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MorphoSys's AbD Serotec Expands Antibody License Agreement with Medical
Research Council
Martinsried/Munich and Oxford, UK, March 20th, 2007 - MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt
Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) today announced that its
business unit AbD Serotec has significantly expanded its license agreement with
MRC Technology (MRCT), the technology transfer arm of Great Britain's Medical
Research Council (MRC). The agreement, which provides AbD Serotec with access to
a broad range of hybridoma cell lines as a source of research antibodies, is
extended for a further five years, and includes additional products which will
be implemented in AbD Serotec's offering. Financial details of the agreement
were not disclosed.
The Medical Research Council is a national organization dedicated to improving
human health in the UK and abroad. The MRC has 40 Institutes, Units and Centres
and supports research across the entire spectrum of medical sciences, in
universities and hospitals through research grants, funded research training and
MRC career awards. Hybridoma cells which have been engineered by researchers of
the MRC network to produce a desired research antibody in large amounts are
out-licensed by MRCT.
AbD Serotec is the research antibody division of MorphoSys, one of the world's
leading antibody technology companies. AbD Serotec offers more than 10,000
antibodies and immunological reagents, custom monoclonal antibodies developed
from the MorphoSys HuCAL library, and large and small scale antibody production
and conjugation services.
"Our long-lasting relationship with the Medical Research Council as a source of
research antibodies has led to a large number of innovative products for our
costumers," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys
AG. "Sales on all products from this license agreement are of significant value
for AbD Serotec, and to be able to continue this long-term relationship with one
of the most influential research organizations in Great Britain is thus of
significant value for the entire MorphoSys Group."
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 (HuCAL) technology is used by researchers worldwide for human
antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing agreements and/or
research collaborations with Bayer-Schering (USA/Germany), Boehringer Ingelheim
(Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (USA), Centocor Inc. (USA), Daiichi Sankyo &
Co., Ltd. (Japan), GPC Biotech AG (Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Switzerland),
ImmunoGen Inc. (USA), Merck & Co., Inc. (USA), Novartis AG (Switzerland),
Novoplant GmbH (Germany), OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (USA), Pfizer Inc.
(USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Israel), Schering-Plough (USA), Shionogi & Co.,
Ltd. (Japan), Xoma Ltd. (USA) and others. Additionally, MorphoSys is active in
the antibody research market through its AbD Serotec business unit. The business
unit 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 and Serotec Group in 2006. For
further information please visit the corporate website at:
http://www.morphosys.com/.
About Medical Research Council Technology (MRCT):
MRCT is the exclusive commercialisation catalyst for the UK Medical Research
Council (MRC), working to translate cutting edge scientific discoveries into
commercial products. MRCT bridges the gap between innovative basic science and
making medicine. By providing both chemical tools and therapeutic antibody
candidates, we give pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies new starting
points for drug discovery and development, based on MRC advances in science.
About MRC:
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the
UK taxpayer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human health;
everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the
scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical
and other health-related industries and the academic world. MRC has funded work
which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in
medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC's expenditure of GBP 510 million is
invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and Centres. The remaining half goes in the
form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in
universities and medical schools.
Statements included in this press release which are not historical in nature are
intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements" for
purposes of the safe harbour provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates",
"believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The
company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without
limitation those relating to the company's future operations and business
prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that may affect future operations and business prospects
include, but are not limited to, clinical and scientific results and
developments concerning corporate collaborations and the company's proprietary
rights and other factors described in the prospectus relating to the company's
recent public offering.
HuCAL(R) and HuCAL GOLD(R) are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG
For more information, please contact MorphoSys AG:
Dave Lemus
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-439
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-5439
investors@morphosys.com
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser
Senior Director Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-5122
gutjahr-loeser@morphosys.com
Mario Brkulj
Manager Public Relations
Phone : +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-5454
brkulj@morphosys.com
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