Hamburg, Germany - 23 September 2010: Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX) today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Almirall S.A. (BMAD: ALM), to identify small molecule modulators of an ion channel target, selected by Almirall, involved in respiratory diseases.
Evotec will apply its in-depth electrophysiology and ion channel pharmacology expertise, as well as its state-of-the-art screening platform, for the identification and validation of novel modulators of the selected ion channel.
Dr Jorge Beleta, Director Discovery Strategy and Alliances of Almirall, commented: "We are impressed not only by Evotec's ion channel drug discovery platform but more importantly by their track record of success and scientific understanding of this challenging class of targets. We believe that the Evotec technology and scientists will provide Almirall with the best chances of finding novel, high quality hits, ready for optimisation."
Dr Mario Polywka, COO of Evotec stated: "We are proud to have been selected by Almirall for this important project. We have invested significantly in our ion channel and electrophysiology platform and scientists in recent years, and this programme is further validation of the value we can bring to our partners. We look forward to collaborating with and supporting Almirall in their quest to find novel treatments to address respiratory diseases."
Evotec has a unique assay development and screening platform, built around proprietary and the latest commercial technologies, providing a flexible and high quality approach to lead identification for ion channels and other target classes.
No financial details are disclosed.