Commercial Appeal: arGentis grew its drug-development pipeline this month with the acquisition of the rights to a rheumatoid arthritis therapy from the University of Tennessee Research Foundation.

arGentis announces it will collaborate with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Memphis to initiate the first human clinical evaluation of an oral altered peptide ligand (APL), ARG301, in a Phase I study of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients.

Commercial Appeal: The next trial is the drug's last before it heads to the Food and Drug Administration for market approval. To help that process, arGentis assembled a "dream team" to serve on its scientific advisory board.

Maureen D. Mayes, MD, Daniel E. Furst, MD, Virginia D. Steen, MD and Weng Kee Wong, PhD join arGentis' Scientific Advisory Board and will lend expertise in clinical development of ARG201 for Systemic Sclerosis.

Memphis Business Journal: arGentis is gaining momentum to get its first two therapies to the marketplace with a $10-12 million capital campaign, new paths for clinical trials and a renowned business accelerator firm to help it find a drug development partner.

Commercial Appeal: arGentis' scleroderma drug wins orphan designation for Europe