MARTINSRIED, Germany, June 1, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange:MOR) (Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today that the US biotechnology company, ImmunoGen Inc., has licensed access to the MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD(R) library for use in ImmunoGen's internal target research programs. ImmunoGen will pay MorphoSys subscription fees during the one-year term of the agreement. Further financial details were not disclosed.
In June 2001, ImmunoGen and MorphoSys entered into a collaboration to use MorphoSys's previous version of the HuCAL(R) library (Human Combinatorial Antibody Library) in ImmunoGen's internal research programs. The four-year term of this prior agreement ended in May 2005.
The two companies also have a separate collaboration, established in September 2000, to develop a fully human antibody against an ImmunoGen-provided cell-surface target associated with various forms of cancer.
"We are delighted that ImmunoGen continues to see our HuCAL(R) antibody technology as a valuable asset in its target research programs and is upgrading to the most sophisticated version, HuCAL GOLD(R)," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer, MorphoSys AG.
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys develops and applies innovative technologies for the production of synthetic antibodies, which accelerate drug discovery and target characterization. Founded in 1992, the Company's proprietary Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCALa) technology is used by researchers worldwide for human antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing agreements and/or research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (New Jersey/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Novartis AG (Basel, Switzerland), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany) and Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA). Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research market through its Antibodies by Design business unit. Antibodies by Design was founded in 2003 for the purpose of exploiting the MorphoSys non-therapeutic antibody markets. MorphoSys' activities in the research antibody segment were significantly strengthened through the acquisition of the U.K. and U.S.-based Biogenesis Group in January 2005. For further information please visit the corporate website at: http://www.morphosys.com/.
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