Hamburg, Germany - MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, released a novel antibody library in the fragment antigen binding (FAB) antigen format. Production of the library has been made possible by the agreement MorphoSys signed with BioSite Diagnostics, of San Diego, last month. (See BioWorld International, Dec. 29, 1999.)

Under the terms of the contract, MorphoSys is allowed to sub-license the technology to its customers. As FAB is the part of the antibody that recognizes and binds the target molecules, FAB antibodies produced by MorphoSys' HuCAL antibody library allow the direct production of antibodies for therapeutic purposes. The new library contains more than 10 billion unique human antibodies.

"This is further strengthening our position as a leader in the antibody field," Simon Moroney, CEO of MorphoSys, told BioWorld International. "We are now in the unique position to perform antibody drug development just as it is done the classical way with small chemical molecules. It will open up new opportunities for commercial partnerships." - Ludger Wess