DGAP-News: EVOTEC AG: 'LAB282' AWARDED FIRST PROJECTS
DGAP-News: Evotec AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
EVOTEC AG: 'LAB282' AWARDED FIRST PROJECTS
21.02.2017 / 07:29
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
- Oxford University and Evotec's drug discovery partnership launched last
November to accelerate drugs to market begins making awards
Hamburg, Germany, 21 February 2017:
Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) is
pleased to announce that LAB282, the £ 13 m (over EUR 15 m) drug discovery
partnership with Oxford University, has made its first wave of awards,
backing projects targeting cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases.
Launched last year in November as a partnership between Oxford University,
Evotec, Oxford University Innovation Ltd and Oxford Sciences Innovation
plc, LAB282 aids the rapid translation of research outputs into new drug
discovery and development programmes. It draws on expertise provided by
Evotec and combines it with pre-clinical proof-of-concept grant funding to
accelerate projects into a position where they can be commercialised and
scaled up efficiently and effectively.
Out of a pool of high-quality project proposals across various therapeutic
areas and encompassing different therapeutic modalities, two projects were
chosen. The two grant winners will be conducting further research into:
- "Drugs from bugs" - A project developing evasins, a potential treatment
for cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases derived from the saliva of
ticks;
- DarTG - A potential new target for the development of antibiotics that
could shut down tuberculosis and several other pathogens.
Evotec will exclusively contribute its drug discovery expertise and
platforms to the selected projects and together with Oxford University and
its academic researchers develop them further with the aim to have a
pre-clinical proof of concept for new drugs.
The next round of grants awards is due in June 2017.
Dr Thomas Hanke, LAB282 Expert-in-Residence and Head of Academic
Partnerships at Evotec, commented: "I am excited and very pleased we were
able to select two outstanding and truly translational projects from a
panel of high-quality applications for the first round of LAB282 awards. My
cordial congratulations go to Prof. Bhattacharya and Dr Ahel and their
teams for their excellent work. I am very much looking forward to closely
collaborating with the Oxford University and Evotec teams in accelerating
bona fide drug discovery from the awarded projects."
Shoumo Bhattacharya, British Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiovascular
Medicine at Oxford University and lead academic on the evasins project,
said: "The LAB282 funding, which brings Evotec's world-class expertise in
the development of peptide therapeutics and in inflammation to the evasin
project, will help the development of new therapeutics - 'drugs from bugs'
- that can treat orphan autoimmune diseases such as myocarditis."
Carolyn Porter, Deputy Head of Technology Transfer, Oxford University
Innovation, added: "The LAB282 partnership was established to accelerate
drug discovery at Oxford University. This funding will enable the evasin
project to enter the clinic more rapidly for the benefit of patients with
cardiovascular autoimmune disorders for which there is no cure. Through
validation of DarTG role in bacterial growth and function, our second
funded project could uncover a new strategy for development of
antibiotics."
Additional scientific information
The "drugs from bugs" project will be looking to develop evasins, which are
peptides derived from the saliva of ticks. Ticks have been around since the
time of the dinosaurs, and have been evolving these peptides to block
chemokines, which are proteins in the body that recruit inflammatory cells
to the site of injury. The research team led by Professor Shoumo
Bhattacharya have developed a new "Bug-to-Drug" technology to find these
tick peptides in order to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases that are
currently incurable. In this project, they will use these peptides to
target chemokines that cause giant cell myocarditis ("GCM"), a rare
autoimmune disease with no cure. GCM usually affects young adults,
progressing rapidly to heart failure and death. There is no specific
treatment except for a heart transplant.
The second project, with Dr Ivan Ahel, looks to validate translational
research on DarTG toxin-antitoxin system, a pathway found in tuberculosis.
Essentially a back door around tuberculosis' defences, DarTG could be a
potential target for small molecules, which could shut down the bacteria.
If the project demonstrates that DarTG is the pathogen's Achilles' Heel, it
will pave the way for a new class of antibiotics. Aside from offering a
potential new therapy for tuberculosis, which will become a greater threat
as antibiotic resistance increases, DarTG could also be a weakness in
Escherichia coli, superbug Klebsiella pneumonia, and other gram-negative
pathogens.
ABOUT LAB282
LAB282, initiated in November 2016, is a new £ 13 m partnership between the
Oxford University, Oxford University Innovation Ltd, Oxford Sciences
Innovation plc and Evotec AG created to identify and develop new approaches
to treating serious diseases, which originate from the Oxford University.
The goal is to accelerate the achievement of pre-clinical proof of concept
for new drugs and to generate new spin-out companies. The name derived from
the pantone colour code of "Oxford Blue". For more information, please
visit www.lab282.org.
ABOUT OXFORD UNIVERSITY'S MEDICAL SCIENCES DIVISION
The Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe,
with over 2,500 people involved in research and more than 2,800 students.
The University is rated the best in the world for medicine, and it is home
to the UK's top-ranked medical school.
From the genetic and molecular basis of disease to the latest advances in
neuroscience, Oxford is at the forefront of medical research. It has one of
the largest clinical trial portfolios in the UK and great expertise in
taking discoveries from the lab into the clinic. Partnerships with the
local NHS Trusts enable patients to benefit from close links between
medical research and healthcare delivery.
A great strength of Oxford medicine is its long-standing network of
clinical research units in Asia and Africa, enabling world-leading research
on the most pressing global health challenges such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS
and flu. Oxford is also renowned for its large-scale studies which examine
the role of factors such as smoking, alcohol and diet on cancer, heart
disease and other conditions.
ABOUT OXFORD SCIENCES INNOVATION
Oxford Sciences Innovation plc is the world's largest IP investment company
dedicated to a single university. Founded in May 2015, we help turn Oxford
University's world-leading scientific discovery into innovative science and
technology companies that can have a positive impact on society.
We provide capital and expertise to businesses driven by intellectual
property developed in Oxford's Mathematical, Physical, Life Sciences
Division and Medical Sciences Divisions. We are guided and powered by some
of the world's leading organisations, including Invesco, Woodford
Investment Management, the Wellcome Trust and Lansdowne Partners.
ABOUT OXFORD UNIVERSITY INNOVATION
Oxford University Innovation supports innovation activities across all
University Divisions, managing technology transfer and consulting
activities, and providing an innovation management service to clients
around the world.
We provide access to technology from Oxford researchers through
intellectual property licensing, spinout company formation and material
sales, and to academic expertise through our Consulting Services team. The
New Venture Support & Funding team supports investors or donors with an
interest in early-stage ventures, and manages the Oxford Angels Network.
Our Startup Incubator supports members and ex-members of the University who
wish to start or grow entrepreneur-driven ventures that are not University
spinouts.
Oxford University Innovation is the highest university patent filer in the
UK and is ranked 1st in the UK for university spin-outs, having created
over 140 new companies in 25 years. In the last reported financial year we
completed 529 licenses and consulting agreements. Isis Enterprise, our
innovation management consultancy, works with university, government and
industrial clients from offices around the world.
For updates on innovations from Oxford, follow Oxford University Innovation
on LinkedIn and Twitter or subscribe at
http://innovation.ox.ac.uk/about/contact-us.
For more information or to arrange interview, please contact:
Gregg Bayes-Brown, Marketing and Communications Manager, Oxford University
Innovation
T: +44 (0)1865 280867 | E: gregg.bayes-brown@innovation.ox.ac.uk
ABOUT EVOTEC AG
Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company
focused on rapidly progressing innovative product approaches with leading
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academics, patient advocacy
groups and venture capitalists. We operate worldwide providing the highest
quality stand-alone and integrated drug discovery solutions, covering all
activities from target-to-clinic to meet the industry's need for innovation
and efficiency in drug discovery (EVT Execute). The Company has established
a unique position by assembling top-class scientific experts and
integrating state-of-the-art technologies as well as substantial experience
and expertise in key therapeutic areas including neuroscience, diabetes and
complications of diabetes, pain and inflammation, oncology and infectious
diseases. On this basis, Evotec has built a broad and deep pipeline of more
than 70 partnered product opportunities at clinical, pre-clinical and
discovery stages (EVT Innovate). Evotec has established multiple long-term
discovery alliances with partners including Bayer, CHDI, Sanofi or UCB and
development partnerships with e.g. Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the field of
Alzheimer's disease, with Sanofi in the field of diabetes, with Pfizer in
the field of tissue fibrosis and Celgene in the field of neurodegenerative
diseases. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking
statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The
forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgement of
Evotec as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking
statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a
variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control,
and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any
obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to
any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change
in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is
based.
Contact Evotec AG:
Gabriele Hansen, VP Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Phone:
+49.(0)40.56081-255, gabriele.hansen@evotec.com
21.02.2017 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de
Language:
English
Company:
Evotec AG
Manfred Eigen Campus / Essener Bogen 7
22419 Hamburg
Germany
Phone:
+49 (0)40 560 81-0
Fax:
+49 (0)40 560 81-222
E-mail:
info@evotec.com
Internet:
www.evotec.com
ISIN:
DE0005664809
WKN:
566480
Indices:
TecDAX
Listed:
Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange
End of News
DGAP News Service
545993 21.02.2017