Evotec Allies With Fraunhofer Institute For Drug Discovery
By Cyndi Root
Evotec AG announced in a press release that it has allied with the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME). The two intend to conduct drug discovery together in several disease areas. They will pool their respective resources to work together and involve other external entities as necessary. Dr. Werner Lanthaler, CEO of Evotec, said, “The IME has an impressive track record for product development and provides an ideal basis for collaborating with one of the strongest science organizations in Germany and beyond.
The IME
The IME is an interdisciplinary organization with GMP production facilities and environmental simulation facilities. IME Senior Executive Director, Dr. Rainer Fischer also commented on the new partnership, saying, "Evotec's medicinal chemistry and expertise will add value to our own, our joint and our partner's programs.”
The IME allies with pharmaceutical companies like Evotec, as well as academic entities. Recently, the IME announced that it had integrated the European ScreeningPort GmbH into its operations including its branches in Gießen, Frankfurt, Münster, Schmallenberg, the U.S., and Chile. Evotec stated its partnership agreement followed the announcement of this integration, as it enhances the expertise and capabilities of the IME. The new IME organization is called the IME-ScreeningPort (IME-SP), and it will operate with 30 employees in Hamburg. The new organization, together with Evotec, will conduct basic research with a view towards industrial development.
Evotec Strategy
Evotec’s move to partner with the IME is part of its ongoing strategy to increase collaborations with other entities. In May 2014, Evotec announced that it had acquired Euprotec, a contract research organization (CRO). The acquisition added StrainBank, a collection of clinical isolates, to Evotec’s assets, improving its pipeline of anti-infective, anti-bacterials, anti-virals, and anti-fungals.
In other recent moves, Evotec allied with Eternygen GmbH on metabolic disease therapies. A collaboration with Debiopharm will develop novel compounds for genetically defined tumors and leukemias. In addition, Evotec and Panion have agreed to develop analgesics for pain.
Evotec has developed long-term alliances with other companies including Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Genentech to name a few. It is working with Janssen Pharmaceuticals on treatments for depression and with Roche on Alzheimer's disease.