Durham's Argos Therapeutics has begun a Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial to test the effectiveness one of its lead anti-HIV therapies.
The Duke University immunotherapy spinout started with help from a $10,000 North Carolina Biotechnology Center Business Development Loan in 1998. The Durham company has developed several platform technologies and a diverse pipeline of product candidates based on the biology of dendritic cells -- the master switches that turn the immune system on and off. Argos' focus is on developing new treatments for cancer, infectious and autoimmune diseases, and transplantation rejection.
Last month Argos closed on a new $35.2 million financing package. In 2006 the National Institutes of Health awarded the firm $21 million to develop novel HIV immunotherapy candidates. Its personalized immunotherapy products are designed to train patienst' immune systems to recognize, target and destroy unique features of their diseases.
Also in April, Argos reported positive safety and feasibility data from the Phase 1 trial of the therapy -- dubbed AGS-004 -- in HIV-infected adults. The company plans to present full Phase 1 trial results at the International AIDS Conference in August.