Anixa Biosciences Establishes Cancer Business Advisory Board
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Anixa Biosciences, Inc. ("Anixa" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:ANIX), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer, today announced that it has established a Cancer Business Advisory Board (CBAB), whose purpose is to provide guidance on the Company's clinical and business development initiatives. The CBAB will be co-chaired by Anixa Chairman and CEO, Dr. Amit Kumar, and Board Director, Dr. Arnold Baskies, and will include the following members:
- Dr. Kevin Cullen, MD: the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor of Oncology at University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Program in Oncology at the UMSOM, and former Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society (ACS) for 2018.
- Dan Heist: Director of Internal Audit at Penn State and former Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society for 2019.
- Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD: current CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Dr. Knudsen is the first research oncologist and first female CEO of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Knudsen was recently elected by Forbes Magazine to its list of 50 Over 50—a list of the most impactful people over 50.
- Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, MD, MACP: medical oncologist and former Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society.
- Michael T. Marquardt: CEO of Global Kompass Strategies, CEO of Epi One, and the former Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society for 2022.
- Scarlott Mueller, MPH, RN, FAAN: Board Member of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer and former Chairperson of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society for 2016.
- Gary Reedy: Chairman of the Center for Global Health Innovation, former CEO of the American Cancer Society and the ACS CAN from 2014 to 2020, and former Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society for 2013.
- Rob Youle, JD: President of Iowa Law School Foundation and former Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society for 2015.
"We are thrilled to welcome such an impressive roster of highly accomplished individuals as members of our newly established CBAB," said Dr. Kumar. "In addition to devoting many years to advocate for cancer patients and their families, each member brings a wealth of knowledge and a broad network of contacts that will be invaluable to Anixa as we progress the development of our cancer vaccines and immunotherapies. We believe the caliber of the CBAB's inaugural members is a testament to the strength and potential of our technology, and we look forward to their insights as we pursue clinical and business development initiatives."
Dr. Baskies, Anixa Board Director and former Chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society for 2017, stated, "All of these individuals have been colleagues of both me and Dr. Kumar for many years as we worked in leadership and board roles at the American Cancer Society, which is the largest non-profit organization comprehensively battling cancer. Each of these colleagues has devoted decades of their lives to cancer, and each is very passionate about preventing cancer, improving therapies, and broadly helping to eliminate cancer as we know it. To my knowledge, this is the first time that such an august group has come together in the private sector to help change the world, which is our goal at Anixa."
Dr. Cullen is the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor in Oncology and Director of the Program in Oncology at the UMSOM. He also serves as director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2011, Dr. Cullen was appointed by President Obama to a five-year term as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board, an advisory committee to the NCI. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of ACS and is a recipient of the ACS Excellence in Research Award. Dr. Cullen received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He conducted his residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, MA, and fellowship in oncology with the NCI in Bethesda, MD.
Mr. Heist has been the Director of Internal Audit at Penn State since 2003, bringing more than 30 years of auditing and accounting experience. He is active with ACS, serving at the local, state, and national level; and is a past Chairman of the Board of ACS. Previously, Mr. Heist was a Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche, LLP, and served a variety of both privately and publicly held manufacturing and service industry clients. He received a bachelor of science degree from Penn State.
Dr. Knudsen has been the CEO of ACS and its advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN, since 2021. She previously served as Executive Vice President of Oncology Services and Enterprise Director for Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health; President for the Association of American Cancer Institutes, representing the 102 leading cancer centers in North America; and on the board of directors of the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Knudsen serves on the board of advisors for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and on 12 external advisory boards for NCI-designated cancer centers. She is an active member of several committees with the American Society for Clinical Oncology, in addition to serving on other academic and for-profit advisory boards. Dr. Knudsen holds a bachelor's degree in biology from George Washington University, a PhD in biological sciences from the University of California San Diego, and an MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business.
Dr. Lichtenfeld is an experienced medical oncologist and independent consultant with an extensive background in cancer care, cancer research, healthcare policy, and physician payment. He is a member of the CancerCare board of directors, and an advisor to several early-stage patient- and cancer-focused companies, including Trialjectory and OneHealth. Dr. Lichtenfeld was previously the Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer for ACS. He received a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, a medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel University College of Medicine) and medical training at Temple University, Johns Hopkins and the NCI.
Mr. Marquardt is the CEO of Global Kompass Strategies, serving as a global advisor to corporations around the world; and CEO of Epi One, a biotech company building a new cancer diagnosis platform. He previously led several companies in the technology and healthcare sectors, and served as President of the global risk management firm founded by former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh. Mr. Marquardt has served on the ACS and ACS CAN boards of directors since 2018 and 2014, respectively, and formerly as Chair of the former ACS South Atlantic Division Board and Chairman of the ACS National Board. He received ACS's St. George National Award in 2017, and was appointed in January 2022 by President Biden to serve on the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. Mr. Marquardt received a bachelor's degree in medical biology, humanities from the University of New England; and a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia.
Ms. Mueller currently serves on the board of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care and has volunteered with ACS and ACS CAN for more than 35 years. She has held numerous leadership positions at ACS, including service as board President/Chair of the former Florida Division and Chair of the ACS board of directors. Ms. Mueller served 21 years as the Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for the North Florida Regional Medical Center, and previously served on the boards of various organizations, including the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation, Samaritan Counseling Center of North Central Florida, the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, and the Oncology Nursing Society-Nominating Committee. Ms. Mueller received a master's degree in public health and a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mr. Reedy was CEO of ACS and ACS CAN from 2015 to 2021, following 15 years of volunteer leadership, including chairing the boards of directors for the organizations. He previously served as Worldwide Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy at Johnson & Johnson, President of Ortho Biotech, and in senior leadership roles at SmithKline Beecham and Centocor. He holds appointments to the board of directors of the Center for Global Health Innovation, the board of councilors for The Carter Center, the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, the Dean's Council at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, the Advisory Board for Emory University's Center for Ethics, and the MMM Tech Advisory Council. Mr. Reedy graduated from Emory & Henry College and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Arcadia University.
Mr. Youle is a civil practice attorney based in Denver, Colorado. He was a volunteer for ACS for nearly 30 years, serving at the local, state, regional and national levels. Mr. Youle served as Chairman of the Board of ACS's former Colorado and Rocky Mountain Divisions, its Great West Division and ACS CAN. He served on the ACS National Board since 2006 and was Chairman in 2015. Mr. Youle received a bachelor of science degree in finance from the Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Iowa College of Law.
About Anixa Biosciences, Inc.
Anixa is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer. Anixa's therapeutic portfolio consists of an ovarian cancer immunotherapy program being developed in collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center, which uses a novel type of CAR-T, known as chimeric endocrine receptor T-cell (CER-T) technology. The Company's vaccine portfolio includes a novel vaccine being developed in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic to prevent breast cancer – specifically triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most lethal form of the disease – as well as a vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer. These vaccine technologies focus on immunizing against "retired" proteins that have been found to be expressed in certain forms of cancer. Anixa's unique business model of partnering with world-renowned research institutions on clinical development allows the Company to continually examine emerging technologies in complementary fields for further development and commercialization. To learn more, visit www.anixa.com or follow Anixa on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements that are not historical fact may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but rather reflect Anixa's current expectations concerning future events and results. We generally use the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "likely," "will" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including those concerning our expectations, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to, those factors set forth in "Item 1A - Risk Factors" and other sections of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as well as in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. You are cautioned not to unduly rely on such forward-looking statements when evaluating the information presented in this press release.
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