MorphoSys AG, a leading biotechnology company, announced the receipt of a grant of up to EUR 1 million from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), comprising funding for two of its therapeutic antibody programmes. The funding will support the company in developing Ylanthia antibodies against two undisclosed G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The grant will cover all necessary steps involved in the early drug development stages and will run for two years.

The superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors is the single largest and most important family of drug targets. Receptors of this class play a central role in many biological processes and are linked to a wide range of diseases. However, due to immense technical difficulties in generating selective and potent antibodies against this target class, only one GPCR-targeted antibody drug has been approved so far. With the help of its advanced proprietary technologies, first and foremost its next-generation antibody platform Ylanthia, MorphoSys is able to exploit the full potential of therapeutic antibodies against GPCRs.

"We are delighted to receive this valuable support from the German government. Our Ylanthia platform is the perfect fit for therapeutic antibody discovery, especially against technically challenging targets. By applying our antibody capabilities to the discovery of novel therapeutics against GPCRs, we are opening up a whole range of new product opportunities," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, chief scientific officer of MorphoSys AG.