MorphoSys and Chemicon Enter into Licensing Agreement for Research Antibodies

Morphosys AG and Chemicon International, Inc., a subsidiary of Serologicals Corporation have announced that they have signed a three-year agreement for the distribution of HuCAL^®-based recombinant research antibodies through Chemicon's worldwide sales network.

MorphoSys' Antibodies by Design unit will develop antibodies from its proprietary HuCAL GOLD^® antibody library against targets identified and supplied by Chemicon.

Chemicon may market the licensed HuCAL^®-based research antibodies for use in in vitro research as stand-alone products or as components of reagent kits.

In addition, Chemicon may also market the antibodies for clinical diagnostic applications.

The parties are aiming to complete 100 research antibody projects per year over the three year life time of the agreement.

MorphoSys receives payment for antibody generation, optional additional fees, and royalties on all products. 

"The MorphoSys HuCAL^® recombinant antibody technology will allow us to rapidly generate the antibodies our customers are looking for, and shorten our time to market in key target areas," commented Jeffrey D. Linton, President of Chemicon.

"We believe that the access to these new antibodies will further strengthen our extremely broad portfolio of antibody and immunological reagents within our targeted strategic market segments."

"Joining forces with Chemicon as a leading provider of tools in active research areas such as stem cell biology is a very attractive opportunity for MorphoSys, and will provide the research community with easy access to HuCAL^® antibodies through Chemicon's strong distribution network and market presence," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG.

"The contract supports MorphoSys's goal to introduce a large number of HuCAL^® research antibodies into the market as quickly as possible, and will continue to add to our revenues over the next couple of years through an attractive royalty stream."