On October 6, 2026 Ernexa Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ERNA), an industry innovator developing novel cell therapies for the treatment of advanced cancers, reported that new preclinical data from its lead oncology program, ERNA-101, have been selected for a Flash Talk presentation at the Next-Generation Cancer Therapeutics meeting, co-hosted by Nature Conferences and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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The meeting will take place October 6–8, 2026, on MD Anderson’s campus in Houston, Texas. The presentation will highlight ERNA-101’s potential to address a fundamental challenge in ovarian cancer: the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that can limit effective antitumor immune responses. In preclinical models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, ERNA-101 promoted immune cell recruitment and was associated with significant tumor regression and enhanced survival. When combined with PD-1 checkpoint blockade, ERNA-101 demonstrated enhanced antitumor activity, including complete tumor control and durable responses in the majority of treated animals.
"Selection for presentation at a Nature Conferences meeting co-hosted by MD Anderson Cancer Center highlights the strength of our preclinical findings for ERNA-101, and we look forward to engaging with researchers and oncology leaders focused on advancing the next generation of cancer therapies," said Sanjeev Luther, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ernexa Therapeutics. "Our data demonstrate the potential of our allogeneic, off-the-shelf approach to deliver immune-activating cytokines to the tumor microenvironment, recruit key immune cells and enhance the activity of checkpoint blockade. We believe these findings provide a strong scientific foundation for advancing ERNA-101 toward the clinic and investigating its potential to address the significant unmet need in ovarian cancer."
Presentation Details
Title: IL7-IL15-iMSCs (ERNA-101): Allogeneic, Off-the-Shelf, Next-Generation Immune-Enhancing Cell Therapy of Cancer
Session: Flash Talk Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Location: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
The presentation will feature preclinical findings demonstrating ERNA-101’s ability to recruit T cells and proinflammatory macrophages and promote an immune-active tumor microenvironment in models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. In combination with PD-1 checkpoint blockade, ERNA-101 achieved complete tumor control and durable responses in the majority of treated animals, with the findings reproduced in a larger cohort. Biodistribution studies also showed localization of ERNA-101 to the tumor microenvironment, with no detectable signal in the peritoneal wash, serum or other organs evaluated.
Co-hosted by Nature Conferences and MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Next-Generation Cancer Therapeutics meeting will bring together researchers from academia, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry to discuss emerging approaches to cancer treatment, including next-generation biologics, immunotherapies, targeted therapies and novel therapeutic platforms. For more information, please visit the conference website.
For more information about ERNA-101 and the Company’s development plans, visit www.ernexatx.com
About ERNA-101
ERNA-101 is Ernexa’s lead oncology program, comprising allogeneic, off-the-shelf, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (iMSCs) engineered to express IL-7 and IL-15 as a single fusion protein (IL-7_IL-15-fusokine). ERNA-101 is designed to deliver an immune-activating cytokine payload to the tumor microenvironment, promote antitumor immune responses and potentially enhance the activity of checkpoint blockade. Ernexa is advancing ERNA-101 toward clinical development for ovarian cancer.
(Press release, Ernexa Therapeutics, OCT 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234673244])