17.01.2017
Evotec AG DE0005664809
DGAP-News: EVOTEC AND MARS INNOVATION ESTABLISH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO LAUNCH FIBROCOR THERAPEUTICS
DGAP-News: Evotec AG / Key word(s): Alliance
EVOTEC AND MARS INNOVATION ESTABLISH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO LAUNCH
FIBROCOR THERAPEUTICS
17.01.2017 / 07:25
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Toronto, Canada and Hamburg, Germany, 17 January 2017:
Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) and
MaRS Innovation today announced the launch of Fibrocor Therapeutics LP
("Fibrocor"), a Toronto-based company focused on developing first-in-class
therapeutics targeting fibrotic diseases. The company was launched with CDN
$ 2.8 m (approx. $ 2.1 m) financing, which includes cash from MaRS
Innovation. Evotec will provide all drug discovery activities and will also
receive an equity stake.
Fibrocor takes a new approach to understanding and treating fibrosis,
bringing together clinical expertise and access to disease tissue with
high-throughput molecular analysis infrastructure and expertise in
clinically-predictive animal models of fibrosis.
The company is co-founded with leading academic and clinician scientists
from world-class academic institutions in Toronto, including Dr Richard
Gilbert MD, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Diabetic Complications and Head
of Endocrinology at St. Michael's Hospital and Scientist with the
hospital's Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science; Dr Darren Yuen,
MD, PhD, Nephrologist with St. Michael's and Scientist with its Keenan
Research Centre for Biomedical Science; and Dr Jeff Wrana, PhD, Senior
Investigator at Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health
System. The academic/clinical team is complemented by management and
business development from MaRS Innovation and drug discovery and
development services from Evotec.
"Through Fibrocor we have created a transformational partnership with
Evotec to translate Toronto's world-class fibrosis expertise into therapies
for patients worldwide", said Dr Rafi Hofstein, President and CEO of MaRS
Innovation. "We are building on our recent success of Triphase in the area
of oncology and applying it to a new therapeutic cluster in the area of
fibrosis."
The company's core focus will be to develop novel therapeutics that have
the potential to prevent, slow and ultimately reverse the course of
fibrosis. Fibrocor has already identified a lead programme and will partner
with Evotec to develop novel molecules with the anticipation of nominating
a lead candidate in 2018. In addition, Fibrocor will collaborate with its
academic co-founders to expand access to tissue samples to include several
relevant tissues, such as lung, liver, kidney, colon and skin. Fibrocor
will seek to identify novel targets and molecular pathways that are
identified from and validated in clinical samples from individuals with the
targeted disease for follow-on drug discovery and development programmes in
fibrosis, generating a robust pipeline of novel therapeutic targets that it
will subsequently work with Evotec on.
"Fibrosis continues to be an area of huge unmet medical need. Combining
Fibrocor's ability to identify novel disease relevant targets and Evotec's
industry-leading drug discovery platform should greatly increase the
probability of delivering effective medicines for patients. We are
delighted to be a part of the launch of Fibrocor together with MaRS
Innovation and look forward to working with our new partners in this
exciting venture", said Dr Mario Polywka, Chief Operating Officer of
Evotec.
ABOUT FIBROCOR THERAPEUTICS
Fibrocor Therapeutics is focused on developing disease modifying
therapeutics in fibrosis. The company's platform is based on discovery of
novel targets and dissection of molecular pathways from a well annotated
tissue bank of diseased and non-diseased patient samples. As one of the
first platforms that discover targets directly from human samples, the
company was founded based on the transformational work of Drs. Richard
Gilbert and Darren Yuen at St. Michael Hospital and Dr Jeff Wrana at Mount
Sinai Hospital all of whom are cross appointed to the University of
Toronto. Using this first-in class tissue discovery platform, Fibrocor has
partnered with Evotec to develop first-in class therapeutics to novel
molecular targets and pathways in fibrosis.
ABOUT MARS INNOVATION
MaRS Innovation is the commercialization agent for 15 of Ontario's leading
academic institutions including the University of Toronto and its
affiliated research hospitals, York University, and Ryerson University.
Supported by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of
Excellence, by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Centres of
Excellence, and by its members, MaRS Innovation is a transformational
partnership that turns research strengths into commercial opportunities
through industry partnerships, licensing and company creation. MaRS
Innovation represents over $1.47 billion of R&D funding annually, a
portfolio of 60 companies, $160M in outside risk capital, and is credited
with creating over 400 jobs. For more information please visit
www.marsinnovation.com.
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.
Contact Evotec AG:
Gabriele Hansen, VP Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Phone:
+49.(0)40.56081-255, [email protected]
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.
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17.01.2017 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.
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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: [email protected]
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
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