- Collaboration leverages the breadth & experience of Evotec's drug discovery infrastructure
- Efforts will explore the use of a novel approach, discovered at Ohio State, for targeting mutant KRas
Hamburg, Germany - 22 December 2014: Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) today announced a research collaboration with the laboratories of Prof. Roger Briesewitz at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute ("OSUCCC - James").
The objective of the collaboration is to progress a novel mechanism for engaging the KRas target discovered at The Ohio State University using Evotec's technology platform and broad expertise in drug discovery and pre-clinical development, thereby validating and progressing novel leads into pharmaceutically developable candidates.
KRas is a small GTPase regulating the RAS/MAPK signalling cascade that governs cell division. Mutations in KRas are early transforming events in tumourigenesis and are highly prevalent in lethal cancers such as lung, colon and pancreatic cancer.
Addressing the challenging tractability of this well-established oncology target, work conducted at Ohio State provides a novel route to engage the target.
"Working and initiating a strategic dialogue with OSUCCC is a great privilege for us, especially in such an important field in oncology. Activating mutations of KRas are one of the most frequent genetic events in cancers, and yet mutant KRas has long been considered an intractable drug target. However, working with Roger and his team, we believe we have an opportunity to attack this elusive target from a different angle with the potential to deliver an exciting new anti-cancer therapeutic", said Dr Werner Lanthaler, Chief Executive Officer of Evotec.
"Through this collaboration with Evotec, novel biological discoveries and medical insights made at Ohio State will be effectively translated into a state-of-the-art drug discovery project. The collaboration is already demonstrating the benefit of an alliance in accelerating drug discovery projects", said Dr Tim Wright, Founding Partner and Director Drug Development Institute OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute, Vice President, Technology Commercialization Office.