Argos Therapeutics Presents Data On The Mechanism Of Immunosuppression By Soluble CD83 At The American Transplant Congress

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 02 Jun 2008 - 12:00 PDT

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Argos Therapeutics announced the presentation of data on the immunosuppressive properties of its soluble CD83 (sCD83) protein at the 2008 American Transplant Congress, held May 31 - June 4 in Toronto, Ontario. The presentation, which will be made on June 3 by Argos' collaborating scientists at the University of Western Ontario, will review data demonstrating that sCD83-treated dendritic cells from non-human primates are able to induce regulatory T cells in vitro.

"The ability of sCD83-treated dendritic cells to induce regulatory T cells, which are responsible for suppressing the immune response and maintaining tolerance to self-antigens, provides potential mechanistic insight into its promising tolerogenic properties and further reinforces our commitment to move this exciting protein into a clinical setting," commented Charles Nicolette, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Argos.

The presented abstract is titled #1668, "The Soluble Extracellular Domain of CD83 is Capable of Generating Regulatory T Cells in Non-Human Primates," and was authored by Miren L. Baroja, Ph.D.; Jacqueline Arp, Ph.D.; Siobhan I. Ramcharan, B.Sc.; Stephen Brand, Ph.D.; Anthony M. Jevnikar, M.D., M.Sc.; Gill Strejan, Ph.D.; William Wall, M.D.; and Hao Wang, M.D., M.Sc.

About Soluble CD83

CD83 is a glycoprotein expressed on the cell surface of mature dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent stimulators of immune responses. The strong up-regulation of this protein during DC maturation suggests that it plays an important functional role in the induction of immune responses. Experimental data demonstrate that soluble CD83 can potently down-regulate immune responses, indicating that it can be developed to treat transplantation rejection and variety of autoimmune disorders. Importantly, data from animal models demonstrate that soluble CD83 exerts its effects without a requirement for chronic administration and does not leave the subject globally immunosuppressed.

About Argos Therapeutics, Inc.

Argos is an immunotherapy company developing new treatments for cancer, infectious and autoimmune diseases, and transplantation rejection. The Company has generated multiple platform technologies and a diverse pipeline of products based on its expertise in the biology of dendritic cells - the master switch that turns the immune system on or off.

Argos Therapeutics, Inc.