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Argos Therapeutics' Scientific Founder Ralph Steinman, M.D., Receives Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research

Posted on: Friday, 28 September 2007, 09:00 CDT

Argos Therapeutics today announced that Ralph Steinman, M.D., a scientific founder of the Company, has received the 2007 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research for his discovery of dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are a key element of the immune system, responsible for initiating and stimulating the body's immune response to foreign antigens, and are also the basis for Argos' personalized immunotherapy technology, called Arcelis, for infectious disease and cancer.

"We are pleased that Dr. Steinman's important discovery has been recognized by the Lasker Foundation, due to its impact on the field of immunology and the clinical promise that dendritic cells hold," said Charles Nicolette, Ph.D., Argos' Chief Scientific Officer. "His collaboration with Argos on our National Institutes of Health contract for the development of novel dendritic cell-based HIV immunotherapy candidates has provided us with his extensive expertise in this field, and we are grateful for his significant contributions."

John Bonfiglio, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "This prestigious award is a testament to Dr. Steinman's revolutionary research and provides strong validation for Argos' dendritic cell-based approach to autologous immunotherapy and its broad applicability to infectious disease and cancer. Our work so far has provided promising results, and we look forward to reporting data from our current trials in HIV, renal cell carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2008."

About Ralph Steinman, M.D.

Ralph M. Steinman, M.D., Henry G. Kunkel Professor at The Rockefeller University and a senior physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital, is a cell biologist whose research focuses on the immune system, including the human immune system in the setting of several diseases. Steinman currently heads the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at The Rockefeller University. His research includes studies aimed at developing vaccines and immune-based therapies for tumors, infections and autoimmune diseases. Steinman received a B.S. degree from McGill University and an M.D. from Harvard University.

About the Lasker Awards

The Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards, given by the Albert Lasker Foundation, recognizes scientists, physicians, and public servants who have made an impact in the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of major diseases. Through these awards, the Lasker Foundation seeks to raise public awareness of the value of biomedical research to society and of the scientists whose research has been integral to our understanding of human disease. http://www.laskerfoundation.org/index.html

About Argos Therapeutics, Inc.

Argos Therapeutics is developing breakthrough immunotherapies that target the unique features of a patient's disease. This new generation of personalized cancer and infectious disease therapeutics, created using the Company's "Arcelis" technology, trains the immune system to recognize and attack the disease. Argos' scientific leadership in RNA-loaded dendritic cells and advanced manufacturing processes provide a platform to tackle virtually all forms of cancers and infectious diseases. www.argostherapeutics.com

Argos is a private biotechnology company headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC. The Company has clinical trial programs in cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and has an ongoing co-development and commercialization alliance with Kirin Pharma Company.

Source: Business Wire

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