MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today the signing of a non-exclusive license and technology transfer agreement between its subsidiary Sloning BioTechnology GmbH and Pfizer. The agreement covers the installation, training and use of Sloning's technology platform Slonomics® for fabrication of highly-diverse gene and protein libraries at Pfizer's subsidiary Rinat Neuroscience Corp. in South San Francisco. The MorphoSys subsidiary will receive an upfront payment in 2010, and stands to receive annual license fees over the patent lifetime of the Slonomics technology platform. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
'This significant alliance around the Slonomics technology, only weeks after we closed the acquisition of Sloning, clearly illustrates the potential value of the platform,' commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. 'This alliance with Pfizer creates immediate value for our shareholders and is just the beginning of what we expect to be a considerable return-on-investment from the combined technology platforms of MorphoSys and Sloning in the years ahead.'
'Rinat started using Sloning's services in 2009, and we were impressed by the diversity and quality of the libraries delivered,' said Jaume Pons, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Pfizer's Rinat subsidiary. 'We therefore decided to use this innovative technology platform further for our research and development activities.'
Sloning's state-of-the-art Slonomics technology enables the precise construction of protein libraries comprising defined mixtures of amino acids at pre-determined positions with unprecedented speed. The technology provides a new and flexible approach to generating optimized proteins. MorphoSys acquired Sloning BioTechnology in October 2010.
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys is an independent biotechnology company that develops novel antibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic and research applications. The Company's HuCAL technology is one of the most powerful methods available for generating fully human antibodies. By successfully applying this and other proprietary technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human health-care. Through its alliances with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, MorphoSys has created a pipeline of more than 60 drug candidates. The Company is expanding its drug pipeline by adding new partnered programs, and by building a portfolio of fully-owned therapeutic antibodies. For its proprietary portfolio, the Company is focused on the areas of oncology and inflammation. Its most advanced program MOR103, a first-in-class, fully human antibody against GM-CSF, is currently being tested in a Phase Ib/IIa trial in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Via its business unit AbD Serotec, MorphoSys is expanding the reach of its technologies in the diagnostics and research markets. MorphoSys is headquartered in Munich, Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 'MOR'. For further information, visit http://www.morphosys.com/
HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, CysDisplay® and RapMAT® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG. Slonomics® is a registered trademark of Sloning BioTechnology GmbH, a subsidiary of MorphoSys AG.