Morphotek issued new U.S patent for method to enhance the affinity of monoclonal antibodies

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. has announced the issuance of United States Patent No. 7,235,643 B2 (the "643" patent).

The patent relates to certain methods of enhancing the affinity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). It illustrates the company's MORPHODOMA technology, a whole genome evolution platform that can enhance cells producing mAbs to yield daughter cells producing antibodies with enhanced pharmacologic activity. MORPHODOMA technology enhances evolution within cells through the reversible regulation of the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway, a highly conserved process employed by all living organisms to repair mutations that naturally occur during DNA replication.

Dr. Philip Sass, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Morphotek, commented, “ This patent further strengthens Morphotek's competitive advantage in the field of antibody discovery and development. The use of our MORPHODOMA technology enables our researchers to generate high affinity antibodies from lead target-specific antibodies with low affinity. This platform allows for the rapid and efficient optimization of antibodies for clinical development and proof-of-concept evaluation for use in treating disease. ”

Morphotek has developed a patent estate comprised of more than 50 issued patents and filed patent applications worldwide. Many of the patents relate to the regulation of MMR in single-celled organisms such as bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells, as well as in more complex multicellular organisms such as rodents and plants. The company is employing this technology to discover and develop novel proteins and antibodies for treating cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases.