Morphotek announced that a monoclonal antibody has been selected for advancement to clinical development under the terms of its March 2009 collaboration agreement with Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI)
EXTON, PA, USA | September 28, 2010 | Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., today announced that a monoclonal antibody has been selected for advancement to clinical development under the terms of its March 2009 collaboration agreement with Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI). Under the agreement, the parties collaborate in the discovery, development and commercialization of antibodies that target certain antigens discovered by HGS. The collaborative work is focused on therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for the fields of immunology and oncology.
“Our agreement with HGS is a continuation of our business model of leveraging access to targets from collaborators, applying Morphotek’s technologies to develop lead antibodies and, through collaboration with our partners, validating their therapeutic potential in preclinical and, if warranted, clinical studies.”
The humanized antibody, which is being evaluated in the field of immunology, was generated and optimized by Morphotek using its proprietary technologies and the parties will work together to further develop and commercialize the antibody under the collaboration agreement. Each party also has the right to opt in to participate in development and commercialization of any other antibody candidate selected for advancement under the agreement.
“We are excited to bring forward the first therapeutic monoclonal antibody from our collaboration with Human Genome Sciences,” said Nicholas Nicolaides, Ph.D., President and CEO of Morphotek. “Our agreement with HGS is a continuation of our business model of leveraging access to targets from collaborators, applying Morphotek’s technologies to develop lead antibodies and, through collaboration with our partners, validating their therapeutic potential in preclinical and, if warranted, clinical studies.”
About Morphotek
Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of protein and antibody products through the use of a novel and proprietary gene evolution technology. The technology has been successfully applied to a broad variety of cell lines and organisms to yield genetically diverse offspring that are suitable for pharmaceutical product development in the areas of antibody therapeutics, protein therapeutics, product manufacturing, drug target discovery, and improved output traits for commercial applications. The company is currently focusing its platform on the development and manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and infectious disease. For more information, please visit www.morphotek.com.
About Eisai Inc.
Eisai Inc. was established in 1995 and is ranked among the top-20 U.S. pharmaceutical companies (based on retail sales). The company began marketing its first product in the United States in 1997 and has rapidly grown to become a fully integrated pharmaceutical business with fiscal year 2009 (year ended March 31, 2010) sales of approximately $3.9 billion. Eisai’s areas of commercial focus include neurology, gastrointestinal disorders and oncology/critical care. The company serves as the U.S. pharmaceutical operation of Eisai Co., Ltd., a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world.
Eisai has a global product creation organization that includes U.S.-based R&D facilities in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania as well as manufacturing facilities in Maryland and North Carolina. The company’s areas of R&D focus include neuroscience; oncology; vascular, inflammatory and immunological reaction; and antibody-based programs. For more information about Eisai, please visit www.eisai.com.
SOURCE: Morphotek, Inc.
Post Views: 69
Morphotek announced that a monoclonal antibody has been selected for advancement to clinical development under the terms of its March 2009 collaboration agreement with Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI)
EXTON, PA, USA | September 28, 2010 | Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., today announced that a monoclonal antibody has been selected for advancement to clinical development under the terms of its March 2009 collaboration agreement with Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI). Under the agreement, the parties collaborate in the discovery, development and commercialization of antibodies that target certain antigens discovered by HGS. The collaborative work is focused on therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for the fields of immunology and oncology.
“Our agreement with HGS is a continuation of our business model of leveraging access to targets from collaborators, applying Morphotek’s technologies to develop lead antibodies and, through collaboration with our partners, validating their therapeutic potential in preclinical and, if warranted, clinical studies.”
The humanized antibody, which is being evaluated in the field of immunology, was generated and optimized by Morphotek using its proprietary technologies and the parties will work together to further develop and commercialize the antibody under the collaboration agreement. Each party also has the right to opt in to participate in development and commercialization of any other antibody candidate selected for advancement under the agreement.
“We are excited to bring forward the first therapeutic monoclonal antibody from our collaboration with Human Genome Sciences,” said Nicholas Nicolaides, Ph.D., President and CEO of Morphotek. “Our agreement with HGS is a continuation of our business model of leveraging access to targets from collaborators, applying Morphotek’s technologies to develop lead antibodies and, through collaboration with our partners, validating their therapeutic potential in preclinical and, if warranted, clinical studies.”
About Morphotek
Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of protein and antibody products through the use of a novel and proprietary gene evolution technology. The technology has been successfully applied to a broad variety of cell lines and organisms to yield genetically diverse offspring that are suitable for pharmaceutical product development in the areas of antibody therapeutics, protein therapeutics, product manufacturing, drug target discovery, and improved output traits for commercial applications. The company is currently focusing its platform on the development and manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and infectious disease. For more information, please visit www.morphotek.com.
About Eisai Inc.
Eisai Inc. was established in 1995 and is ranked among the top-20 U.S. pharmaceutical companies (based on retail sales). The company began marketing its first product in the United States in 1997 and has rapidly grown to become a fully integrated pharmaceutical business with fiscal year 2009 (year ended March 31, 2010) sales of approximately $3.9 billion. Eisai’s areas of commercial focus include neurology, gastrointestinal disorders and oncology/critical care. The company serves as the U.S. pharmaceutical operation of Eisai Co., Ltd., a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world.
Eisai has a global product creation organization that includes U.S.-based R&D facilities in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania as well as manufacturing facilities in Maryland and North Carolina. The company’s areas of R&D focus include neuroscience; oncology; vascular, inflammatory and immunological reaction; and antibody-based programs. For more information about Eisai, please visit www.eisai.com.
SOURCE: Morphotek, Inc.
Post Views: 69
