GlobeNewswire Inc | Nov 18, 2020 07:00AM EST

November 18, 2020

Prof. Streffer is anestablishedauthority on neuroscience and biomarker modalities

Appointmentreaffirms AC Immunes scientificleadership in neurodegeneration

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Nov. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a Swiss-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad pipeline focused on neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that Prof. Johannes R. Streffer, an authority on neurology and psychiatry, was hired as the Companys Chief Medical Officer, and he is expected to join the Company in January 2021.

Prof. Streffer joins AC Immune from UCB Biopharma SPRL where he currently holds the position of Vice President, Head of Translational Medicine Neuroscience. His expertise will further accelerate AC Immunes progress in advancing its pipeline of therapies targeting neurodegenerative diseases.

Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented We welcome Prof. Streffers timely appointment, as his understanding of biomarkers and experience of clinical study design in Alzheimers disease (AD), and particularly preclinical AD, will positively impact AC Immunes discovery efforts. His appointment is a further affirmation of our scientific leadership in the neurodegenerative disease field. Prof. Streffers significant expertise and standing in the scientific and medical community will be an invaluable asset as we work to develop innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases using our proprietary technology platforms.

Prof. Streffer commented I am humbled and proud to be invited to join AC Immune, an established pioneer at the forefront of discovering and developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. It is tremendously exciting to be involved at the cutting edge of research addressing an area with such a high unmet medical need and where my work on clinical studies and understanding early biomarkers in Alzheimers could play a critically important role. The existing and developing pipeline of AC Immune is very impressive. I look forward to working with the outstanding team at AC Immune and hope my own expertise will contribute to their continued success.

At UCB Prof. Streffer led the development of a translational space in neuroscience, integrating clinical and biomarker sciences. Prior to this he was a member of the Alzheimer Disease Area Leadership Team at Janssen, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Here he gained experience in early experimental AD trials, including biomolecular modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET), volumetric and functional MRI, genetics, cognition and cerebrospinal fluid markers. As a member of the Experimental Medicine group and as leader of the Janssen BACE inhibitor (BACEi) program targeting Alzheimers Disease he initiated a number of methodological and biomarker studies focusing on early diagnosis and translation. Prof. Streffer was also the industrial lead for European Medical Information Framework (EMIF)-AD. In the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)-EMIF program researchers from 14 countries combined in a EUR 56 million project to integrate a wide variety of AD data cohorts to foster understanding of early biomarkers and change in the predementia AD spectrum.

Prof. Streffer is a graduate of the University of Tbingen, Germany, where he received his medical degree. He also completed graduate studies on neuro-oncology and is Board certified in psychiatry and neurology. He has published more than 70 manuscripts and is a visiting Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp.

About AC Immune SA AC Immune SAis a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which aims to become a global leader in precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases. The Company utilizes two proprietary platforms, SupraAntigenTMand MorphomerTM, to design, discover and develop small molecule and biological therapeutics as well as diagnostic products intended to diagnose, prevent, and modify neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolding proteins. The Company's pipeline features nine therapeutic and three diagnostic product candidates, with six currently in clinical trials. It has collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies includingGenentech, a member of the Roche Group, Eli Lilly and Company andJanssen Pharmaceuticals.

For further information, please contact:

Head of Investor Relations US MediaJoshua Drumm, Ph.D. Katie GallagherAC Immune LaVoie HealthSciencePhone: +1 917 809 0814 Phone: +1 617 792 3937Email: joshua.drumm@acimmune.com Email: kgallagher@lavoiehealthscience.com Global Head of Communications European Investors & MediaJudith Moore Chris MaggosAC Immune LifeSci AdvisorsPhone: +41 79 826 63 82 Phone: +41 79 367 6254Email: judith.moore@acimmune.com Email: chris@lifesciadvisors.com

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