Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited announced that its joint research with MorphoSys AG, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is to be expanded. Daiichi Sankyo has been engaged in joint research with MorphoSys on its advanced HuCAL phage display antibody library technologies since March 2006. It exercised its option which included extending the contracting period another three years until March 2011.

This option allows Daiichi Sankyo to continue use of the HuCAL technologies and to increase the number of therapeutic antibody programmes engaged by MorphoSys from one to a maximum of six against the targets selected by Daiichi Sankyo.

Under the expanded agreement, the payment sum from Daiichi Sankyo to MorphoSys will include fees for use of HuCAL technology, and licensing, milestones and royalties for the therapeutic antibody programmes.