MARTINSRIED, Germany, April 24, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) --
MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt:
MOR.F -
News) (Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX)
today announced a broad alliance with the Leibniz-Institut
fur Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, covering the
use of fully human recombinant research antibodies and commercialization
of resulting products. Under the terms of the agreement,
the FMP will receive access to novel HuCAL GOLD-based research
antibodies from MorphoSys's AbD Serotec unit to identify
and validate target molecules with potential medical applications.
MorphoSys retains commercialization rights for all antibodies
emerging from the collaboration both as research antibody
tools distributed via the AbD Serotec sales catalogue as
well as in therapeutic or diagnostic applications. Financial
details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Research at Leibniz-Institut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie
(FMP) focuses on the structures, functions and interactions
of proteins and on the development of new concepts for interfering
pharmacologically with their functions. This places the
research activity of the institute at the forefront of drug
development. An interdisciplinary approach is crucial to
this type of work, and a particular strength of the FMP
is the close interaction in the fields of chemistry and
biology. The research activities of the FMP are clustered
into the three sections ``Structural Biology'', ``Signal Transduction/Molecular
Genetics'', and ``Chemical Biology''. Through the alliance
with MorphoSys researchers across all three sections of
the FMP get access to HuCAL-based fully human antibodies
against novel target molecules.
``We are looking forward very much to cooperating with MorphoSys.
This kind of public-private partnership provides us with
the perfect tools to study the proteins we are working on
-- in order to elucidate their function and to evaluate
their potential as drug targets,'' says Walter Rosenthal,
director of the Leibniz-Institut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie.
``We are proud to be the first German scientific institution
that holds such a cooperation with MorphoSys -- strong support
for our efforts to open new ways to transfer scientific
results into therapy.''
``This agreement builds on relationships we have in place
with leading, medically-focused research institutes in Japan
and the U.S., including the Burnham Research Institute.
This expanding network represents a promising way for MorphoSys
and AbD Serotec to access the therapeutic targets and research
products of tomorrow,'' commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief
Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. ``With its high quality
of interdisciplinary research and its clear focus on translational
medicine the FMP is a perfect addition to this network which
will ultimately strengthen MorphoSys's proprietary drug
development capabilities.''
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys is a publicly traded biotechnology company focused
on the generation of fully human antibodies as a means to
discover and develop innovative antibody-based drugs against
life-threatening diseases. MorphoSys's goal is to establish
HuCAL as the technology of choice for antibody generation
in research, diagnostics and therapeutic applications. The
Company currently has therapeutic and research alliances
with the majority of the world's largest pharmaceutical
companies including Boehringer Ingelheim, Centocor/Johnson
& Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. Within these partnerships,
more than 50 therapeutic antibody programs are ongoing in
which MorphoSys participates through exclusive license and
milestones payments as well as royalties on any end products.
Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research
market through its AbD Serotec business unit. The business
unit has operations in Germany (Munich), the U.S. (Raleigh,
NC) and U.K. (Oxford). For further information please visit
http://www.morphosys.com/
HuCAL(r) and HuCAL GOLD(r) are registered trademarks of
MorphoSys AG
This communication contains certain forward-looking statements
concerning the MorphoSys group of companies. The forward-looking
statements contained herein represent the judgment of MorphoSys
as of the date of this release and involve risks and uncertainties.
Should actual conditions differ from the Company's assumptions,
actual results and actions may differ from those anticipated.
MorphoSys does not intend to update any of these forward-looking
statements as far as the wording of the relevant press release
is concerned.
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