EUROCALIN Consortium Initiates EU Grant Funded Collaboration to Develop Novel Anticalin Therapeutic to Treat Anemia

FREISING, Germany, October 19, 2011 -

– Consortium Will Receive Six Million Euro from Seventh Framework Programme –

The EUROCALIN Consortium, comprising 10 companies and universities from across Europe, has initiated a collaboration focused on attaining and completing initial clinical development of a novel Anticalin^® therapeutic.  The project will be funded in large part by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-Health.2011.1.4.3; grant agreement number 278408).  Anticalins are novel, next generation therapeutic proteins designed to bind and antagonize a wide spectrum of ligands.  As funded by the grant, the Consortium will develop, manufacture and clinically test an Anticalin specific for hepcidin.  Hepcidin, a small peptide circulating in human blood, is considered to be a key regulator of iron homeostasis and, therefore, an important target for the treatment of multiple types of anemia.  

EUROCALIN stands for “EUROpean Consortium for AntiCALINS as next generation high-affinity protein therapeutics.” The objective of the EUROCALIN Consortium is to advance a drug candidate, to date in preclinical development at Pieris AG, through to completion of a Phase I a/b clinical trial. With the total funding allotment of six million Euro, the grant is designed to fund the majority of the continuing development of the anti-hepcidin Anticalin program over the next four years, using the expertise of both academic and commercial organizations throughout Europe.

The Consortium consists of Pieris AG (Germany), as project coordinator; Technische Universität München (Germany); Medical University of Innsbruck (Austria); Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre (Netherlands); Covance Laboratories Ltd. (UK); Antitope Ltd. (UK); FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Ltd.UK Limited (UK); Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH (Germany); FGK Clinical Research GmbH (Germany); and ConsulTech GmbH (Germany).

For the purpose of providing background information on the project, the Consortium members and the media contacts for each organization, as well as up to date progress reports for the project, the Consortium has launched a dedicated website: www.eurocalin-fp7.eu.  

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

For further information, please visit the EUROCALIN website or contact: Andreas Hohlbaum, Ph.D., EUROCALIN Project Coordinator and Vice President, Strategic Research and Project Management, Pieris AG, +49-8161-1411400 or Gretchen Schweitzer, +49-172-861-8540, media@pieris-ag.com.

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