Roche Plans Clinical Trial with MorphoSys-Generated Alzheimer Antibody
MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; TecDAX) announced today that its partner Roche has filed all necessary applications to commence a European Phase 1 clinical trial with a HuCAL®-derived antibody to treat Alzheimer's disease. The HuCAL® antibody targets abnormal build-ups of amyloid beta protein in cerebral tissue, which are typical of Alzheimer's patients, and is intended to help remove them. The applications filing to commence clinical trials triggers a clinical milestone payment from Roche to MorphoSys. Further financial details were not disclosed.
In pre-clinical tests the fully human antibody showed high affinity binding to amyloid beta plaques and was able to bind specifically to amyloid plaques in human brain tissue samples taken from Alzheimer's patients. Moreover, the binding of the antibody dissolved aggregations of amyloid beta molecules in an in vitro assay. The HuCAL® antibody was further tested in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease. After systemic administration the antibody was shown to cross the blood-brain-barrier and to bind to amyloid beta plaques within the brain. International Alzheimer's research sees the breakdown of amyloid beta formations as a promising starting point towards treatment. Removal of the accumulations has been linked to an increase in correct cognitive functioning.
'We are very proud to take a fully human antibody identified with MorphoSys' HuCAL® technology into the clinic. This is an important and innovative step towards the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with a new class of medicines,' said Andrew Sleight, Head of Central Nervous System (CNS) Research at Roche.
'Alzheimer's disease is a devastating illness both in terms of its effects on sufferers and on the financial burden it places on healthcare systems worldwide', said Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Office of MorphoSys AG. 'The antibody developed in our collaboration with Roche has shown great promise in pre-clinical studies and we await with interest the outcome of trials in human patients.'
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 (Berkeley, California/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (New Jersey/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, New Jersey/USA), Novartis AG (Basel, Switzerland), Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben, Germany), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany), Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Japan), Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA) and others. Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research market through its Antibodies by Design business unit. Antibodies by Design 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 the Serotec Group in 2006. For further information please visit the corporate website at: http://www.morphosys.com/.
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For further information please contact: Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser, Director Corporate Communications, Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122, gutjahr-loeser@morphosys.com or Mario Brkulj, Manager Public Relations, Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454, brkulj@morphosys.com