On November 11, 2020 MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; MDAX & TecDAX; NASDAQ: MOR) and Cherry Biolabs GmbH, a spin-off from the University Hospital Würzburg, reported that they entered into a licensing agreement granting MorphoSys the rights to apply Cherry Biolabs’ innovative, multispecific Hemibody technology to six exclusive targets (Press release, MorphoSys, NOV 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234571034]). This Hemibody technology, in combination with MorphoSys’ antibody know-how and technologies, offers the potential to generate novel T-cell engaging medicines with higher precision and better safety profiles for the treatment of cancer patients. Financial details were not disclosed.
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"As part of its internal research efforts, MorphoSys is continuously looking to add new cutting-edge technologies with the aim of generating differentiated, more efficacious and safer antibody-based therapeutics for its proprietary pipeline, and the licensing agreement with Cherry Biolabs is an important step towards developing new treatments for cancer patients with unmet medical needs", commented Jean-Paul Kress, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys. "The combination of MorphoSys’ proven track record in antibody discovery and development and Cherry Biolabs’ Hemibody technology has the potential to significantly broaden therapeutic approaches and improve patients’ lives."
"Hemibodies are antibody fragments that gain T-cell engaging capabilities after binding to an antigen combination unique to tumor cells. Through its combinatorial pro-drug design, the Hemibody platform technology bears the potential to significantly increase the specificity of cancer treatments and reduce toxicity," added Cherry Biolabs founder and Chief Executive Officer Prof. Gernot Stuhler. "With MorphoSys, we have found a very strong and competent licensee embracing this new modality-we are confident that MorphoSys will bring this innovative concept into the clinic to make a difference for patients".
Harnessing the body’s own immune system in the fight against a fast growing cancer is an extremely promising therapeutic approach. T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies are meant to recruit and activate T-cells and direct cytotoxic activity to the tumor cells. "Today’s T-cell engaging bispecific antibody approaches have their challenges, particularly when applied to solid cancers. The often limited specificity of the tumor target typically hampers tolerability and thereby clinical efficacy. We believe that through dual targeting and highly specific activation of the cytotoxic T-cells at the tumor site-which is what the Hemibody technology promises to provide-we will be able to take the precision and specificity of the tumor targeting concept to the next level and enable a substantially enlarged therapeutic window", said Dr. Martin Steegmaier, Head of Research at MorphoSys.
Cherry Biolabs’ Hemibody technology was first discovered by Prof. Gernot Stuhler and Dr. Thomas Bumm at the Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany and is funded by the "GO-Bio Gründungsoffensive Biotechnologie" from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Cherry was represented by EMBL Ventures in the negotiations to close this first, important licensing for the company.
MorphoSys intends to apply the Hemibody technology in the context of its CyCAT(R) (Cytotoxic Cell Activation at Tumor) Dual Targeting Concept to discover and advance novel Hemibody-based treatment options for patients with hematological and solid cancers, in line with its mission to make exceptional, innovative biopharmaceuticals to improve the lives of patients suffering from serious diseases.