Anixa Biosciences, Inc. announced that it has entered into a joint development agreement with Cleveland Clinic to develop novel vaccines for various cancer types. Cleveland Clinic is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial targeting triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive and lethal form of breast cancer, and an ovarian cancer vaccine is in pre-clinical development in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute. The vaccines focus on a novel scientific mechanism never used before in a cancer vaccine.

By developing vaccines that immunize against "retired" proteins found to be expressed in specific forms of cancer, the researchers are investigating if certain cancer cells can be destroyed as they arise, and ultimately prevent tumors from forming. The vaccines were developed at Cleveland Clinic and licensed to Anixa Biosciences. Cleveland Clinic is entitled to royalties and other commercialization revenues from the Company.

The research under this new JDA will be led at Cleveland Clinic by Thaddeus Stappenbeck, MD, PhD, Department Chairman of Inflammation and Immunity, and will include Justin Johnson, PhD, one of the co-inventors of the breast and ovarian cancer vaccines along with the late Vincent Tuohy, PhD.