MorphoSys broadens therapeutic target sourcing network

Biotech company MorphoSys AG has announced an alliance with a German institute, looking at the use of fully human recombinant research antibodies and commercialisation of resulting products.

As part of the alliance with the Leibniz-Institut fuer Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin, the institute will have 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 commercialisation rights for all antibodies emerging from the collaboration, both as research antibody tools distributed via the AbD Serotec sales catalogue and in therapeutic or diagnostic applications.

Research at Leibniz-Institut fuer 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 for 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 fuer 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 US, 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," said Dr Simon Moroney, ceo 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."

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

MorphoSys is focused on the generation of fully human antibodies as a means to discover and develop innovative antibody-based drugs against life-threatening diseases.