—It’s one of the toughest cancers to treat, and so has one of the most dismal survival rates. Almost 30,000 women a year in the United States alone develop ovarian cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death among American women.
The problem seems to be that in ovarian cancer, the tumor microenvironment is hostile to immunotherapy.
But Ernexa thinks they have found a way to finally target the disease with drugs that can treat or even cure it. They presented new data about their approach at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025 in Chicago.
Ernexa’s technology turns induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into induced mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs)—a specialized type of stem cell that has a unique ability to migrate toward tumors or inflammation. Ernexa’s allogeneic synthetic iMSCs allow for enhanced predictability at scale, helping to avoid the challenges of immune rejection and donor shortages.
Their latest study explored the technology behind Ernexa’s lead cell therapy product, ERNA-101, which uses specially engineered cells to deliver treatment directly to ovarian tumors. By secreting immune-stimulating cytokines, this cell therapy treatment aims to reshape the tumor microenvironment and enhance anti-tumor immune responses, fighting off the cancer.
The study was led by Michael Andreeff, MD, PhD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The team had previously shown that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells migrate to the tumor stroma, differentiate into tumor-associated fibroblasts, and secrete proteins intratumorally, making them potential delivery vehicles. This latest lab study showed that iMSCs carrying IL17 and IL15 caused tumor regression and increased survival.
IL15 and IL17, they surmised, work inside the tumor to make it more vulnerable to immunotherapy.
“We believe ERNA-101 represents a powerful new way to engage the immune system against difficult-to-treat cancers like ovarian cancer,” said Sanjeev Luther, president and CEO of Ernexa Therapeutics. “This study reinforces the promise of our treatments and their potential to reshape the future of cell therapy. We aim to offer hope for patients with advanced ovarian cancer, who often face limited treatment options and poor long-term outcomes.”
Ernexa has two cell therapy products in development, which are undergoing preclinical trials. ERNA-101 is its lead product, and is engineered to enhance and regulate the immune system’s response against cancer cells. ERNA-102 is designed to combat inflammation and treat autoimmune disease.
ERNA-101 is being developed for the treatment of ovarian cancer as its first indication. Ovarian cancer currently lacks highly effective, widely applicable targeted therapies. Many patients develop resistance to the standard treatment in ovarian cancer—platinum-based chemotherapy. Other treatments have been developed, but with little success.
ERNA-101 and ERNA-102, the company believes, have the “potential to bring significant hope in the treatments of ovarian cancer and autoimmune disease, respectively.”
