The outcomes of the Australian phase 2 SEANCON clinical trial of the safety and preliminary efficacy of the neuroprotective drug ARG-007 in acute ischaemic stroke were presented at the 2026 European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC).
At the prestigious forum in the Netherlands, Professor Graeme Hankey AO, Perron Institute Chair in Stroke Research at The University of Western Australia, provided the only presentation from Perth, Western Australia.
The findings were shared in the session ‘The Next Frontier in Acute Stroke Therapy: Neuroprotection, Novel Agents, and Advanced Imaging’ on the first day of the conference, featuring speakers from six countries.
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 10 Australian hospitals and involved 93 stroke patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a minimally invasive procedure to remove large blood clots from blocked arteries and veins.
Professor Hankey, National Coordinating Principal Investigator of the trial, said “The results describe the safety profile of ARG-007 in acute ischaemic stroke patients and identified no statistically significant difference between the ARG-007 and the placebo groups in the volume of infarcted (dead) brain tissue at three days follow-up. However, the study was not powered to reliably identify or exclude a statistically significant effect of the treatment.”
“A pre-specified subgroup analysis generates the hypothesis that ARG-007 may reduce the volume of infarcted brain in patients with slow collateral blood supply to the threatened part of the brain.”
Professor Hankey and other members of Argenica and Perron Institute also contributed to a poster first authored by Dr Davide Carone, Senior Medical Director at Brainomix, an Oxford-based AI-powered medical imaging software company specialising in stroke, lung disease, and cancer diagnostics. The poster was recognised as a Best Poster Finalist. It reported a post-hoc AI core lab analysis which found that patients with larger strokes randomised to ARG-007 had statistically significant better functional outcomes compared to placebo.
WA biotech company Argenica Therapeutics is leading the commercialisation and clinical trials of ARG-007, based on the pioneering work of Professor Bruno Meloni and Clinical Professor Neville Knuckey (The University of Western Australia and the Perron Institute).
The next step will be a Phase 2B clinical trial targeting moderate to severe stroke patients who may be most likely to benefit in terms of better functional outcomes when dosed with this drug.