Ernexa Therapeutics Presents New Preclinical Data at American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting on Lead Cell Therapy Candidate for Treatment of Ovarian Cancer

Core Insights - Ernexa Therapeutics announced promising preclinical results for its lead cell therapy candidate, ERNA-101, showing significant survival benefits and immune activation in ovarian cancer models [1][5] - The proprietary platform utilizes induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to create induced mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs), which can effectively reprogram immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments into immune-active states [2][4] Company Overview - Ernexa Therapeutics is focused on developing innovative cell therapies for advanced cancer and autoimmune diseases, leveraging a scalable, off-the-shelf approach that does not require patient-specific cell harvesting [7][6] - The company’s lead product, ERNA-101, aims to enhance the immune system's ability to recognize and attack cancer cells, with a specific initial focus on ovarian cancer [8][9] Research Findings - The preclinical study demonstrated that iMSCs engineered to secrete interleukin-7 (IL-7) and interleukin-15 (IL-15) produced cytokine levels approximately 20-fold higher than those reported in engineered T-cell approaches, leading to robust T-cell expansion and activation [4][5] - In an ovarian cancer model, the administration of IL-7/IL-15-secreting iMSCs resulted in significant immune cell infiltration, macrophage polarization towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, and prolonged survival, indicating a shift from an immune-excluded to a highly inflamed tumor microenvironment [5][6] Future Directions - The company plans to advance ERNA-101 through additional preclinical testing, with first-in-human trials anticipated for the following year [6][4] - Ernexa Therapeutics views the ability to manufacture clonal, gene-modified cells at scale as a competitive advantage in the clinical development of its therapies [4]