arGEN-X Presents Significant Progress at BioPharm America 2011

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, September 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

SIMPLE Antibody™ platform continues to demonstrate clear advantages in therapeutic antibody discovery

arGEN-X, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibodies using its proprietary SIMPLE Antibody™ platform, will provide an update on this year's significant corporate progress  during a presentation by its CEO Tim Van Hauwermeiren at the BioPharm America conference in Boston, MA, USA (http://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa/).

In his presentation on Friday, September 9, Mr. Van Hauwermeiren will showcase the speed with which arGEN-X has developed its pipeline of novel therapeutic antibody candidates in cancer and inflammatory disease. In less than two years of operations, the Company has identified three completely novel lead antibodies of unprecedented specificity and potency and progressed them into preclinical studies. arGEN-X is also combining the power of its SIMPLE Antibody™ platform with POTELLIGENT^® Technology licensed from BioWa, Inc., to increase the cytotoxic potency of its therapeutic leads even further.

The arGEN-X presentation will also announce the successful fulfilment of all milestones in its first biopharma collaboration, only five months from its initiation in January 2011. Upon completion of this program, arGEN-X delivered a panel of unique, diverse antibodies against a technically complex target provided by the partner. This success demonstrated how the SIMPLE Antibody™ platform could generate antibodies with outstanding qualities, even against targets beyond the reach of other antibody platforms.

Speaking further about the exciting developments at arGEN-X, Mr. Van Hauwermeiren said:

"The signficant progress we have made in 2011 is proof that our unique SIMPLE Antibody™ Platform is transforming the therapeutic antibody space. The speed and productivity of our first three internal programs have enabled us to begin discovery work on two new therapeutic targets. These developments have been instrumental in attracting companies seeking a reliable, robust platform for generation of therapeutic grade antibody candidates. Given this progress, I am excited about arGEN-X' prospects for the coming year."

Note for the editor

About arGEN-X - http://www.arGEN-X.com

arGEN-X is a preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a broadly applicable, proprietary SIMPLE Antibody™ platform. The platform allows arGEN-X to create an unparalleled diversity of in vivo generated antibody leads against a broad range of human disease targets. This superior choice of ultra-high affinity and highly potent leads, having best-in-class human homology, allows for more stringent lead selection criteria, thereby increasing the probability of success later in the drug development path. The Company has validated its platform on four human disease targets to date and has broad patent claims in place covering its technology.

arGEN-X' SIMPLE Antibody™ Platform is based on the active immunisation of Camelids with target antigens to deliver antibody variable regions that are perfectly matched to those of human antibodies. The combination of those variable domains with the constant domains of human antibodies, generates full size, human therapeutic antibodies.

The SIMPLE Antibody™ Platform enjoys an independent, unencumbered patent position and is free of target gatekeeping restrictions.

arGEN-X™ and SIMPLE Antibody™ are deposited trademarks of arGEN-X BV.

SIMPLE stands for Superior Immunodiversity with Minimal Protein Lead Engineering.

For further information, please contact:

    
    Citigate Dewe Rogerson
    David Dible
    Mark Swallow
    Nina Enegren
    T: +44 207 282 2949/2948
    E: David.Dible@citigatedr.co.uk
    
    arGEN-X
    Tim Van Hauwermeiren, MSc, eMBA
    Chief Executive Officer
    T: +31 6 122 85 257
    E: tim.vh@arGEN-X.com