MARTINSRIED, Germany, Feb. 27, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt:MOR) (Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) and Sigma-Aldrich (Nasdaq:SIAL) today announced a collaboration agreement to design, produce and distribute unique recombinant research antibodies using MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL GOLD technology. MorphoSys's AbD Serotec unit will develop and qualify unique antibodies from MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL GOLD library against a committed number of targets identified and supplied by Sigma-Aldrich. HuCAL GOLD is the most recent and most powerful phage-display library developed for the in vitro generation of highly specific and fully human antibodies. The large diversity of the library guarantees fast and successful generation of high-quality antibodies to targets that have previously been difficult to probe with standard antibody-generation technologies. Sigma-Aldrich will offer the HuCAL-based recombinant research antibodies for use in research applications through its powerful and unique online sales platforms Antibody Explorer(tm) and Your Favorite Gene Search(tm).
"We are very excited about the potential of this partnership," said Dr. David Smoller, president of Sigma-Aldrich's Research Biotech business unit. "HuCAL-based recombinant antibody technology will allow researchers access to antibody content not available through standard antibody generation technologies. In conjunction with Sigma-Aldrich's standard content generation capabilities, this powerful technology is expected to allow the community to reach its goal of a binder for every gene and one-day even protein in the human body."
"With Sigma-Aldrich and MorphoSys's AbD Serotec, two leading research antibody suppliers are joining forces to provide the research community with easy access to HuCAL-based antibodies through Sigma-Aldrich's strong distribution network and market presence," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. "The contract supports MorphoSys's goal to introduce a growing number of HuCAL research antibodies into the market, and will further increase AbD Serotec's presence and the acceptance of recombinant research antibodies in the research community alike."
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
About Sigma-Aldrich:
Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High Technology company. Its biochemical and organic chemical products and kits are used in scientific and genomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical and other high technology manufacturing. The Company has customers in life science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals, and in industry. Over one million scientists and technologists use its products. Sigma-Aldrich operates in 36 countries and has 7,700 employees providing excellent service worldwide. Sigma-Aldrich is committed to Accelerating Customer Success through Leadership in Life Science, High Technology and Service. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit its award-winning Web site at http://www.sigma-aldrich.com.
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.