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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Receives Helmsley Charitable Trust Research Grant for Integrin Peptide Therapy – a New Drug Class to Treat Vascular Eye Diseases Allegro Ophthalmics’ Therapy Seeks to Expand Treatment Options For Millions Suffering From Diabetic Macular Edema, Diabetic Retinopathy and Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration BALTIMORE, MD and SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA, OCT. 24, 2011 — Allegro Ophthalmics, LLC announced that its research collaboration with The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins has received a grant in excess of $600,000 from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to further the development of Allegro’s new Integrin Peptide Therapy™. The research advances a new drug class for the treatment of eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration. “Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are global health concerns, and diabetes retinopathy is a major complication of both diseases that currently has limited therapeutic options” said Mr. Dana Ball, program director at The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. “Improving outcomes is a goal of the Helmsley T1D Program and this partnership offers the opportunity to address an unmet need and underscores our commitment to funding innovative research that has the potential to improve the quality of life for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.” In addition to the more than 4 million Americans suffering from diabetic retinopathy, wet macular degeneration affects more than 1.5 million Americans and that number is expected to double by 2020, according to Vision 2020 – a collaboration of the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Allegro Ophthalmics’ collaborative research with The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins advances a new type of treatment for these patients to prevent and reverse vision loss for individuals with these diseases. Allegro Ophthalmics’ Integrin Peptide Therapy™ differs from existing treatments for eye diseases that are caused by abnormal blood vessels because it works upstream to shut off the production of abnormal blood vessels at the source. It is able to do this successfully because it is a very small molecule that is capable of binding the parts of the eye responsible for the production of these blood vessels. By attacking the cascade upstream with a small molecule, Allegro’s compound is designed to offer new and potent treatment options for vascular eye diseases, potentially as a stand-alone therapy as well as complementary to current treatments. Initial studies conducted at The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins showed that Allegro’s compound significantly reduces neovascularization. According to Vicken Karageozian, M.D., Chief Technical Officer and co-founder, Allegro Ophthalmics, “The pre-clinical research is consistent with the data from our initial Phase 1 Study showing that the drug is safe and effective in human patients.” Karageozian further stated, “It is this level of support from organizations such as The Helmsley Trust and The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins that will propel and accelerate our drug development strategy in line with the advice and guidance of our scientific advisory board – all toward offering new treatment options to physicians and patients with the end goal of more effective treatment for vascular eye diseases that preserves vision.” About The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting effective nonprofits in health and medical research, social services, education, and conservation. The Trust, established in 1999, is administered by four trustees selected by Leona Helmsley. As a continuation of Mr. and Mrs. Helmsley’s generous giving throughout their lifetimes, the Trust supports a diverse range of organizations and has committed more than $480 million in grants to charitable organizations since 2008. -more- About Allegro Ophthalmics, LLC With more than 100 years of combined experience in vision science and medicine, the leadership team at Allegro Ophthalmics, LLC is establishing Integrin Peptide Therapy as the next-generation pharmaceutical category for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, which together affect nearly six million Americans. Allegro Ophthalmics offers the potential to prevent vision loss for millions of people, while also liberating others from legal blindness to a much improved quality of life sustained by self-sufficient functional vision. ### CONTACT: Allison Potter Pascale Communications 412.228.1678 [email protected]