MorphoSys was founded as Morphosys Gesellschaft für Proteinoptimierung GmbH in Martinsried near Munich in 1992. The founders included Dr. Simon E. Moroney, today’s CEO of the Company, and Prof. Dr. Andreas Plückthun, former member of the Supervisory Board.
The first few years of the company were characterized by developing its proprietary technology, based on the academic work carried out by Prof. Dr. Plückthun at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. The first commercial partner was gained in 1997 with Pharmacia-Upjohn. Leading venture capitalists such as Atlas Venture, CDC Participation, International Biotechnology Trust, JAFCO, Korda Associates, Standard Life, Technostart, TVM and the 3i Group were involved in the financing rounds. In 1999, MorphoSys became the first biopharmaceutical company to be listed on the German stock exchange and generated issue proceeds of around €25 million.
Today, MorphoSys is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies in the area of fully human antibodies. Using its unique HuCAL technology, MorphoSys develops antibodies which can be used not only for research and diagnostics but also to treat diseases. MorphoSys works together with renowned partners from the pharmaceutical industry to develop therapeutic antibodies. MorphoSys is also one of the leading providers in the field of research antibodies in Europe and one of the top 20 worldwide. The Company is represented around the world, with branches in Germany, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A. MorphoSys is listed in the Prime Standard at the Deutsche Börse in Frankfurt, in the technology index TecDAX.
