Pieris Announces Preclinical In Vitro and In Vivo Data for its Anticalin(R) PRS-080 Hepcidin Antagonist Drug Program / Data to be presented at BioIron Society Meeting in Vancouver

Freising (ots) - Pieris AG announced today preclinical in vitro
and in vivo data for its PRS-080 Anticalin antagonist program
targeting hepcidin, a small peptide which plays a pivotal role in the
regulation of iron levels in the blood. PRS-080 showcases
Anticalins' ability to encapsulate small targets like hepcidin with
high specificity and potency. The results of Pieris' PRS-080 studies
are being presented at the International BioIron Society Meeting
being held May 22-26 in Vancouver, Canada in an oral presentation
entitled "Exploiting lipocalin biochemistry for the treatment of
anemia: discovery and characterization of an anti- hepcidin
therapeutic".

"This program is extremely exciting because of the numerous lines
of scientific evidence strongly suggesting the benefits of
antagonizing hepcidin, a molecule that is aptly suited for targeting
by Anticalins, for treating multiple forms of anemia," stated Laurent
Audoly, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Pieris. "Because of the
diverse clinical profiles of our target populations, we are also
capitalizing on our ability to develop Anticalins with a range of
half-life values in order to maximize the therapeutic index in any
one disorder."

Pieris researchers documented that PRS-080 displayed sub-nanomolar
potency, which translated into robust cell-based and in vivo
efficacy. In a preclinical model of efficacy, PRS-080 administration
showed complete inhibition of hepcidin-induced hypoferremia in a
dose-dependent manner. The researchers also demonstrated a favorable
half-life for the compound through further preclinical studies.

"Our hepcidin antagonist program highlights Pieris' strategy of
pursuing therapeutic programs with meaningful, clinically relevant
differentiation over conventional molecules. Armed with these data
and a healthy balance sheet, Pieris is committed to advancing PRS-
080 as rapidly as possible toward the clinic," Stephen Yoder, Chief
Executive Officer of Pieris, said. "We are aiming to achieve first-
in-man readiness no later than the beginning of 2013, which girds
this program with first-in-class potential."

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.

Pieris' proprietary Anticalin technology platform creates next
generation targeted therapeutics and addresses targets in ways that
traditional methods cannot. To obtain a specific Anticalin, Pieris
applies its deep protein engineering know-how to select drug
candidates from its suite of rationally designed proprietary
Anticalin libraries.

About Pieris

Pieris AG is an independent, clinical-staged biotechnology company
advancing its proprietary Anticalin( technology to create safer, more
efficacious and more convenient protein therapeutics. 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 Phase I compound,
PRS-050 (anti-VEGF, oncology), to multiple Anticalins in preclinical
development. 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 .

For more information, please contact:
Stephen Yoder
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +49 (0) 8161-1411-400 or

Gretchen Schweitzer
Tel: +49 172 861 8540
glps@gmx.net