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Morphotek Inc. today announced that it has entered into a multi-product Research Collaboration and License Agreement with Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) for the use of Morphotek's proprietary MORPHODOMA® technology to develop high-affinity antibodies and high-titer antibody-producing mammalian cells for scaleable manufacturing. This marks the second agreement between the companies. Under the terms of the non-exclusive, multi-year agreement, Morphotek will receive an upfront payment and funding to support research and development efforts to optimize up to four independent products. Morphotek will also receive a licensing fee and milestone payments upon the successful achievement of program goals and the advancement of the products through clinical development. Novo Nordisk will conduct the preclinical and clinical development and subsequent commercialization of all products.
Morphotek's MORPHODOMA® technology is a validated, proprietary process that rapidly evolves antibody producer cell lines to yield monoclonal antibodies with increased specificity and binding affinity to target antigens and/or to create sublines with enhanced titer yields for scaleable manufacturing. The technology is effective in evolving hybridomas and recombinant cell hosts which are commonly used to produce therapeutic antibodies. "We are delighted by the opportunity to have our MORPHODOMA® technology serve as an operating system for Novo Nordisk's product development programs," stated Nicholas C. Nicolaides, President and Chief Executive Officer of Morphotek. "This exciting, multi-product collaboration underscores the value our platform provides biopharmaceutical companies by expediting the process of biological product development," added Philip M. Sass, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Morphotek. Novo Nordisk is a focused healthcare company. With the broadest diabetes product portfolio in the industry, including the most advanced products within the area of insulin delivery systems, Novo Nordisk is a world leader in diabetes care. In addition, Novo Nordisk has a leading position within areas such as haemostasis management, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services that make a significant difference to patients, the medical profession and society.
With headquarters in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 18,200 people in 68 countries and markets its products in 179 countries. Novo Nordisk's B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen and London. Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NVO.
Morphotek is a biotechnology company focused on the generation of proprietary organisms for product discovery and development. Morphotek has a validated and patented platform technology called morphogenics that rapidly enhances the natural process of genetic evolution within a targeted host to yield variants with novel, commercially important output traits. This versatile technology has been successfully applied to microbes, plants, and mammals to yield genetically diverse offspring that are suitable for pharmaceutical and agricultural product development in the areas of antibody and protein therapeutics, high-titer protein manufacturing, and drug target discovery. Internally, Morphotek employs its morphogenics technology to develop optimized therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases. For further company information visit: http://www.morphotek.com
For Information Contact:
Dr. Philip M. SassExecutive Vice President and Chief Operating OfficerMorphotek, Inc.
Telephone: (610) 423-6106