WTF with ALA: What are iNKT cell therapies?
Arovella Therapeutics (ASX:ALA) managing director and CEO Dr Michael Baker joins host Tylah Tully to to explore these questions and more.
The company's focused on developing its innovative invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapy platform, with its lead program, ALA-101, targeting blood cancers.
While Arovella didn't invent iNKT cells – they occur naturally in the human body – the company is harnessing their unique properties to fight cancer.
Baker explains how iNKT cells could transform the patient experience over the next five to ten years and potentially treat both deadly blood cancers and solid tumours.
While Arovella Therapeutics is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this content.
The interviews and discussions in this video are opinions only and not financial or investment advice.
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The Australian
2 days ago
- The Australian
Health Kick Podcast: Alterity Therapeutics
Stockhead's health and biotech expert Tim Boreham is back in the studio for another instalment of the Health Kick Podcast. In this episode, Tim speaks with Alterity Therapeutics (ASX:ATH) CEO Dr David Stamler, who sheds light on a little-known but devastating neurological condition, multiple system atrophy (MSA). MSA may not have the public awareness of Parkinson's or ALS, but it's every bit as serious, and Alterity is aiming to change that. With no approved treatments currently available, MSA represents a major unmet clinical need. Alterity's lead candidate, ATH434, is designed to address a unique biological mechanism involving iron imbalance in the brain. Tune in to hear how ATH434 is showing promise in slowing disease progression, the science behind iron maldistribution in neurodegenerative disease, and how Dr Stamler's decades of FDA drug development experience is helping drive this program forward. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Alterity Therapeutics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. The interviews and discussions in this podcast are opinions only and not financial or investment advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice based on their own circumstances before making any financial decisions.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Clock ticking as Argenica nears phase II stroke trial readout
Argenica's phase II trial results of lead drug ARG-007 in acute ischaemic stroke patients forecast for early September Trial completed in April with safety main endpoint and earlier studies showing promise in protecting brain cells Argenica's ARG-007 would be the first neuroprotective drug on the global market if approved The countdown is on for investors in Perth-based Argenica Therapeutics (ASX:AGN) with results forecast for September of a phase II trial of its lead product, a neuroprotective treatment known as ARG-007 in acute ischaemic stroke patients. Argenica's ARG-007 is a synthetic peptide designed to protect brain cells from dying in the critical minutes and hours after acute neurological events such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and hypoxic brain damage. When it comes to acute neurological events, 'time is brain' — with around 1.9 million brain cells dying every minute that blood flow is halted. But ARG-007 is showing promising signs of preventing such catastrophic damage by protecting brain tissue during and after these critical neurological events. Initial target most common form of stroke CEO and managing director Dr Liz Dallimore, who has previously worked as a research scientist in neuroscience, has headed Argenica since its ASX-listing in 2021. Dallimore said acute ischaemic stroke was the most common type of stroke, caused by a blockage in a blood vessel in the brain. "Acute ischaemic strokes make up around 85% of strokes with the other type haemorrhagic, which is a bleed on the brain," she explained. "They present the same with the only way to differentiate by medical imaging. "A major reason we're targeting acute ischaemic stroke is many of these patients have a thrombectomy, where a radiologist inserts a catheter through the wrist or groin and guides it up into the brain to physically remove the clot." However, a thrombectomy has risk of reperfusion injury, which occurs when blood flow rapidly returns to previously oxygen-deprived brain tissue after a clot is removed and potentially causes additional damage. "ARG-007 has a second chance to work by protecting the brain against this secondary injury which can occur through the procedure," Dallimore said. Phase II in acute ischaemic stroke complete Argenica completed dosing of patients in a double-blinded, randomised, placebo controlled phase II trial of ARG-007 in acute ischaemic stroke patients in April. Involving 92 patients presenting to eight emergency departments around Australia, data-read out from the trial is due in September with safety the main endpoint, determining if the drug asset can advance further in clinical development. "Safety in a neurology trial is really important because you have to show your drug does no harm," Dallimore said. "It's quite different to an oncology drug where you can have some toxicity because you're trying to kill a cancer. "In this case we must ensure we're doing no harm to the brain or patient and safety is the main aspect big pharma and regulators will look at for ARG-007. Throughout the trial Argenica has had a data safety monitoring board reviewing all the data and making sure there's nothing unusual in terms of a safety profile. The secondary endpoint for the trial will examine efficacy, with a brain scan taken 48-hours post administration of either the placebo or ARG-007. "We are comparing the placebo group to treatment group to see whether our drug has reduced that brain injury," Dallimore said. "By administering our drug prior to the thrombectomy, we believe it has the potential to limit the progression of brain injury following thrombectomy, whereas in the placebo group, that damage may continue to expand." Promising preclinical results drive Argenica's push into human trials A spinout from the University of Western Australia and Perth-based Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, ARG-007 has shown early success, including in preclinical studies and a phase I trial. Dallimore said what provided researchers confidence to progress into clinical trials was a non-human primate study that closely reflected how acute ischaemic stroke was treated in hospitals. "The drug was administered ahead of a standard thrombectomy procedure, simulating the real-world treatment pathway," she said. "That study was done out of Canada and showed a 70% reduction in brain injury." Dallimore said the study convinced researchers to take the drug forward into clinic trials and list Argenica on the ASX. First-of-kind 'holy grail' therapy targeting high need ARG-007 would be the first neuroprotective drug on the global market if approved, tapping into a large addressable global market for stroke and potentially other indications. The global stroke management market was valued at $36.1 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $74 bn by 2032, driven by several factors including a growing ageing population. There are more than 45,000 strokes annually in Australia and 795,000 in the US – the world's largest healthcare markets. The estimated cost of stroke to the healthcare system in the US is forecast to reach ~US$184.13 bn by 2030. "There are no neuroprotective drugs on the market and neuroprotection really is the holy grail just because you get almost two million brain cells dying every minute,' Dallimore said. "Ultimately, we want this drug to be in every ambulance so as soon as a paramedic arrives and suspects a stroke they administer our drug." She said a lysis drug, also known as a thrombolytic, is often given to dissolve blood clots in ischaemic stroke. However, a lysis drug must not be given to patients with haemorrhagic stroke as it can significantly worsen bleeding in the brain. "ARG-007 will not exacerbate bleeding, and we haven't really looked at whether its efficacious in haemorrhagic stroke but suspect it probably will be but the main aspect for paramedics is doing no harm to the patient," she said. She said success in acute ischaemic stroke opens the doors for use of ARG-007 in other indications. "Ultimately, it could be given to anyone suspected of having some sort of brain injury whether from stroke, cardiac arrest with blood flow restriction to the brain or an accident," she said. "Essentially, what it does is hibernates those brain cells and stops them dying – buying that patient time to get to the hospital and treatment." Lining up against few competitors Dallimore said its closest competitors were in phase II trials with one Spanish company targeting inflammation, which has done a deal with big pharma Merck KGaA who will run its later stage trials. "The mechanism is very different to ARG-007 with our drug working in the acute phase trying to block the calcium flowing into the brain cells causing the injury," she said. "So, their drug is working to treat the inflammation which can also exacerbate brain injury." Dallimore said another global company was also in a phase II trial and while its approach was mechanically like ARG-007 extensive comparative work had demonstrated more promising efficacy for Argenica's treatment. "If we can hit that primary endpoint in the trial it should be a big value inflection and icing on the cake would be to show efficacy as well," she said. Looking to partner for future trials Argenica is planning its later stage clinical program for ARG-007 working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to get approval for future studies in the US, along with regulators in Europe and China, where stroke is now the leading cause of death. "Ideally, we could do some type of deal with a bigger pharma company with an interest in stroke or neurology when we get the Phase II results," Dallimore said. "Typically, that might look like they would give us an upfront payment to help fund the trial and then milestone payments along the way."
News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
Closing Bell: ASX holds ground near all-time high as defence stocks soar
ASX slips just 12.3 points, remaining near all-time high Healthcare leads losses as Trump raises tariff spectre Gains in gold and consumer discretionary soften losses Profit takers stay their hands When markets hit new closing highs, it's common for traders to see it as an opportunity to capitalise on gains. Stocks are – theoretically – at their highest. What better time to cash in? While the ASX 200 fell 0.14% today, the bulls are looking very much in control. Losses were limited to a small 12.3-point loss, a sniff in the wind compared to the almost 200 points the market has gained in just three days. That's not to say we won't see a bigger dip tomorrow – volatility is the name of the game these days, and Trump is continuing to fan the flames with another tariff hit on India just yesterday. As for today, six of 11 sectors were down with particular weakness in healthcare stocks. Materials slid marginally lower but gains in gold stocks and the consumer discretionary sector stemmed the bleeding. Healthcare and defence stocks move in opposite directions Trump's recent comments that big tariffs are on the horizon for the industry are likely playing a part in healthcare's woes today. "In one year, one and a half years maximum, it's going to go to 150% and then it's going to go to 250% because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country," the US President told CNBC in an interview. Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CU6) fell 5.8%, Tetratherix (ASX:TTX) 6.2% and PYC Therapeutics (ASX:PYC) 4.6%. Health small cap IDT Australia (ASX:IDT) plunged 17.8% after the abrupt resignation of its CEO with immediate effect. The company's net losses are also increasing, up 38% to $7.5m year-on-year. Management says the losses are due to one-off bad debts and expenses related to new contracts. Moving against the tide, Imricor Medical Systems (ASX:IMR) added 8.7%. Perhaps a little ironically considering healthcare's losses, two defence industry stocks were among the biggest upward movers today. Unmanned drone (UAV) firm Elsight (ASX:ELS) added 10.9% alongside remote weapon system specialist Electro Optic Systems (ASX:EOS), which climbed 9.3%. Outside of the weapons and armament subsector, SKS Technologies (ASX:SKS) lifted 8.1% after exceeding profit guidance by more than 15% for FY25 last week. Tolling and service provider EROAD (ASX:ERD) also continued its hike, soaring 31.6% and up a whopping 99% for the year to date. All in all, it's been a solid week for the ASX so far, up more than 1% over the past five trading days. ASX rival Cboe muscles in on Aussie share market The Australian Securities Exchange itself finished out the day a full 8.6% lower. A one-two punch of self-inflicted blunders and rising competition set the bourse operator reeling. Yesterday's mix-up with TPG Telecom and TPG Capital was bad enough, but today ASIC flagged it was in the final stages of consideration for a listing market application for Cboe Australia. The subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets is looking to end the ASX's monopoly on Aussie stock listings, and ASIC seems to be in full support. The company already accounts for about 20% or $1.5 billion of our total equity trading volume as a trading market operator. ASIC chair Joe Longo said that Australian capital markets are facing intensifying global competition for capital and listings but remain healthy and hale. 'As superannuation funds grow and investors seek opportunities, our actions will help keep our markets efficient, innovative and attractive, supporting economic growth for all Australians,' he said. Perhaps it won't be too much longer until we're tracking multiple share markets here on the daily wrap. Yay? ASX Leaders Today's best performing stocks (including small caps): Code Name Last % Change Volume Market Cap RLG Roolife Group Ltd 0.007 75% 1.54E+08 $6,371,125 MTL Mantle Minerals Ltd 0.0015 50% 1000000 $6,447,446 BMG BMG Resources Ltd 0.011 38% 24298471 $6,755,177 RHY Rhythm Biosciences 0.13 37% 9529722 $26,987,659 ROG Red Sky Energy. 0.004 33% 205896 $16,266,682 LIN Lindian Resources 0.125 33% 30664878 $111,241,690 KM1 Kalimetalslimited 0.15 30% 202308 $9,527,457 SHO Sportshero Ltd 0.035 30% 5311325 $21,686,238 IFM Infomedia Ltd 1.675 27% 34845066 $499,513,991 ALV Alvomin 0.029 26% 457314 $4,491,091 ERA Energy Resources 0.0025 25% 703738 $810,792,482 H2G Greenhy2 Limited 0.02 25% 1107248 $11,006,589 TMX Terrain Minerals 0.0025 25% 500000 $5,063,629 WBE Whitebark Energy 0.005 25% 100200 $2,802,231 BTM Breakthrough Minsltd 0.13 24% 505828 $7,220,923 TOU Tlou Energy Ltd 0.026 24% 3465 $27,270,271 WTM Waratah Minerals Ltd 0.56 22% 7708511 $107,415,642 LMS Litchfield Minerals 0.12 20% 15390 $2,904,606 AJX Alexium Int Group 0.006 20% 408907 $7,932,143 ALM Alma Metals Ltd 0.006 20% 581771 $9,253,686 AN1 Anagenics Limited 0.006 20% 209032 $2,481,602 CZN Corazon Ltd 0.003 20% 74871454 $2,961,431 TEG Triangle Energy Ltd 0.003 20% 7123662 $5,223,085 JAN Janison Edu Group 0.2025 19% 287252 $44,181,003 AZ9 Asianbatterymet PLC 0.038 19% 2732082 $13,814,328 In the news… Building efficiency provider EPX (ASX:EPX) has lifted its annual recurring revenue by 14% in the 2025 financial year, now $15.5m. The company also expanded its annual contract value (an indication of potential future revenue) by 10% to $17.6m. The growth was based on a 35% expansion in site numbers, lifting from 547 in June 2024 to 740 sites this year following a strategic restructure of EPX's sales sector. Augmented reality training provider XReality Group (ASX:XRG) has locked in two new contracts for its Operator XR AI training solution. The first contract comes in the form of a merit-based grant with the Australian government's Industry Growth Program. The government is offering $2.1m over 24 months, with the goal of accelerating XRG's virtual reality training offering. The second is the largest order for Operator XR's OP-2 systems to date. XRG inked the deal with the Texas Department of Public Safety for a five-year period. The initial order is valued at $4.3m, with a $1.4m option for additional support services down the track. Sustainable packaging specialist Papyrus Australia (ASX:PPY) is moving into the next stage of commercialisation and product development, appointing Daniel Schmidt as its new CEO. The company recently completed a successful trial of new banana fibre-based boards and flat paper products in response to commercial interest, and fired up its Rapid Prototyping & R&D Facility in partnership with the University of South Australia. ASX Laggards Today's worst performing stocks (including small caps): Code Name Last % Change Volume Market Cap ATX Amplia Therapeutics 0.175 -27% 30921029 $116,754,486 ACS Accent Resources NL 0.006 -25% 110800 $3,916,298 AUK Aumake Limited 0.003 -25% 10170000 $12,093,435 CR9 Corellares 0.003 -25% 61335 $4,029,079 CT1 Constellation Tech 0.0015 -25% 33229 $2,949,467 JAY Jayride Group 0.003 -25% 495111 $5,711,556 PAB Patrys Limited 0.0015 -25% 1000000 $4,731,620 ASE Astute Metals NL 0.017 -23% 11957646 $13,599,294 BYH Bryah Resources Ltd 0.004 -20% 1122958 $5,142,663 DDT DataDot Technology 0.004 -20% 1 $6,054,764 PIL Peppermint Inv Ltd 0.002 -20% 305 $5,752,724 ZEU Zeus Resources Ltd 0.013 -19% 7817111 $11,478,986 EVR Ev Resources Ltd 0.009 -18% 349525 $24,502,537 HMI Hiremii 0.043 -17% 49090 $7,855,766 IND Industrialminerals 0.125 -17% 40006 $12,048,375 NOX Noxopharm Limited 0.1 -17% 242338 $35,068,554 AAU Antilles Gold Ltd 0.005 -17% 19242149 $14,274,408 FAU First Au Ltd 0.005 -17% 2235248 $12,457,748 JAV Javelin Minerals Ltd 0.0025 -17% 1561666 $18,756,675 MEL Metgasco Ltd 0.0025 -17% 46339 $5,511,260 EDEDA Eden Inv Ltd 0.033 -15% 748473 $8,014,268 CMG Criticalmineralgrp 0.14 -15% 7757 $14,939,820 PL3 Patagonia Lithium 0.034 -15% 515 $4,776,414 LCL LCL Resources Ltd 0.006 -14% 1000000 $8,394,800 PLC Premier1 Lithium Ltd 0.006 -14% 6853560 $2,576,424 In Case You Missed It Energy Transition Minerals (ASX:ETM) is moving to acquire the Penouta tin-tantalum-niobium mine in Galicia, Spain, which presents the opportunity to deliver early production and cashflow. Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) is expanding into tungsten, acquiring the Tennessee Mountain project in Nevada. Anson Resources (ASX:ASN) has produced strong flow results from testing at its Bosydaba#1 exploration well in Utah. TG Metals (ASX:TG6) has combined recent soil sampling results with historical drill results to generate compelling new drill targets at the Van Uden gold project in WA. Infinity Mining (ASX:IMI) is sketching out a kilometre-long corridor prospective for gold at the Cangai project's Sir Walter Scott prospect, with rock chip results up to 68.6g/t gold. Nine of 12 graded above 1 g/t gold, consistent with historical results. Nova Minerals' (ASX:NVA) ore sorting test work has put the Australian junior on track to potentially become the first fully integrated antimony producer in the US. Tryptamine Therapeutics (ASX:TYP) has secured a key regulatory approval to supply its IV-psilocin drug to Swinburne University for a world-first binge eating disorder trial. Xero's $3.9b Melio deal has eyes turning to the next potential B2B payments star. Trading Halts
