MorphoSys licenses technology to Astellas

Published: 29-Jul-2008
Sustainability Research & Development

Global pharma company Astellas Pharma Inc, based in Japan is to have access to MorphoSys technology thought to greatly speed up antibody drug discovery.


Global pharma company Astellas Pharma Inc, based in Japan is to have access to MorphoSys technology thought to greatly speed up antibody drug discovery.

The company has exercised a pre-existing option to use MorphoSys's proprietary RapMAT or rapid maturation technology for faster antibody optimisation as part of the existing technology transfer agreements between the two companies. As a result, Astellas will have access to MorphoSys's RapMAT technology module alongside the existing installation of the company's proprietary antibody library HuCAL GOLD at Astellas' research site in Tsukuba, Japan. Under the extended agreement, MorphoSys will receive annual user fees for the RapMAT technology and continues to receive annual user fees for access to its HuCAL platform.

RapMAT improves the options for identifying antibodies from the HuCAL libraries and reduces the time for generating promising therapeutic lead molecules. The RapMAT technology is completely compatible with the HuCAL GOLD antibody library.

"Today's news marks our second RapMAT-based technology deal with an existing partner," said Dr Simon Moroney, chief executive officer of MorphoSys. "We welcome Astellas's decision to broaden its technological portfolio and use our RapMAT technology module to speed up their internal drug development process.

"Developments such as RapMAT are a result of our strategy to maintain our technological leadership in the field of human therapeutic antibodies, and thereby further strengthen our position in the market for this important class of drugs."

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