Glossary
This glossary is intended to explain technical terms used in the description of MorphoSys’s business activities. For further research some articles are linked to Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | P | R | S | T
A
- ADR
- American Depository Receipt; an ADR is issued by a U.S. depositary bank and represents one or more shares of a foreign stock or a fraction of a share
- Affinity
- Binding strength between binding partners, e.g., antibody/antigen
- Affinity maturation
- Increase of mean affinity during immune response
- Amino acid
- Chemical units or “building blocks” of proteins
- Amino acid sequence
- Sequence of amino acids in peptides or proteins
- Amyloid-beta
- target molecule in Alzheimer’s disease therapy; main constituent of amyloid plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients
- Antibody
- Proteins of the immunes system that recognise antigens and thereby trigger an immune response still exhibiting antigen binding
- Antibody engineering
- Modification of antibodies to increase affinity and/or specificity; mostly done by gene technology
- Antibody fragment
- Part of an antibody, comprising antigen-binding domain
- Antibody library
- A collection of genes that encode corresponding human antibodies
- Antigen
- Foreign substance stimulating antibody production; binding partner of antibody
- Antigen binding site
- Part of variable domains of antibodies responsible for antigen binding
- Autoimmune disease
- Disease caused by an immune response by the body against one of its own tissues, cells, or molecules
B
- Bacteriophage
- Bacterial virus; virus that infects bacteria
- Bioinformatics
- Computer-aided analysis of biological systems
- Biotechnology
- Application of biological methods in technical processes and industrial production
C
- CDR
- Complementarity Determining Regions – part of the antibody that makes contact with target molecule and determines its specifity
- Cell line
- Permanent culture of cells used in modern science
- Chimerization
- Technique to make antibodies of murine origin more human
- Clinic
- Clinical stage of drug development; tests on human patients
- Cloning
- Recombination and introduction of (mostly foreign) DNA into host cells and subsequent amplification
- COGS
- Cost of goods sold; costs for antibody material produced by the AbD segment
- Corporate Governance
- System of relations between the shareholders, Board of Directors and management of a company
D
- DNA
- Deoxyribonucleic acid: carrier of genetic information; blueprint for proteins
- Domain
- Parts of proteins with defined three-dimensional structure and/or defined function
E
- E.coli
- Escherichia coli; bacteria, often used as host cells
- EMEA
- European Medicines Evaluation Agency - European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products; Official website
- Epitope
- Binding site
- Eukaryote
- A cell with distinct nucleus, in comparison to prokaryote
- Expression
- Conversion of genetic information in corresponding protein
- Expression library
- Gene library suitable for expression of proteins encoded thereby
F
- FDA
- Food and Drug Administration; Official website
- Foreign genes
- Genes of foreign organism introduced in host cells
- Freefloat
- Proportion of a company’s listed shares that is freely available for trading
- Functional genomics
- Analysis not only of sequence, but of functional interaction of genetic information and/or of the proteins encoded thereby; important step in identifying novel targets
- Fusion protein
- Proteins composed of different parts
G
- Gene
- Part of DNA encoding a defined structure (e.g., a protein) or a function
- Gene sequence
- Sequence of gene components, called nucleotides
- Gene synthesis
- Synthesis of genes by assembly of nucleotides
- Gene technology
- Sector of biotechnology: exploration and application of targeted modification and recombination of genes
- Genome
- Total DNA of an organism (genes, genetic signalling structures as well as additional DNA sections)
- Genome project
- Specifically: determination of the whole human genome
- Genomics
- Analysis of composition and interaction of genetic information
- Genotype
- Entirety of genetic features
- Glycosylation
- Modification of a protein by adding sugar molecules to particular amino acids in the protein
- Gold standard
- Best and most reliable method or technology currently available; industry standard
- GRS study
- Annual German Biotechnology Industry Remuneration Study
H
- HAMA
- HAMA (Human Anti-Mouse Antibody) response, prevents the therapeutic use of mouse monoclonal antibodies
- HGB
- German accounting standards
- Host cell
- Cells for amplification or expression of foreign DNA
- HuCAL
- Human Combinatorial Antibody Library; Proprietary antibody library enabling rapid generation of specific human antibodies for all applications
- Human Genome Project
- Worldwide program to document the entire DNA sequence of the human genome immune defense reaction stimulation e.g. of antibody production as reaction on being confronted with antigens
- Humanisation
- Addresses the problem of HAMA response, involves the genetic transfer of mouse CDRs (which are responsible for antigen binding) into human frameworks of a variable region; also known as CDR-grafting
- Hybridoma
- Fused cancer and immune cell used for antibody production
I
- IFRS
- International Financial Reporting Standards; Future EU: wide standards produced by the IASB
- Immune system
- Collection of mechanisms within an organism that protects against infection by identifying and killing pathogens
- Immunization
- Generation of antibodies by administering antigen
- Immunogenicity
- The ability of an antigen to induce humoral and/or cell mediated immune responses
- Immunoglobulin
- See antibody
- in vitro
- in a test tube
- in vivo
- in a living organism
L
- Library
- Here: collection of a multitude of different molecules (gene library; peptide library; protein, especially antibody library) for screening and/or selection
- Ligand
- Binding partner
- Lymphoma
- Certain form of blood cancer
M
- Mini-antibody
- Multimeric antibody fragments formed by association of smaller antigen-binding fragments
- Modularity
- Structure formed by modular, interchangeable building blocks
- Monoclonal antibody
- Homogeneous antibody originating from a single clone, produced by hybridoma cell
- Multiple myeloma
- Type of cancer that develops in a subset of white blood cells called plasma cells formed in the bone marrow
- Multiple sclerosis
- Disease of the central nervous system characterized by the destruction of nerve fibers
P
- Peptide
- Short chain of amino acids
- Phage
- see bacteriophage
- Phage display technology
- Screening technology; presentation of peptides/proteins of surface of phages
- Phage genome
- Collection of genes that form the genetic code of the phage
- Phage library
- Collection of phages presenting library of peptides/proteins on the surface
- Phase I
- Part of clinical development in which an investigational new drug (IND) is tested on healthy humans in order to test its potential toxicity, its pharmacokinetic properties and its suitable dosage
- Phase II
- Part of clinical development in which short term efficacy and potential side effects of an investigational new drug (IND) are tested on a small number of patients suffering from the disease targeted by the drug
- Phase III
- Part of clinical development which is performed on a large number of patients to test the safety, efficacy and optimal dosage of an investigational new drug in the context of a complete therapy
- Phenotype
- Appearance; entirety of features resulting from interactions of genetic information
- Preclinic
- Preclinical stage of drug development; tests in animal models as well as in laboratory assays
- Proteome
- Protein complement expressed by a genome
- Protein
- Polymer consisting of amino acids, e.g., antibodies, enzymes
- Proteomics
- Analysis of functions and interactions of proteins of an organism
- Psoriasis
- Chronic, immune system: related disease, causing inflammation and damage to involved tissues, primarily the skin
R
- RapMAT
- Maturation process; proprietary technology of MorphoSys
- Reagent
- Substance used in research and diagnostic applications
- Recombinant
- Formed by (re-)combination of parts of one or different starting DNA molecules
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Inflammatory disease of the joints
- RNA
- Ribonucleic acid: form of genetic information; takes part in translation of DNA into proteins
- Royalties
- Percentage share of ownership of the revenue generated by drug products
S
- Screening
- Searching in libraries for molecules with desired properties
- Sequence analysis
- analysis of sequence of individual gene or protein components
- single-chain Fv
- Antibody fragment; comprises both variable domains responsible for antigen binding fused as single protein chain
- Specificity
- Property of e.g., antibodies, to discriminate between different, but similar antigens
T
- Target
- Target molecule for therapeutic intervention, e.g., on surface of diseased cell
- TecDAX
- Index of the thirty largest technology companies listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
- Toxin
- Poisonous substance
- Transfection
- Process of introducing foreign genes into a host organism
- Translation
- Formation of proteins by translation of genetic information in organism
- TRIM
- Trinucleotide-directed mutagenesis: method for random mutagenesis of peptides or proteins
- Trinucleotide
- So-called codon consisting of three nucleotides; corresponds on DNA level to amino acid