UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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FORM 6-K
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REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
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CRUCELL NV
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
P.O. BOX 2048 ARCHIMEDESWEG 4 2333 CN LEIDEN THE NETHERLANDS
(Address of principal executive offices)
000-30962
(Commission File Number)
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
Form 20-F [X] Form 40-F [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes [ ] No [X]
CRUCELL ANNOUNCES NEW STAR(R) TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH LICENSE IN AGREEMENT WITH
INVITROGEN CORPORATION
LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 - Dutch biotechnology company Crucell
N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL, Swiss Exchange: CRX) today announced a
non-exclusive STAR(R) research license agreement with Invitrogen Corporation's
PD-Direct(TM) Bioprocess Services. The license with Carlsbad, California based
Invitrogen covers the production of monoclonal antibodies.
ABOUT STAR(R) TECHNOLOGY
STAR(R) technology is a production technology that is particularly useful for
the production of recombinant human antibodies and proteins. It has a
potentially broad application and is effective for production of antibodies and
proteins on mammalian cell lines such as Crucell's PER.C6(R) human cell
technology and the widely used Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. STAR(R)
technology contains genetic elements, called STAR(R) elements, that enable
stable and high-yield gene expression important to recombinant antibody and
protein production in mammalian cells. The technology has the potential to
increase production yields, thereby reducing production costs. STAR(R)
technology was discovered by Dr. Arie Otte (Nature Biotechnology 2003 May, 21
(5)) who founded Chromagenics B.V., a spin-off company of the University of
Amsterdam acquired by Crucell in March 2004.
ABOUT CRUCELL
Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) is a biotechnology
company focused on research, development and worldwide marketing of vaccines and
antibodies that prevent and treat infectious diseases. Its vaccines are sold in
public and private markets worldwide. Crucell's core portfolio includes a
vaccine against hepatitis B, a fully-liquid vaccine against five important
childhood diseases, and a virosome-adjuvanted vaccine against influenza. Crucell
also markets travel vaccines, such as the only oral anti-typhoid vaccine, an
oral cholera vaccine and the only aluminium-free hepatitis A vaccine on the
market. The Company has a broad development pipeline, with several Crucell
products based on its unique PER.C6(R) production technology. The Company
licenses this and other technologies to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Important partners and licensees include DSM Biologics, sanofi aventis, GSK and
Merck & Co. Crucell is headquartered in Leiden (the Netherlands), with
subsidiaries in Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Korea and the US. The Company
employs over a 1000 people. For more information, please visit www.crucell.com.
ABOUT INVITROGEN
Invitrogen Corporation (NASDAQ:IVGN) provides products and services that support
academic and government research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech
companies worldwide in their efforts to improve the human condition. The company
provides essential life science technologies for disease research, drug
discovery, and commercial bioproduction. Invitrogen's own research and
development efforts are focused on breakthrough innovation in all major areas of
biological discovery including functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics
and cell biology -- placing Invitrogen's products in nearly every major
laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987, Invitrogen is headquartered in
Carlsbad, California, and conducts business in more than 70 countries around the
world. The company is celebrating 20 years of accelerating scientific discovery.
Invitrogen globally employs approximately 4,300 scientists and other
professionals and had revenues of more than $1.15 billion in 2006. For more
information, visit www.invitrogen.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve inherent
risks and uncertainties. We have identified certain important factors that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such
forward-looking statements. For information relating to these factors please
refer to our Form 20-F, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission on June 13, 2007, and the section entitled "Risk Factors". The
Company prepares its financial statements under generally accepted accounting
principles in the United States (US GAAP) and Europe (IFRS).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
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MEDIA: INVESTORS/ANALYSTS:
Barbara Mulder Oya Yavuz
Director Corporate Communications Director Investor Relations
Tel: 31-(0) 71 519 7346 Tel. +31-(0) 71-519 7064
press@crucell.com ir@crucell.com
www.crucell.com www.crucell.com
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
CRUCELL NV
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(Registrant)
SEPTEMBER 7, 2007 /s/ LEON KRUIMER
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(Date) Leon Kruimer
Chief Financial Officer