Pieris AG, a bio-pharmaceutical company developing Anticalins(R), a novel
class of targeted human protein therapeutics, and Wacker Biotech GmbH, a
full-service contract manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals, announced
yesterday a significant milestone in the development of Pieris' PRS-050
Anticalin(R) for clinical trials.
Pieris has developed PRS-050 as a next generation VEGF antagonist and
as the first Anticalin(R) -based product in its proprietary pipeline.
PRS-050 exemplifies many of the favourable characteristics of
Anticalins(R): compact protein structure, high intrinsic stability, broad
formulation flexibility and small molecular size improving the likelihood
of effective target access. PRS-050 has already demonstrated potent
inhibition of VEGF-induced enhanced vascular permeability and angiogenesis,
as well as, anti-tumour activity and is expected to enter the clinic in
2009.
Wacker's proprietary E. coli secretion system is a well-established
technology for the cost-efficient production of proteins. At the core of
the technology is a proprietary E. coli K12-strain, developed by Wacker, to
secrete recombinant proteins in native form. Production of clinically
relevant proteins via direct extracellular secretion offers a far more cost
effective approach to biopharmaceutical product manufacture than
traditional protein refolding technologies.
Andreas Hohlbaum Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Pieris, stated:
"Pieris has long-established expertise in small scale expression of
Anticalins(R) for research use. As we progress our products to the clinic,
we have established through our relationship with Wacker that an efficient
production scale-up is possible. These excellent results and subsequent
agreement with Wacker will expedite process development and GMP manufacture
of Anticalins(R) for both proprietary and partnered products."
Thomas Maier Ph.D., Managing Director of Wacker Biotech, commented
further: "The Anticalin(R) technology is one of the most exciting 'Beyond
Antibody' technologies and we are very proud to support Pieris in its aims
to develop this new class of therapeutic proteins. The results obtained to
date underscore the power of our E. coli secretion technology and highlight
Wacker Biotech's commitment to becoming a leading force as a full-service
contract manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals."
More information on Pieris AG is available at pieris-ag
More information on Wacker Biotech GmbH is available at
wacker/biologics
Pieris AG
pieris-ag