BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Pieris, AZ in respiratory deal for Anticalins

May 5, 2017 1:37 AM UTC

Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:PIRS) granted AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) worldwide rights to develop and commercialize five inhaled respiratory disease candidates developed using the biotech's Anticalin platform. The deal includes preclinical asthma candidate PRS-060 and four undisclosed discovery-stage programs.

Anticalins are engineered proteins with antibody-like binding properties. According to Pieris, the therapeutics' solubility and small size relative to biologics allow them to be inhaled directly into the lungs...