Pieris Presents Preclinical Data for PRS-080 Hepcidin Antagonist Anticalin® Program at ASH Annual Meeting

San Diego, CA, USA (ots) -

Breadth of Pharmacokinetic Data Points to Tunable Half-life for
Platform

Pieris AG presented novel preclinical in vitro and in vivo data
for its PRS-080 Anticalin hepcidin antagonist in an oral presentation
at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, the company
announced today. In a presentation entitled "Discovery and
Preclinical Characterization of a Novel Hepcidin Antagonist with
Tunable PK/PD Properties for the Treatment of Anemia in Different
Patient Populations", the results demonstrated Pieris' PRS-080's
ability to increase the serum iron levels in preclinical models by
binding the hepcidin target with high affinity and specificity, while
offering the flexibility of a tunable pharmacokinetic (PK) and
pharmacodynamic (PD) profile.

"These studies in multiple preclinical species and models
demonstrate the high level of control offered by the Anticalin
approach in combination with PEGylation to create 'fit for purpose'
PK/PD profiles that can match specific target biology across
different patient populations," stated Laurent Audoly, Ph.D., Chief
Scientific Officer of Pieris. "In particular, the clear relationship
between PEG formats and the resulting PK/PD profile for several
PRS-080 variants tested in animal models provides an extremely
encouraging basis for a rapid advance toward the clinic and creates a
portfolio of molecules adapted for different hepcidin- dependent
diseases."

The presentation at ASH included several in vivo animal studies of
PRS-080's sub-nanomolar potency in binding hepcidin, which is a small
peptide that plays a pivotal role in the regulation of iron levels in
the blood. In addition, Pieris researchers documented reliable drug
half-life levels dependent on the size of the PEGylated compound. In
several preclinical models, a single dose of four different
formulations of PRS-080 showed clear correlation between the
PEGylation size and the pharmacokinetic properties. Based on these
data and the clinical experience from a recently completed Phase I
trial with a separate compound, PRS-050, Pieris researchers predict a
high level of confidence in defining the best half-life profile for
treating anemia in patients. The lead PRS-080 program candidate is
projected to enter human clinical trials in the first half of 2013.

Hepcidin is a liver-derived peptide that regulates iron
homeostasis in the blood. Produced in response to iron overload and
inflammation, hepcidin decreases iron absorption. When
over-expressed, the peptide is associated with the development of
anemia, often the result of chronic kidney disease, cancer, cancer
treatments such as chemotherapy, and other inflammatory diseases.

Anticalins are therapeutic proteins derived from human lipocalins,
rationally engineered to solve for the pharmacological and
pharmaceutical limitations of both protein and non-protein based drug
platforms.

About Pieris

Pieris AG is an independent, clinical-staged biotechnology company
advancing its proprietary Anticalin® technology to create
differentiated drugs that are safer and more effective than
conventional approaches. Exclusive to Pieris, Anticalin-based drugs
promise to address high-unmet medical needs and expand the
therapeutic potential of current targeted approaches. Pieris'
pipeline ranges from its lead compound, PRS-050 (anti-VEGF, oncology)
that recently completed a Phase I clinical trial, to multiple
Anticalins in preclinical development across a range of therapeutic
areas. The company has four ongoing discovery and development
collaborations: Daiichi Sankyo, Takeda San Francisco, the Sanofi
Group and Allergan. Privately held, Pieris has been funded by premier
biotechnology-focused venture capital, including lead investors
OrbiMed Advisors and Global Life Science Ventures. For more
information, please visit: www.pieris-ag.com.

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Additional information is available at www.pieris-ag.com.

Anticalin®, Anticalins® are registered trademarks of Pieris AG.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Andreas Hohlbaum
Vice President, Strategic Research and Project Management
Pieris AG

or

Gretchen Schweitzer
+49 172 861 8540
media@pieris-ag.com