Artax Biopharma Inc, a US-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced on Tuesday that it has dosed its first subject in the firm's Phase 2a trial assessing the safety and biomarker responses of AX-158, its First in Class Nck Blocker, in a first proof of mechanism trial in psoriasis.

The firm is expected to reveal these results in the second half of 2024.

By selectively targeting the Nck function, which plays a critical role in immune system function, the company says AX-158 recalibrates the body's T-cell receptor (TCR) responses. This recalibration to responses allows the immune system to continue functioning properly and activate only when it recognises true disease threats – preventing self-activation without causing immune suppression that makes the body susceptible to numerous infections.

Artax chief executive officer, Rob Armstrong, PhD, said: "We are excited about AX-158's potential as the first immunomodulator in the Nck blocker class. Our pre-clinical data supports the potential for AX-158 to realise effective outcomes without the immunosuppression and the side effects associated with existing autoimmune disease therapies. We are eager to see this validation when the results from this psoriasis Phase 2a trial are available later this year."