Artax Biopharma, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on transforming the treatment of T Cell-mediated diseases, today announces the appointment of D. Scott Batty, Jr., M.D. as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Batty will direct the Company’s scientific and clinical research programs, including Artax’s ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating AX-158, the Company’s first-in-class, oral small molecule immunomodulating agent that selectively modulates inappropriate T cell activation, a known cause of autoimmune disease. Importantly, AX-158 has the potential to treat T Cell-mediated diseases without the risk of immunosuppression.
Dr. Batty joins Artax with more than 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry in leadership positions, including as CEO and as CMO at private and publicly held companies, and as a transplant surgeon. Prior to joining Artax, Dr. Batty was VP of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs for CTI, Inc., a privately held contract research organization. Previous roles included Chief Medical Officer at Medeor Therapeutics, which developed an organ transplantation cell therapy platform to avoid the use of pharmacologic immunosuppression; Chief Executive Officer of ImmunArray Ltd., and Vice President of Global Medical Affairs for Genzyme Transplant and Oncology Group. Dr. Batty was also a Global Director of Medical Affairs for the belatacept immunosuppression program while at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
During his time in clinical practice, Dr. Batty was an attending surgeon at the Organ and Tissue Transplant Research Center, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Batty also specialized in liver transplantation, serving as Chief of Liver Transplant at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and later as Director of Liver Transplantation at Georgetown University Hospital, both in Washington, DC. Dr. Batty served in the US Army Medical Corps from 1986 to 2001, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He received his M.D. degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, conducted his surgical residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and completed a Multi-Organ Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.
“As a transplant surgeon with a specialty in immunology, Dr. Batty’s addition to Artax’s leadership team will provide strategic guidance in advancing our clinical programs,” said Joseph Lobacki, Chief Executive Officer of Artax Biopharma. “His clinical vision, focus on patient care, and proven leadership will strengthen our clinical development efforts and help progress our product pipeline.”
“It is an honor to join a dedicated team focused on patients through transforming the treatment of T cell mediated diseases. We are committed to the important mission of clinically demonstrating that our immunomodulator AX-158 addresses these diseases without causing the debilitating, immunosuppressive side effects associated with current available therapies,” stated Dr. Batty stated. “I am eager to apply my significant clinical development and provider experience to help tackle this serious and prevalent problem of immunologic diseases.”
A healthy immune system eliminates harmful foreign pathogens, while being tolerant of self-tissues and organs. The T Cell Receptor (TCR) is central to healthy T Cell function and a well-functioning immune system. When TCR signaling becomes dysregulated, T Cells behave abnormally. This behavior results in T Cell-driven conditions, including autoimmune diseases, T Cell malignancies (lymphomas), and induced T Cell pathologies in which medical treatments result in immune reactions (such as stem cell transplants resulting in acute graft-versus-host-disease or immuno-oncology treatments resulting in immune related-adverse events).
Artax believes immunomodulation – a mechanism through which our investigational agents assist in rebalancing the immune system and eliminating a cause of T Cell-mediated diseases, while not impacting patients’ ability to effectively fight foreign pathogens – holds great potential.
AX-158 is a first-in-class, oral small molecule immunomodulating agent in clinical development for the treatment of T Cell-mediated 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. AX-158 is a Nck SH3.1 domain inhibitor which selectively counteracts the role of Nck in T Cells. Nck is a protein that naturally amplifies T Cell signaling directly at the TCR, contributing to T Cell mediated disease. This process of immunomodulation assists the immune system to maintain healthy control and eliminates a direct contributor to T Cell-mediated diseases. Importantly, Artax believes that preclinical data suggests AX-158 will not be immunosuppressive and so will not impact the immune system’s ability to mount a strong response to foreign pathogens and infections.
Artax Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company transforming T Cell-mediated disease treatment by developing innovative small molecules that modulate the immune system. Artax science holds broad potential to treat T Cell-mediated diseases such as autoimmune diseases; induced T cell pathologies (such as acute graft-versus-host disease and immune-oncology treatment-related adverse events); and T Cell malignancies, while simultaneously allowing the body to fight foreign pathogens. For more information, please visit: www.artaxbiopharma.com.
