EQS-News: Evotec SE announces first projects for LAB eN² drug discovery accelerator with Novo Nordisk

Hamburg, Germany, 11 December 2024:
Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, SDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) announced that its translational drug discovery accelerator with Novo Nordisk, LAB eN², which aims to nurture early research from academic institutions into novel therapeutics, has selected its first three projects to move forward in the program from Boston University, Harvard University in collaboration with Mass General Brigham, and Joslin Diabetes Center. LAB eN² is also expanding to include five additional academic institutions: Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Joslin Diabetes Center, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“We are thrilled to be able to start work on these first projects, leveraging Evotec’s integrated drug discovery and translational platforms and Novo Nordisk’s deep disease understanding,” said Dr Thomas Hanke, EVP & Head of Academic Partnerships at Evotec. “We are confident that LAB eN² will accelerate promising and innovative therapeutic concepts from bench to bedside in disease areas with significant unmet need. With Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Icahn Mount Sinai, we welcome five additional stellar academic institutions to LAB eN². Together with our partner Novo Nordisk, this translational drug discovery accelerator provides an ideal breeding ground to take leading-edge academic science from concept to drug candidate.”

The first three selected projects will focus on driving forward research for different cardiometabolic conditions. The Boston University project, spearheaded by Drs. Victoria Herrera and Nelson Ruiz-Opazo and their collaborators Drs. Sushrut Waikar and Joel Henderson, will leverage unique insights into the role of inflammation within cardiometabolic diseases to discover pharmacological interventions, with a primary focus on chronic kidney disease (CKD) to start, and secondary focus on obesity. The research project led by Dr. Sloan Devlin at Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with Dr. Eric Sheu at Mass General Brigham, will characterize potential modulators of metabolic disease by investigating molecular mechanisms related to bariatric surgery. In the long term, the team aims to develop novel therapeutic candidates for the potential treatment of metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The Joslin Diabetes Center project, led by Dr. Peng Yi, Investigator at Joslin Diabetes Center and Assistant Professor of Harvard Medical School, will focus on type 1 diabetes, with a novel target approach aimed at modulating autoimmune response. The selected projects are initially funded with a Discovery Award to reach key pre-clinical value-inflection points. After reaching key pre-clinical milestones projects can be considered for additional funding up to the IND application stage and Novo Nordisk has the option to further develop and license specific programs.

“We have been so impressed by the scientific ideas that have been uncovered through this program and our ongoing collaboration with our academic partners,” said Uli Stilz, Head of Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub. “The first selected projects offer novel approaches to address chronic cardiometabolic conditions, and we look forward to working with the primary investigators to advance their research. We launched LAB eN² with the intention to help bridge the translational research gap – we’ve been pleased with the progress so far and with the addition of five institutions, we have the opportunity to further our ability to drive more scientific ideas forward.”

Evotec and Novo Nordisk launched LAB eN² in September 2023 together with four academic institutions, Harvard University, Mass General Brigham, Yale School of Medicine, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Under the expansion, researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Icahn Mount Sinai can now also apply to LAB eN² with their projects. Leveraging access to Evotec’s integrated R&D platform and Novo Nordisk’s deep disease understanding, LAB eN² provides funding to design a drug discovery program and identify a therapeutic candidate across a range of therapeutic modalities.

About LAB eN²
LAB eN² was created to provide a solution-focused pathway for academic researchers, with a mission to accelerate the translation of their academic discoveries into investigational new drug (“IND”) candidates for cardiometabolic diseases as well as rare blood and rare endocrine disorders. LAB eN² provides funding, scientific expertise, and technology to help advance product concepts through pre-clinical proof of concept, at which point successful therapeutic product candidates may be selected by Novo Nordisk for further investment and development. Participating academic institutions work under a common governance framework with the goal of accelerating ideas easily. Research concepts are selected for LAB eN² support based on proposals from investigators at the participating academic institutions and are jointly developed and executed by the academic investigators, Evotec, and Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, an R&D unit designed to work with academia, emerging biotechs, and established companies to uncover medical answers. For more details on LAB eN², please visit: https://laben2.com/.
 

About Evotec SE
Evotec is a life science company with a unique business model that delivers on its mission to discover and develop highly effective therapeutics and make them available to the patients. The Company’s multimodality platform comprises a unique combination of innovative technologies, data and science for the discovery, development, and production of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products. Evotec provides high value pipeline co-creating partnerships and solutions to all Top 20 Pharma and over 800 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, as well as other healthcare stakeholders. Evotec has strategic activities in a broad range of currently underserved therapeutic areas, including e.g. neurology, oncology, as well as metabolic and infectious diseases. Within these areas of expertise, Evotec aims to create the world-leading co-owned pipeline for innovative therapeutics and has to-date established a portfolio of more than 200 proprietary and co-owned R&D projects from early discovery to clinical development. Evotec operates globally with more than 5,000 highly qualified people. The Company’s sites in Europe and the USA offer highly synergistic technologies and services and operate as complementary clusters of excellence. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com and follow us on X/Twitter @Evotec and LinkedIn.

Forward-looking statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning future events, including the proposed offering and listing of Evotec’s securities. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “should,” “target,” “would” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include comments regarding Evotec’s expectations for revenues, Group EBITDA and unpartnered R&D expenses. These forward-looking statements are based on the information available to, and the expectations and assumptions deemed reasonable by Evotec at the time these statements were made. No assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of Evotec. Evotec expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Evotec’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. 

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations

Volker Braun
EVP Head of Global Investor Relations & ESG
Volker.Braun@evotec.com 

Media

Susanne Kreuter
VP Head of Strategic Marketing
Susanne.Kreuter@evotec.com