Breaking Through Tumor Defenses With Next-Generation Cell Therapy
By Sanjeev Luther, CEO, Ernexa Therapeutics
World Cancer Day, held this year on February 4, is both a moment of reflection and a call to action. While decades of scientific progress have transformed outcomes for many patients, cancer remains one of the most formidable challenges in medicine, particularly in tumor types where today’s therapies fall short. Over the past year, clinical research has delivered important insights into why certain cancers resist treatment and how emerging cell therapies may finally help us break through those defenses.
Among the most promising advancements is the evolution of cell therapy beyond patient-specific approaches toward scalable, off-the-shelf platforms designed to precisely engage the tumor microenvironment. These innovations are redefining what may be possible for cancers that have historically been difficult to treat, including ovarian cancer.
The Challenge: Tumors Built To Evade The Immune System
Immuno-oncology has reshaped the cancer landscape, yet its success has been uneven. While immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T therapies have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in select malignancies, many solid tumors remain largely unresponsive. A major reason is the tumor microenvironment itself.
Solid tumors often create an immunosuppressive shield that prevents immune cells from infiltrating or sustaining activity once they arrive. In ovarian cancer, for example, the microenvironment actively suppresses T cell function, limiting the impact of checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies. Compounding this challenge, many therapies struggle to penetrate tumor tissue effectively, reducing local drug exposure while increasing systemic toxicity.
Despite aggressive frontline treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy, ovarian cancer has a recurrence rate of 70% to 80% in advanced-stage disease. Targeted therapies and anti-angiogenic agents offer incremental benefit for a subset of patients, but widely applicable, durable treatment options remain elusive. The unmet need is substantial and growing.
A Shift In Cell Therapy Design
Over the past year, cell therapy research has increasingly focused on overcoming these barriers by rethinking how therapeutic cells are engineered, delivered, and manufactured. One of the most significant shifts has been the move toward allogeneic, synthetic cell platforms derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Unlike autologous therapies, which require patient-specific cell harvesting and manufacturing, allogeneic approaches enable large-scale production from a single healthy donor source. This not only improves consistency and reduces cost but also allows for greater bioengineering control — an essential factor in optimizing therapeutic function.
One promising approach involves transforming induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into induced mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs), a specialized cell type with a natural ability to migrate toward tumors or sites of inflammation. This tumor-homing capability enables iMSCs to act as targeted delivery vehicles, slipping through tumor defenses and infiltrating the microenvironment where conventional therapies often fail.
Turning The Tumor Microenvironment Against Itself
One of the most exciting areas of progress in cell therapy is the ability to program cells to deliver potent biologics directly within the tumor, rather than systemically. This localized approach has the potential to amplify efficacy while minimizing off-target toxicity.
This strategy is exemplified by emerging approaches in which engineered iMSCs are designed to express the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 directly within the tumor microenvironment. These cytokines play a critical role in supporting T cell proliferation, infiltration, and persistence, helping immune cells remain active and effective rather than becoming exhausted.
By concentrating IL-7 and IL-15 expression at the tumor site, this approach aims to tip the balance toward anti-cancer immunity without exposing the rest of the body to high systemic cytokine levels. The goal is not simply to activate the immune system but to do so precisely, durably, and where it matters most.
This delivery-focused strategy reflects a broader trend in oncology research: moving away from one-size-fits-all immune activation and toward therapies that intelligently engage the tumor ecosystem itself.
Why Ovarian Cancer Is A Critical Focus
As the cell therapy field matures, there is increasing recognition that success will depend on selecting the right indications — those with a clear biological rationale and significant unmet need. Ovarian cancer stands out on both fronts.
The disease’s immunosuppressive microenvironment, high recurrence rates, and limited response to existing immunotherapies make it an ideal candidate for approaches designed to penetrate tumors and reprogram local immune activity. Yet progress has been slow, in part because many technologies were not built to address these specific challenges.
World Cancer Day underscores the urgency of changing that trajectory. For the approximately 17,000 women in the U.S. who have platinum-resistant ovarian cancer each year, incremental improvements are not enough. What is needed are fundamentally new strategies capable of delivering durable immune engagement in a cancer that has long resisted it.
Looking Ahead: The Future Of Targeted Cell Therapies
The next chapter of cancer research will be defined not only by scientific discovery but by execution, translating sophisticated biology into reproducible, scalable therapies that can reach patients efficiently. Advances in synthetic biology, stem cell engineering, and manufacturing are converging to make that vision increasingly realistic.
Cell therapies are no longer confined to bespoke, last-line interventions. Instead, they are evolving into precision platforms designed to overcome specific biological barriers, whether in cancer or autoimmune disease. The same principles that enable targeted immune activation in tumors can also be applied to calming overactive immune responses in inflammatory conditions, opening the door to a new generation of tissue-targeted therapies.
This World Cancer Day’s message is one of cautious optimism. The challenges remain formidable, but the tools at our disposal have never been more powerful. By continuing to innovate at the intersection of cell biology and immune engineering, we can move closer to therapies that not only treat cancer but truly break through its defenses — delivering hope where it is needed most.
About The Author:
Sanjeev Luther is president and CEO of Ernexa Therapeutics and a member of the board of directors. Sanjeev is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years in leadership roles at organizations including Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Bausch and Lomb, and GE Healthcare.
Ernexa Therapeutics is developing innovative cell therapies for the treatment of advanced cancer and autoimmune disease. Its lead cell therapy product, ERNA-101, is being developed for the treatment of ovarian cancer.