MARTINSRIED, GERMANY and MUNICH, GERMANY--(Marketwire - Jul 5, 2012) - MorphoSys AG's
(FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) partner OncoMed
Pharmaceuticals today announced that Proceedings of the National
Academy of
Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) has published online
data
demonstrating the potent anti-cancer activity of OMP-18R5, a HuCAL
antibody
targeting the Wnt pathway, in multiple preclinical human tumor models. OMP-
18R5
is currently in Phase 1 clinical testing.
The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, which signals through the Frizzled (Fzd)
receptor
family and several co-receptors, has long been implicated in cancer.
OncoMed
researchers identified a novel therapeutic approach to targeting the Wnt
pathway
with a monoclonal antibody. OMP-18R5, initially identified by
binding to
Frizzled 7, interacts with key Fzd receptors through a conserved epitope
within
the extracellular domain and thereby inhibits canonical Wnt signaling
induced by
multiple Wnt family members. In xenograft studies with minimally passaged
human
tumors, OMP-18R5 inhibits the growth of a range of tumor types and
exhibits
synergistic activity with standard-of-care chemotherapeutic agents. These
data
are published in the current edition of PNAS in an article entitled "Wnt
Pathway
Inhibition via the Targeting of Frizzled Receptors Results in Decreased
Growth
and Tumorigenicity of Human Tumors."
OMP-18R5 was made using MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL GOLD antibody
technology.
The ongoing Phase 1 trial is being conducted in patients with advanced
solid
tumors and is designed to assess safety and pharmacokinetics, and to
provide
initial indications of anti-tumor efficacy and the effects of OMP-18R5
on Wnt
pathway biomarkers. OMP-18R5 is part of OncoMed's collaboration with
Bayer
Pharma AG.
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 antibody technologies to
generate superior monoclonal antibodies for research and diagnostic
applications.
Together with its pharmaceutical partners, MorphoSys has built a
therapeutic
pipeline 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 making the healthcare products 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®,
Ylanthia®, CysDisplay®,
RapMAT® and arYla® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys.
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.
Media Release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1624255/519373.pdf
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
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#1624255]