The Swiss start-up will collaborate with the German biotech company on new antibody therapeutics
MorphoSys AG and Zurich-based start-up G7 Therapeutics AG have announced an agreement to collaborate on novel antibody therapeutics that target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and potentially other disease-related transmembrane proteins, such as ion channels. Under the terms of the agreement, G7 Therapeutics will generate a set of disease-relevant receptors proposed by MorphoSys. MorphoSys will then apply its proprietary Ylanthia antibody library to discover and develop antibody therapeutics against these receptors. MorphoSys has the right to sub-license third parties with access to these targets in conjunction with therapeutic antibody candidates.
Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG, says: “G7 Therapeutics’ approach using directed evolution technologies broadens our existing development capabilities in this innovative area of research. High quality therapeutic antibodies that target GPCRs and other transmembrane molecules represent a promising addition to our proprietary development pipeline.”
Dr. Carlo Bertozzi, Chief Executive Officer of G7 Therapeutics, adds: “Our proprietary CHESS and SaBRE technologies allow us to generate tailor-made GPCRs with superior biophysical properties, which makes them ideally suited for modern integrated small molecule drug discovery approaches and efficient selection of biologics. Therefore, we are very excited that our engagement with MorphoSys, a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, will contribute jointly to the advancement of GPCR-targeting biotherapeutics.”
G7 Therapeutics’ platforms SaBRE and CHESS create panels of GPCR variants with enhanced stability and versatility. These GPCRs are evolved from populations containing hundreds of millions of variants of an ancestor GPCR, thus ensuring the identification of the best variant for downstream drug discovery applications. This unique technology ensures that the function of the receptor stays fully intact.
About G7 Therapeutics
Biotech company G7 Therapeutics, based in Schlieren, develops novel medicines targeting the pharmaceutically highly relevant yet largely untapped superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). G7 Therapeutics’ proprietary technology portfolio allows both the generation and removal of functional GPCRs from the complex cellular system for investigations on a molecular level. G7 Therapeutics, founded in 2013, is a spin-off of Zurich University.
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. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
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