The right medical combination

Liz Dallimore likes to tell people how good she is at assembling IKEA furniture. She tells me that early on during our lengthy conversation, where I try to understand why she has devoted much of her life’s work to finding a way to fix people’s brains. She is a neuroscientist on the verge of bringing life-changing brain trauma therapy to market. 

Dallimore and her Perth-based company Argenica Therapeutics are developing neuroprotective therapeutics to reduce brain damage after stroke. Last week, positive feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed the path for the clinical development of its novel ARG-007 therapy, filling Dallimore and her team with great confidence as they progress into a Phase 2 clinical trial in acute ischaemic stroke patients later this year. 

“I’m really excited,” says Dallimore. “There’s a lot of anticipation mixed with a bit of nervousness, but after over 10 years of work by the amazing researchers to get it to this point, we are finally at the stage where we can deliver the drug to patients.” 

Dallimore has changed my perspective on the qualities required to be a successful scientist and businessperson. Growing up in a scientific environment, she was introduced to books on nuclear physics as a child and was encouraged to follow her dreams with empathy and support. These experiences have shaped her into a trailblazer in her field of expertise.  

“There is much to understand about the brain, especially its role in mental health conditions, which can vary greatly,” Dallimore says. 

“An ever-present problem in neuroscience is that, unlike a person with kidney disease, its presentation can be highly varied. For instance, Alzheimer’s disease can present differently from hyperintense disease. The onset of symptoms varies.  

To comprehend what motivates someone to venture into the uncertain realm of knowledge, I begin by delving into Dallimore’s formative years. Her early experiences provide valuable insight into what ignited her enthusiasm for this complex field of science, her progression through it, and the knowledge she has acquired along the way. 

When did you realise neuroscience would become your life’s passion? 

Science and later chemistry, physics and mathematics were my favourite subjects at school. However, I found that I loved human biology. I guess a part of me was drawn to the more human side of things. Maybe that was a side of my nature that came from my mother. I followed that inclination into university, where I studied neuroscience.  

Did your scientifically minded parents share your interest? 

My father is proud of my pursuit of entrepreneurship and innovation in science. He has a PhD in nuclear physics, and I have a PhD in Neuroscience. We share a passion for technology and innovation and enjoy tinkering with inventions related to the work he became involved with at the Bentley Technology Park.  

Can you recall an invention that holds a special place in your heart? 

It was a leather jacket equipped with speakers. Not a little speaker but more like a massive stereo sound. Back then, people walked about with a boombox perched on a shoulder. I suppose the idea was to solve the inconvenience of taking away the use of an arm by having the tunes blaring through your leather jacket! Seat belt snugglers were another one if you remember what those horrid things were like, although my brother found them very useful on guitar straps. 

I think you can still get those, can you not? 

Really? … Awful. Just awful, awful, awful! It’s so weird that you can develop an idea and make a business out of it. But I was particularly fascinated by any techie innovation. I like disassembling and rebuilding. It’s no surprise that I love putting IKEA furniture together! 

But I’ve digressed a little bit, haven’t I? 

Yes, so the brain, mostly fat and water, is a complex organ that cannot be understood like other organs. My interest in regenerating brain cells began when a friend developed quadriplegia from rugby. I was fascinated by plasticity and the potential for retraining the brain, especially for spinal cord regeneration. Helping others in similar situations keeps me focused in this field.  

Can you share a life-changing experience in London after working on stroke research at the Perron Institute and finishing your honours project at UWA?  

I took a secretariat position for the UK’s Biological Sciences Committees. There, I met Professor Colin Blackmore, a renowned neuroscientist at Oxford University, who invited me to join his groundbreaking neuroscience research. This opportunity was especially meaningful to me because my father had earned his PhD at Oxford, and I knew it would make him proud if I also studied there. 

Was it intimidating to work with such accomplished leaders in this field?  

Always. That will never leave. However, Professor Blackmore was so busy doing shows on the BBC and other things that I was assigned to a colleague named Emeritus Associate Professor Jeremy Taylor. Oxford remained a career highlight, but it taught me that neuroscience would usually have challenges.  

You learned a valuable lesson during that time: scientific endeavours seldom go as planned.  

I had trouble extracting the data I wanted with my experiments because I was attempting to use a pioneering technique, as it was back then, of isolating single cells, removing their genetic material and screening the genetics of a single cell. I’d been learning from others at Oxford, but after two years, I was concerned about not getting any data and feeling pressure to finish my PhD while also teaching on the side. It was quite a stressful time. 

It was time for Plan B, then? 

I realised I had to think much more creatively! As a PhD student with a supervisor, I realised I needed to take more initiative and change my experiments to ensure valuable data. This meant modifying the setup of some of the more unique experiments to think outside the box. 

And you got the data you needed in the end?  

Yeah, I got some data. But some of my more radical aspirations had been tempered to a degree. It was exciting and worth it, nonetheless. We confirmed that genes switched on in neurons and the spinal cord during development may play a critical role in repair following injury. Knowing which genes are being switched on and expressed makes it conceivable to switch them on again during injury and help neurons return to the affected areas of the brain.  

Why did you decide to pursue business instead of your chosen field after finishing your PhD and returning to Perth?  

During my studies, I focused on neuroplasticity after a stroke. I researched whether training the brain to overcome functional deficits and reprogram other areas was possible. However, upon my return to Perth, I realised that job opportunities in this field were minimal. As a result, I decided to switch career paths and spent the next 15 years working for various Big 4 accounting firms. My final role was as the leader of KPMG’s commercialisation advisory practice. Despite this change, I remained involved with the Perron Institute by serving on its board for six years. This allowed me to stay updated on ongoing research, eventually leading me to my current position.  

What was the driving force behind starting at Argenica Therapeutics? 

I learned about the research into the drug ARG-007 during my time on the board at the Perron Institute. Prof Bruno Meloni, currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Argenica, and Clinical Professor Neville Knuckey pioneered ARG-007. They worked at the Perron Institute during my time on the Board. Before pursuing my PhD, I worked in stroke research at the Perron Institute, which was known as the Australian Neuromuscular Research Institute back then, and so was very familiar with the critical unmet need of finding a drug that can protect brain cells after stroke – which is what ARG-007 does.  

Now that you’ve received support from the FDA, what are the next steps? 

We seek approval for Phase 2 clinical trials to test ARG-007 in acute ischemic stroke patients. The trial will occur in up to 10 hospitals across Australia, with patient recruitment expected to start in Q1 2024. We aim to improve patient outcomes while prioritising safety and regulatory requirements. Specialised hospitals will evaluate patient eligibility, and thrombectomy will be a requirement for patients recruited on the trial. Our goal is to prove the drug is safe in these patients and show a reduction in cell death in the brain following stroke. 

What have you learned along your journey? 

We’ve gone from preclinical to Phase 2 in just over two years. Despite some setbacks, we remain focused on our goal and are proud of our progress. Managing people and expectations has been vital. Our company has reached a critical stage of showing this works in patients. Commercially, it is the trigger to do a deal with a pharmaceutical company.  

With everything going well, what is the next step in developing AR-007? 

We have a build-up strategy for this drug. Stroke was the best place to start to give a proof of concept, but how it works in stroke is highly adaptable to other types of brain injury. Stroke causes calcium influx that you get from toxicity. The drug also appears to protect against neuroinflammation. Similarly, you also see these outcomes in other neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injury and hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy. Further, the way the drug works, we are also starting to generate positive data in other neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and moderate traumatic brain injury. We aim to build a body of work supporting chronic dosing of our drug in these and other neurological conditions.  

Your therapy is remarkable because it reduces brain cell death by 60%, as seen in preclinical studies. As opposed to 40% by your nearest rival over 28 days. Are you hopeful that you’re going to maintain that edge? 

Our nearest competitor has completed its second phase three trial. This is excellent news for us because it’s always good to be a fast follower in drug development by letting someone else carve out how the drug is embedded into the standard of care. We are confident of showing superior efficacy because the design of ARG-007 is different in a way that gives us an advantage. 

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