MorphoSys unveils its pipeline

German antibody specialist MorphoSys AG made good on its December promise to disclose plans this spring for moving into product development, adding infectious diseases to its previously announced areas of focus in oncology and inflammation.

MorphoSys (NMarkt:MOR, Martinsried, Germany) also said it is about to close a deal to acquire a worldwide exclusive license to therapeutic uses of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1, or CD54), a target from Boehringer Ingelheim. MOR already has human Fab antibody fragments, derived from its HuCAL antibody library, under development against ICAM-1 for acute inflammatory indications such as deep dermal burns, but also will develop it in psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis...