MARTINSRIED/MUNICH, Germany, and TOKYO, Japan, September 23
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime
Standard Segment) announced today that it has formed a strategic marketing
cooperation with the Tokyo-based company, GeneFrontier Corporation, in order
to access the Japanese life science market. The objective of the cooperation
is to drive new business opportunities by establishing the HuCAL(R)
technology of MorphoSys as the premium brand for both research and
therapeutic antibody generation in Japan. As part of an ongoing pre-marketing
agreement between the two companies, several research projects conducted with
Japanese partners have been successfully completed. Under the multi-year
collaboration, both parties will invest in customer development and marketing
in Japan as part of a wider MorphoSys effort to expand geographically into
new markets.
As a result of the recently concluded Human Genome Project, the spotlight
in biomedical research is shifting rapidly from the genome to proteome-based
projects as the key to transform genetic information into pharmaceutical
products. The proliferation of these projects is driving an increasing demand
for novel research antibodies to study these newly characterized proteins.
Moreover, for validated targets which are suitable for therapeutic
applications, MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD(R) technology provides a seamless
transition from a rapidly generated research antibody to a fully human
optimized antibody drug candidate. Thus, MorphoSys sees the potential to
position its HuCAL(R) technology as the system of choice for future
therapeutic antibody projects conducted by pharmaceutical companies in Japan.
"Both partners see an enormous market potential for research and
therapeutic antibodies derived from MorphoSys's HuCAL(R) technology,
especially in the light of strong financial commitment from the Japanese
government to protein research and its therapeutic applications," commented
Mr. Makoto Ogasawara, Chief Executive Officer of GeneFrontier Corp. "Japan,
presently the second largest pharmaceutical market in the world, is seeking
new innovative technologies in life sciences to continue on its growth path."
"This collaboration is an important step in our strategy to establish
HuCAL(R) globally as an industry standard for therapeutic antibody
generation, as well as research tools," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief
Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. "We look forward to working with
GeneFrontier to expand our business in the lucrative Japanese market."
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(r)) technology is used by researchers
worldwide for human antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing
and research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Biogen
Idec Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim,
Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Wilmington, Delaware/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), Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben/Germany),
Oridis Biomed GmbH (Graz/Austria), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon
Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany) and Xoma Ltd.
(Berkeley, California/USA). For further information please visit the
corporate website at: http://www.morphosys.com/
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.
About GeneFrontier:
GeneFrontier was established as an innovative solution provider for
genome-based drug research & development. GeneFrontier has the strength and
wealth of experience of its three founding shareholders; the business
creation expertise and broad network of ITX CORPORATION the biotechnology and
extensive clinical laboratory experience of BML and the bioinformatics
technology and know-how of INFOCOM. GeneFrontier's experienced technical
staffs are experts in "wet-lab" and "dry-lab" technologies and can provide
efficient and high quality solutions for genome-based drug research &
development. GeneFrontier is planning to provide innovative diagnostic
products and services for tailored medicine in order to contribute to the
improvement of Quality of Life. For further information please visit the
corporate website at: http://www.genefrontier.com/
For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG GeneFrontier Corporation
Dave Lemus Souta Hara
Chief Financial Officer Manager Business Development
Tel: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-439 Tel: +81-3-5652-7777
Fax: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-5439 Fax: +81-3-5652-7770
investors@morphosys.com info@genefrontier.com
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Loser
Director Corporate Communications
Tel: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-122
Fax: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-5122
gutjahr-loeser@morphosys.com
Mario Brkulj
PR Specialist
Tel: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-454
Fax: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-5454
brkulj@morphosys.com
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SOURCE MorphoSys AG
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CONTACT:
GeneFrontier Corporation, Souta Hara, Manager
Business Development, Tel: +81-3-5652-7777 Fax: +81-3-5652-7770
info@genefrontier.com MorphoSys AG, Dave Lemus, Chief Financial
Officer, Tel: +49-(0)-89 / 899-27-439 Fax: +49-(0)-89
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