MorphoSys and Novozymes Sign Long-Term Alliance on Slonomics® Technology for Industrial Biotechnology Applications
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MorphoSys and Novozymes Sign Long-Term Alliance on Slonomics® Technology for
Industrial Biotechnology Applications
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Advanced Protein Engineering Technology will Enable Novozymes to Bring Down
Discovery Time and Expand Project Portfolio
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) and Novozymes A/S, the
world leader in bio-innovation and industrial enzymes, announced today the
signing of a multi-year licensing and technology transfer agreement. The
agreement provides Novozymes with a non-exclusive license to use MorphoSys's
proprietary Slonomics technology to develop novel products within the industrial
biotechnology sector. Novozymes becomes the first industrial biotech company to
have access to Slonomics technology. Financial details were not disclosed.
"In order to develop the best enzymes in the most efficient way we need access
to the best available technologies," says Ejner Bech Jensen, Vice President of
Novozymes Research & Development. "The Slonomics toolbox will enable a reduction
in our discovery times. This means we can bring new innovation to the market
faster and we can take on more development projects."
In the search for enzymes with a specific action - for example a laundry
detergent enzyme that can remove fruit stains - Novozymes' researchers create
multiple variants of an enzyme in order to find the one with the best
properties. The variants are produced by making minor changes to the string of
amino acids, which are the enzyme's building blocks. This is followed by a
screening procedure to identify the best enzyme candidate.
Due to technical drawbacks with standard technologies, researchers cannot
currently combine amino acids exactly as they want without also producing
millions of additional undesired enzyme variants. All variants then have to be
screened in a task similar to finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Slonomics technology, which comprises patented methods and know-how, advanced
materials and robotic equipment, allows combination of building blocks in
exactly the preferred order and composition. Researchers can thus create only
the desired diversity among a set of enzyme variants, eliminating all the
undesired combinations. In a typical scenario, Novozymes' researchers can reduce
the number of variants made from millions to ten thousand. Sole access to
Slonomics was secured by MorphoSys via its October, 2010 acquisition of Sloning
BioTechnology GmbH, a leading supplier of synthetic biology tools.
"Sloning has been delivering combinatorial libraries to Novozymes for the past
three years and I am very pleased that we are able to expand our business
relationship significantly with this licensing arrangement," comments Dieter
Feger, Senior Vice President and Head of AbD Serotec. "There is strong interest
in this technology, which can be applied in many different ways within the
industrial biotechnology industry."
Continuous innovation is fundamental to Novozymes' business. The company spends
roughly 14% of its revenue on research and development and launches 6-8 new
products each year. Historically, 25-30% of the company's sales have stemmed
from products developed within the past 5 years. In 2010, Novozymes reported
sales of DKK 9.7 billion (USD 1.8 billion).
About Novozymes:
Novozymes is a world leader in bioinnovation. Together with its customers,
across a broad array of industries, the company creates tomorrow's industrial
biosolutions thereby improving its customers' business and optimizing the use of
the planet's resources. With over 700 products used in 130 different countries,
Novozymes' bioinnovations improve industrial performance by offering superior
and sustainable solutions for tomorrow's ever-changing marketplace. Novozymes'
natural solutions enhance and promote everything from removing trans fats in
cooking, to advancing biofuels that will power the world of tomorrow. Novozymes
never-ending exploration of nature's potential is evidenced by over 6,000
patents issued and show what is possible when nature and technology are
combined. With 5,000+ employees working around the world, Novozymes is clearly
committed to shaping business today and our world tomorrow. For further
information, visitwww.novozymes.com
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys developed HuCAL, the most successful antibody library technology in
the pharmaceutical industry. By successfully applying this and other patented
technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic
antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human healthcare. The
Company's AbD Serotec unit uses HuCAL and other technologies to generate
superior monoclonal antibodies for research and diagnostic applications.
Through its own development efforts and successful partnerships in the
pharmaceutical industry, MorphoSys has built a therapeuticpipeline of more than
70 human antibody drug candidates for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid
arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, to name just a few. With its ongoing
commitment to new antibody technology and drug development, MorphoSys is focused
on engineering the medicines of tomorrow. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR. For regular updates about MorphoSys, visit
http://www.morphosys.com
HuCAL(®), HuCAL GOLD(®), HuCAL PLATINUM(®), CysDisplay(®), RapMAT(®) and
arYla(®) are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG. Ylanthia(®) and 100 billion
high potentials(TM) are trademarks of MorphoSys AG.
Slonomics(®) is a registered trademark of Sloning BioTechnology GmbH, a
subsidiary of MorphoSys AG.
This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the
MorphoSys group of companies. The forward-looking statements contained herein
represent the judgment of MorphoSys as of the date of this release and involve
risks and uncertainties. Should actual conditions differ from the Company's
assumptions, actual results and actions may differ from those anticipated.
MorphoSys does not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements as
far as the wording of the relevant press release is concerned.
For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser
Head of Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122
Mario Brkulj
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454
Jessica Kulpi
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-332
investors(at)morphosys.com
Novozymes A/S
Johan Melchior
Corporate Press Manager
Tel: +45 44460690
M: +45 30770690
jmel(at)novozymes.com
Media Release:
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1571343/488747.pdf
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other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: MorphoSys AG via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1571343]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 15.12.2011 - 07:30 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 97266
Anzahl Zeichen: 8364
contact information:
Town:
Martinsried / München
Kategorie:
Business News
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