Pieris and Pepscan to identify GPCR-specific Anticalins® using CLIPS[TM] protein mimicry technology

Freising (ots) - Pieris AG (Munich, Germany) and Pepscan
Therapeutics (Lelystad, Netherlands) today announced the commencement
of a research collaboration aimed at identifying Anticalins® specific
for G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) and their development as
therapeutic candidates.

Pieris has pioneered Anticalins® as next generation targeted
therapeutics with clear advantages over monoclonal antibodies, while
Pepscan has developed CLIPS[TM] technology to yield immunogens
targeting functional epitopes on proteins. Through this newly
announced collaboration, the companies aim to combine and apply their
respective technologies to the discovery and development of novel
Anticalins® able to modulate GPCR function in disease.

GPCRs form one of the most important classes of drug targets, yet
for many of these receptors, no pharmacologically active small
molecule drugs have been identified. Biotherapeutics provide an
intriguing alternative if they can be selectively targeted to
functional epitopes, yet monoclonal antibodies modulating GPCR action
have to date proven technically challenging. Pepscan's CLIPS[TM]
technology has the distinct advantage of selectively identifying
functional mimics of the extracellular portions of GPCRs which are
fundamental in biology. Such mimics will be used by Pieris to select
Anticalins® with disease modifying potential.

"Pieris has successfully isolated and characterised high potency
Anticalins® against structurally diverse functional epitopes on a
wide range of medically relevant proteins", said Dr Andreas Hohlbaum,
Director of Science and Preclinical Development at Pieris.
"Incorporating Pepscan's CLIPS[TM] technology into our selection and
screening process now allows us to discover Anticalins® with high
affinity and selectivity for specific GPCRs".

Dr Rob Meloen, Chief Scientific Officer of Pepscan Therapeutics
commented: "Functional binding proteins directed against GPCRs are in
great demand as disease-targeting agents. This collaboration allows
Pepscan to apply its protein mimicry technology to GPCRs for the
identification of Anticalins® with therapeutic potential".

Originaltext: Pieris AG
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For further information, please contact:
Pieris AG
Phone +49 (0) 8161 1411 400
Dr Birgit Zech, Senior Manager Business Development

Pepscan Therapeutics
Phone +31 (0) 320 237200
Peter van Dijken, Chief Commercial Officer

Notes to editors

About Pieris AG

Pieris is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery
and development of Anticalins®, a novel class of targeted human
proteins designed to diagnose and treat serious human disorders.
Exploiting extensive know-how in protein engineering as part of a
broad intellectual property portfolio, the Company applies a balanced
risk business model to the development of Anticalin product
candidates.

About Anticalin® Technology

Anticalins are engineered by Pieris from the scaffold of human
lipocalins, a family of natural ligand binding proteins. Anticalins
are selected to have prescribed binding properties with selectivity
and affinity fundamentally similar to that of monoclonal antibodies.
Being human in origin, Anticalins are predicted to have minimal
immunogenicity in man. Where Anticalins benefit compared to
conventional antibodies is in their small size (20 kDa), their robust
physicochemical properties and their simple composition that together
allow highly soluble, predictably stable products to be manufactured
from bacteria. Anticalins are amenable to further engineering to
balance their favorable tissue penetration with adjustable serum
clearance. Moreover, Anticalins have been developed as Duocalins®,
whose dual targeting format allows multiple targets to be bound and
modulated through a single molecule.

Further information is available at http://www.pieris-ag.com

Anticalin® is a registered trademark of Pieris AG.

About Pepscan Therapeutics

Pepscan Therapeutics is a product focused immunotherapy company
based in the Netherlands. It has developed a pipeline of therapeutic
vaccines of which the most advanced is in Phase II clinical testing.
Pepscan's proprietary CLIPS[TM] technology has been proven to yield
functional antibodies reactive with a range of complex proteins,
including GPCRs.

About CLIPS[TM] Technology

Chemically Linked Immunogenic Peptides on Scaffolds (CLIPS[TM]) is
a technology to present one or more peptides in a structurally
constrained configuration. These molecules behave as functional
mimics of complex protein domains that serve as superior immunogens
in the induction and selection of antibodies against disease relevant
protein targets. This is especially valuable in the case of proteins
that are inaccessible as recombinant proteins (e.g GPCRs, ion
channels, patented proteins).

Further information is available at http://www.pepscan.com