Exploring Immunomodulation Without Immunosuppression with Artax Biopharma’s Dr. Rob Armstrong

In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, host Ayesha Rashid speaks with Rob Armstrong, PhD, CEO of Artax Biopharma, a company pioneering a novel class of oral small molecule drugs known as Nck modulators to treat autoimmune diseases. Unlike traditional therapies that suppress the immune system, Artax’s approach aims to restore immune balance by modulating T cell receptor signaling. Dr. Armstrong shares insights into the company’s recent clinical progress, including positive Phase IIa results in psoriasis and promising preclinical data in atopic dermatitis, and what these milestones mean for the broader autoimmune treatment landscape. With more than 20 years of leadership in biopharmaceutical R&D, Dr. Armstrong previously served as CEO, board member and co-founder of Boston Pharmaceuticals, led small molecule R&D at Amgen and held senior executive roles at Eli Lilly, including Vice President of Global Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Armstrong was Chairman of the Board of Artax Biopharma until January 2024, when he was appointed as the company’s CEO. Prior to working in industry, Dr. Armstrong was a tenured Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Armstrong received his Bachelor of Science (BS) in chemistry at University of California San Diego (UCSD), PhD in chemistry at California State University (CSU) and was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Harvard. Rob is an advisor to Gelesis and serves on the board of directors of early-stage biotechnology companies Curza Therapeutics, Cloud Pharmaceuticals and Entrega Bio. Tune into the episode to hear Dr. Armstrong discuss the promise of Nck modulators and breakthroughs in autoimmune therapies. For more life science and medical device content, visit the Xtalks Vitals homepage. https://xtalks.com/vitals/ Follow Us on Social Media Twitter: https://twitter.com/Xtalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtalks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xtalks.Webinars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtalks-webconferences YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/XtalksWebinars/featured