EXTON, Pa., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Morphotek Inc. announced today that it has signed a collaborative research agreement with Centocor Inc. of Malvern, PA, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for the use of its patented MORPHODOMA(TM) technology to develop high-titer cell lines for the commercial manufacturing of an undisclosed therapeutic antibody.
Under the terms of the agreement, Morphotek will receive an upfront research payment and research milestones upon successful achievement of program goals.
MORPHODOMA(TM) technology is a platform process that can rapidly evolve antibody producer cell lines to yield project-specific antibodies with increased specificity and binding affinity to target antigen as well as sublines with enhanced titer yields that are suitable for scaleable manufacturing.
"We are pleased to announce this alliance with Centocor, an industry leader in antibody therapeutics, for the generation of a high-titer production strain suitable for the manufacturing of one of their lead products," stated Nicholas C. Nicolaides, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of Morphotek.
Philip M. Sass, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Morphotek, added, "We have successfully applied our MORPHODOMA(TM) technology to increase biological activity and protein productivity in a wide range of production cell lines and look forward to working with Centocor's manufacturing group to help optimize antibody production."
Morphotek (www.morphotek.com) is a biotechnology company focused on the generation of proprietary organisms for product development using a patented platform technology that can enhance the natural process of genetic evolution within a targeted host. The 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 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. |
