MARTINSRIED, Germany, April 24, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt:MOR) (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.