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Pieris Pharmaceuticals engineered small lipocalin proteins called Anticalins into cancer immunotherapies, including the HER2-targeted 4-1BB agonist cinrebafusp alfa, before merging into Palvella Therapeutics in 2024.
Pieris Pharmaceuticals, founded in Freising, Germany and later headquartered in Boston, developed Anticalin proteins, engineered derivatives of human lipocalins, as an alternative to antibodies. Its oncology lead, cinrebafusp alfa (PRS-343), fused a HER2 antibody to a 4-1BB-binding Anticalin so that T-cell costimulation happened only in HER2-positive tumours; a phase 2 study in HER2-positive gastric cancer was halted in 2023 for strategic reasons. The company completed a reverse merger with Palvella Therapeutics in December 2024.
Cinrebafusp alfa is an experimental fusion protein from Pieris Pharmaceuticals in phase 2 trials for gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer, aimed at HER2.