2008-11-20 17:33:01 -

Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North America, announced today that the company has received notice of $1.6M in additional funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to support the continuing development of biologic-based monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies against staphylococcal-derived toxins. In June 2008, Morphotek received $1.7M of funding to support the initial development of this project.

The proceeds will be used to continue research and development of lead mAbs targeting staphylococcal toxins as well as pathogenic staphylococcal strains directly, for the treatment of infectious diseases. By employing Morphotek"s proprietary antibody technologies, the company has developed multiple mAbs that are able to bind and neutralize the toxic effects elicited by microbial pathogens and is applying its technology to generate potent therapeutic mAbs to treat diseases caused by potential biowarfare pathogens.
"We are extremely pleased to receive continued funding from the Department of Defense for these important programs to support our National Security initiatives," said Nicholas Nicolaides, Ph.D., President and CEO of Morphotek, Inc. "The renewed funding recognizes the excellent progress we are making and our continued commitment to achieve the ultimate program goal to derive potent anti-infective therapies."
These programs are made possible through a collaborative effort between scientists at Morphotek and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), at Fort Detrick, MD.
About USAMRIID
USAMRIID, located at Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the lead medical research laboratory for the U.S. Department of Defense Biological Defense Research Program, and plays a key role in national defense and in infectious disease research. The Institute conducts basic and applied research on biological threats resulting in medical solutions (such as vaccines, drugs and diagnostics) to protect the warfighter. While USAMRIID"s primary mission is focused on the military, its research often has applications that benefit society as a whole. USAMRIID is a subordinate laboratory of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. For more information, visit cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT"id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww ...
About Morphotek
Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North America, is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of protein and antibody products through the use of a novel and proprietary gene evolution technology. The technology has been successfully applied to a broad variety of cell lines and organisms to yield genetically diverse offspring that are suitable for pharmaceutical product development in the areas of antibody therapeutics, protein therapeutics, product manufacturing, drug target discovery, and improved output traits for commercial applications. The company is currently focusing its platform on the development and manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and infectious disease. For more information, please visit cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT"id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww ...
About Eisai Corporation of North America
Eisai Corporation of North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. and supports the activities of its operating companies in North America. These operating companies include: Eisai Research Institute of Boston, Inc., a discovery operation with strong organic chemistry capabilities; Morphotek, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies; Eisai Medical Research Inc., a clinical development group; Eisai Inc., a commercial operation with manufacturing and marketing/sales functions; and Eisai Machinery U.S.A., which markets and maintains pharmaceutical manufacturing machinery.
The information contained in this press release does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government and no official endorsement should be inferred.


Morphotek, Inc.

Nicholas Nicolaides, 610-423-6100

mailto:info@morphotek.com

or

Eisai Corporation of North America

Judee Shuler, 201-746-2241

mailto:judee_shuler@eisai.com

or

Reverb?DBC

Beth Meiklejohn, 215-957-0300 x225

mailto:bmeiklejohn@dbcommunications.net