MARTINSRIED, Germany, Dec. 10, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt:MOR) (Prime Standard Segment) today announced the initiation of a therapeutic target sourcing collaboration in Japan with its Tokyo-based partner GeneFrontier Corporation. The expansion of the existing alliance with GeneFrontier aims to increase MorphoSys's access to innovative, druggable therapeutic targets sourced from leading Japanese research institutes and universities, which will in turn further strengthen MorphoSys's proprietary drug development capabilities. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Under the terms of the agreement, research institutes in Japan will be offered access to HuCAL-based research antibodies against novel disease-related target molecules in exchange for commercialization rights. Antibodies for selected projects will be generated by GeneFrontier using MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL antibody technology at its research laboratories in Tokyo. MorphoSys will have access to all research results and data around the selected research programs and the option to secure worldwide rights on such antibody programs.
In September 2004, MorphoSys and GeneFrontier signed a strategic marketing agreement to access the Japanese life science market. To date, this marketing agreement has resulted in three alliances with the leading Japanese pharmaceutical groups Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo and Shionogi. In 2006, both parties expanded their marketing alliance to cover the generation of HuCAL-derived fully human antibodies for proteome research and target validation together with a renowned Japanese research organization as well as commercialization of any resulting antibody products.
"This alliance builds on two collaborations we already have in place with leading research Institutes, including the Burnham Research Institute in the U.S. Within our very successful collaboration in Japan, GeneFrontier will now act as a hub and allow us to benefit from the research results of leading research institutes," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. "We are convinced that building a network of relationships with leading, medically-focused academic institutes is a productive way of accessing the therapeutic targets of tomorrow. Access to these innovative new drug targets will further strengthen MorphoSys's proprietary drug development capabilities."
For further information please contact: Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Loser, Head of Corporate Communications, Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122, gutjahr-loeser@morphosys.com or Mario Brkulj, Manager Public Relations, Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454, brkulj@morphosys.com
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 largest pharmaceutical companies including Bayer-Schering, Boehringer Ingelheim, Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. Within these partnerships, more than 40 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.