DURHAM, N.C., July 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Argos Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ARGS) ("Argos"), an immuno-oncology company focused on the development and commercialization of fully individualized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on the Arcelis® technology platform, today announced the formation of the company's first Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Inaugural members of Argos' SAB include:
- Charles Drake, MD, PhD, co-director division of immunology, professor of medical oncology, immunology, and urology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
- Robert Figlin, MD, FACP, Steven Spielberg Family chair in hematology oncology and professor of medicine and biomedical sciences at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute
- Bernard Fox, PhD, Harder Family chair for cancer research, member and chief of the laboratory of molecular and tumor immunology at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Portland Medical Center
- Gerald Linette, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and neurosurgery, division of oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
- Thomas Schwaab, MD, PhD, chief of strategy, business development and outreach and associate professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute
- Robert Seder, MD, chief of the cellular immunology section, vaccine research center, at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
"It is our pleasure to welcome these renowned scientists and physicians to the Argos SAB," said Jeff Abbey, president and CEO of Argos. "Forming a scientific advisory board is another important step as we continue to build Argos into a fully-integrated, commercial immuno-oncology company. These oncology and immunology experts will provide us with guidance on many clinical and technical aspects of our development programs. Their input is especially welcome as we continue our pivotal phase 3 ADAPT clinical trial of our lead product candidate, AGS-003, for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and as we plan to begin testing AGS-003 in other tumor types."
Dr. Drake earned his MD / PhD degree in immunology from the National Jewish Center for Immunology in Colorado. He is board-certified in medical oncology and is currently a professor of medical oncology, immunology, and urology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Dr. Drake also serves as the co-director of the division of immunology within the department of oncology. His laboratory and clinical research focuses on understanding the immune response to GU cancers, and using that information to design informative translational clinical trials.
Dr. Figlin is board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine and is currently the principal investigator for the pivotal phase 3 ADAPT clinical trial of AGS-003. He is professor of medicine and biomedical sciences at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and holds the Steven Spielberg Family chair in hematology oncology. Dr. Figlin earned his MD from the Medical College of Pennsylvania and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the International Society for Biologic Therapy, as well as a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the National Comprehensive Cancer Center Network and the American Urological Association.
Dr. Fox earned his PhD at Wayne State University and has been chief of the laboratory of molecular and tumor immunology at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute since 1994. He also serves as member of the Knight Cancer Institute and associate professor for the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Oregon Health Sciences University and is an ambassador and past president of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and current chair of the World Immunotherapy Council. He also serves on the steering committee for the SITC-led global immunoscore task force and previously served as a steering committee member for the SITC-FDA task force on immunotherapy biomarkers in cancer.
Dr. Linette earned his MD/PhD in microbiology from Georgetown University School of Medicine and is currently associate professor of medicine and neurosurgery, division of oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A diplomate of medical oncology with the American Board of Internal Medicine, he also serves as medical director, melanoma service at the Siteman Cancer Center. Dr. Linette is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, American Association of Immunologists, and American Association for Cancer Research. His primary interest is human cancer immunology.
Dr. Schwaab is board-certified in urology and joined the Roswell Park Cancer Institute faculty in 2009 where he currently serves as chief of strategy, business development and outreach and associate professor of oncology. An expert in immunotherapy for bladder, prostate and kidney cancers, Dr. Schwaab earned his MD and PhD from Medizinische Hochscule Hannover in Germany.
Dr. Seder earned his MD at Tufts University and is currently chief of the cellular immunology section, Vaccine Research Center, at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. He has also served as chief of the clinical immunology section in the laboratory of clinical investigation, part of the NIAID Division of Intramural Research. Dr. Seder's research is focused on developing and understanding how vaccines mediate protective antibody and T cell immunity against HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.
About the Arcelis® Technology Platform
Arcelis® is a fully individualized immunotherapy technology that captures mutated and variant antigens that are specific to each patient's disease. It is designed to overcome immunosuppression by producing a durable memory T-cell response without adjuvants that may be associated with toxicity. The technology is potentially applicable to a wide range of different cancers, and is designed to overcome many of the manufacturing and commercialization challenges that have impeded other individualized cancer immunotherapies. The Arcelis® process uses only a small tumor or blood sample and the patient's own dendritic cells, which are collected and optimized following a single leukapheresis procedure. The proprietary process uses RNA isolated from the patient's disease sample to program dendritic cells to target disease specific antigens. The activated, antigen-loaded dendritic cells are then formulated into the patient's plasma and administered via intradermal injection.
About Argos Therapeutics
Argos Therapeutics is an immuno-oncology company focused on the development and commercialization of fully individualized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer using its Arcelis® technology platform. Argos' most advanced product candidate, AGS-003, is being evaluated in the pivotal ADAPT phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The Company is also developing a separate Arcelis®-based product candidate, AGS-004, for the treatment of HIV, currently being evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial aimed at HIV eradication in adult patients. For more information about Argos Therapeutics, visit www.argostherapeutics.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about Argos' future expectations, plans and prospects, including statements about Argos and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including whether Argos' cash resources will be sufficient to fund our continuing operations for the period anticipated; whether results obtained in clinical trials will be indicative of results obtained in future clinical trials; whether Argos' product candidates will advance through the clinical trial process on a timely basis and receive approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies; whether, if product candidates obtain approval, they will be successfully distributed and marketed; and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Argos' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 which is on file with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Argos' views as of July 21, 2015. Argos anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Argos' views to change. However, while Argos may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Argos specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Argos' views as of any date subsequent to July 21, 2015.