MorphoSys expands Japanese alliance with GeneFrontier

German company MorphoSys is expanding its existing marketing alliance with Tokyo-based partner GeneFrontier Corporation.

The expanded collaboration now also covers the generation of HuCAL-derived fully human antibodies for proteome research and target validation together with a renowned Japanese research organisation as well as commercialisation of resulting antibody products.

Under the terms of the agreement, GeneFrontier will utilise MorphoSys's HuCAL GOLD antibody library to generate novel HuCAL antibodies against targets provided by its collaboration partner. For this purpose, the HuCAL antibody technology was installed at GeneFrontier's research laboratories within a research facility in Tokyo. GeneFrontier will provide MorphoSys with financial compensation for access to the HuCAL technology.

GeneFrontier and MorphoSys will share commercialisation rights for all antibodies discovered in this project against targets identified and validated by GeneFrontier with its partner. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

'GeneFrontier, as a local Japanese partner, is uniquely placed to target specific areas of the life science market that would be not accessible for a foreign company,' said Dr Simon Moroney, ceo of MorphoSys. 'Collaborating with GeneFrontier as a local partner in Japan has paid off for MorphoSys. In the past 16 months, they have helped us secure significant contracts with Daiichi Sankyo and Shionogi, as well as new customers and research relationships for AbD Serotec.'