Artax Biopharma Announces Issuance of U.S. Composition of Matter Patent for Autoimmune Disease Program AX-158

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Artax Biopharma, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on transforming autoimmune disease treatment, announces today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a composition of matter patent for AX-158, the Company's lead autoimmune therapeutic candidate. U.S. Patent No. 10,696,663 covers AX-158, certain additional backup compounds, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and is expected to expire no earlier than 2039 in the United States.

AX-158 is a first-in-class, oral small molecule, immunomodulating agent in development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. AX-158 employs a novel mechanism of action that selectively modulates, or adjusts, T cell responses that play a critical role in immune system function. 

"This important issued U.S. patent is an integral part of Artax's intellectual property (IP) strategy and affords broad, foundational composition of matter protection," said Artax Biopharma Chief Executive Officer Joseph Lobacki. "This bolsters our robust IP portfolio and supports Artax's plans to treat multiple T cell mediated autoimmune diseases."

About Immunomodulation
A healthy immune system eliminates harmful foreign pathogens, while being tolerant of self-tissues and organs.  When the immune system malfunctions, cells (T Cells) attack self-tissues and organs, causing autoimmune disease. Current autoimmune disease therapies suppress the immune system, helping to minimize these self-attacks, but also raise susceptibility to harmful foreign pathogens. Immunomodulation, the process in which the immune system reduces self-attacks while properly reacting to fight foreign pathogens, holds great potential for autoimmune disease.

About Artax-158
AX-158 is a first-in-class, oral small molecule, preclinical immunomodulating agent in development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. AX-158 employs a novel mechanism of action that selectively modulates, or adjusts, T cell responses that play a critical role in immune system function. By selectively inhibiting the interaction between the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) and the non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase protein (Nck), AX-158 selectively modulates self-directed T Cell activation which is a cause of autoimmune disease. Importantly, data suggest AX-158 is not immunosuppressive and does not impact the immune system's ability to mount a strong response to foreign pathogens and infections. Further, AX-158's ability to modulate T cell responses allows the possibility to broadly target several autoimmune diseases, therefore potentially transforming autoimmune disease treatment.

About Artax Biopharma
Artax Biopharma is a biotechnology company transforming autoimmune disease treatment.  Artax is a life science industry leader in autoimmune disease immunomodulation science, developing an innovative small molecule approach to treat autoimmune disease that modulates the immune system to both treat autoimmune disease and allow the body to fight foreign pathogens.  The company is examining a first-in-class oral immunomodulating agent as a new way to treat multiple autoimmune diseases without causing the immune suppression commonly associated with currently available autoimmune disease therapies. For more information, please visit www.artaxbiopharma.com.

SOURCE Artax Biopharma