ovarian cancer) and Enhertu for breast cancer, plus checkpoint inhibitor Imfinzi. Comparable as a broad oncology incumbent with overlapping indications (BRCA+ breast, ovarian cancer) and a potential partner for Anixa's breast cancer vaccine in the BRCA-mutation population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ituscorp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChbBxir26JYqSTgCNcyDmuQ/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/anixabiosciences
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anixabiosciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Anixa Biosciences