- Two-Year Research Grant will Support Evaluation of New Anti-PS Antibodies as Broad-Spectrum Agents to Treat Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Infections -

- New NIAID-Funded Research Complements Peregrine's Ongoing TMTI Research Contract to Evaluate Bavituximab as a Potential Therapy for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers -

TUSTIN, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a two-year, $763,000 grant to Philip Thorpe, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for research expanding its studies of anti-phosphatidylserine (anti-PS) antibodies as potential treatments for viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) infections. Anti-PS antibodies work through a unique mechanism that allows the body's own immune system to recognize and attack virus infections. Previously published preclinical data and ongoing research support the potential of anti-PS antibodies for the treatment of VHF infections. The objective of the newly funded research is to evaluate a panel of new fully human anti-PS antibodies with different binding and functional properties as potential second-generation treatments.

The new studies complement Peregrine's ongoing research evaluating its lead anti-PS antibody bavituximab and an equivalent fully human antibody for the treatment of VHF, which is classified as a significant biodefense threat. In 2008, Peregrine was awarded a five-year research contract worth up to $44.4 million by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for the Transformational Medical Technologies Initiative (TMTI). In previous preclinical studies funded by NIAID, bavituximab demonstrated encouraging anti-viral activity as a potential treatment for hemorrhagic fevers.

"PS is a highly specific, host-derived target that becomes exposed on cells when they are infected by a broad variety of viruses," said Dr. Thorpe, professor of pharmacology at UT Southwestern. "As a result, anti-viral approaches targeting PS have potential as broad-spectrum agents effective against a range of viral infections, including VHF and other emerging virus pathogens. This grant from NIAID will enable us to conduct studies in VHF models to assess the anti-viral potential of a panel of fully human anti-PS antibodies. We expect the results will be useful for the development of anti-PS therapies for viral hemorrhagic fevers and also will enhance our basic understanding of anti-PS mechanisms in the treatment of virus infections."

Dr. Thorpe is a pioneer in the field of anti-PS biology and its application to anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutics. The PS-targeting technology developed by Dr.