Evotec enters into a research collaboration with Inserm in oncology

 

Hamburg, Germany, 22 September 2016: Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) announced today that the Company has entered into a research collaboration with Inserm Transfert, the private subsidiary of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research ("Inserm"). 

Evotec has entered into multiple collaborations with top academic institutions in the USA, Germany and the UK. This collaboration with Inserm marks the initiation of the first project under Evotec's and Sanofi's Academic Bridge, which was established as a result of the multi-component strategic alliance between the companies effective 01 April 2015. This Academic Bridge aims to accelerate the translation of promising cutting-edge science from French academic institutions into pharmaceutical product candidates. In this joint effort, Evotec scouts and incubates projects generated in France under its EVT Innovate strategy. 

A year after initiating the French Academic Bridge, the first collaboration between Evotec and Prof. Gilles Favre's team from Inserm/the Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier/Oncopole de Toulouse has started. The research collaboration's goal is to characterise and develop new selective modulators of RhoB functions as a promising approach to increase therapeutic options in many cancers with high unmet medical need. RhoB is an exciting oncological target implicated in the control of cellular stress response, migration, tumour neovascularisation and progression. 

Dr Pascale Augé, Chairman of the executive management board of Inserm Transfert, commented: "We happily welcome the signing of this partnership with Evotec. It will allow Prof. Favre and his team to further develop their research in the cancer field and move to the industrial development." 

Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, added: "We are excited to be part of this great research initiative that combines the best-in-class ingredients of what is needed for highly innovative and differentiated drug candidates in oncology. This is Evotec's first of hopefully many more academic collaborations in France. We are very proud to add Inserm to our academic partners, thereby further broadening our efforts to bridge leading academic science into industry standard drug discovery programmes."

ABOUT THE FRENCH NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH (INSERM)

Founded in 1964, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is a public science and technology institute, jointly supervised by the French Ministry of Education, higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Social Affairs, health and women's rights. The mission of its scientists is to study all diseases, from the most common to the rarest, through their work in biological, medical and public health research. Inserm supports more than 300 laboratories across France. In total, the teams include nearly 15,000 researchers, engineers, technicians and administrative staff, etc. Inserm is a member of the National Alliance for Life and Health Sciences, founded in April 2009 with CNRS, Inserm, the CEA, Inra, INRIA, the IRD, the Pasteur Institute, the Conference of University Presidents (CPU) and the Conference of Chairmen of The Regional and University Hospital Centres. For more information, please go to www.inserm.fr. 

ABOUT INSERM TRANSFERT 

Founded in 2000, Inserm Transfert SA is the private subsidiary of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), dedicated to technology transfer (from invention disclosure to industrial partnership). Inserm Transfert also manages European and International research projects, supports large scale projects in epidemiology and public health. Inserm Transfert has run a proof of concept fund since 2009. The company also supports entrepreneurs in the biotech sector, in partnership with Inserm Transfert Initiative. For more information, please go to: www.inserm-transfert.fr. 

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.