Morphotek will apply its proprietary Morphodoma antibody technology and know-how with the goal of developing an optimized lead therapeutic monoclonal antibody and high-titer cell lines suitable for scalable manufacturing. The in-licensed antibody was discovered through years of basic research focused on tumor cell biology and human cancer, in which researchers screened for naturally occurring antibodies made by the patient’s immune system and discovered antibodies to several tumor-associated cell surface antigens.
Nicholas Nicolaides, president and CEO of Morphotek, said: “Our antibody optimization and development expertise will enable the further development of this promising antibody and clinical proof-of-concept studies in more types of cancer.”