• COLLABORATION WILL LEVERAGE THE NURTURE PATIENT BIOBANK AND EVOTEC’S MULTI-OMICS PLATFORMS PANHUNTER AND PANOMICS
• EVOTEC AND CHINOOK AIM TO CHARACTERISE MOLECULAR DRIVERS, IDENTIFY AND VALIDATE NOVEL TARGETS AND DRIVE PATIENT STRATIFICATION STRATEGIES IN SELECTED RARE KIDNEY DISEASES
• EVOTEC RECEIVES AN UNDISCLOSED UPFRONT AS WELL AS RESEARCH FUNDING AND IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE MILESTONES AND ROYALTIES

Hamburg, Germany, 01 March 2021:
Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) and Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. (“Chinook”, NASDAQ: KDNY) today announced a strategic collaboration focused on the discovery and development of novel precision medicine therapies for patients with chronic kidney diseases (“CKD”). Based on Evotec’s proprietary comprehensive molecular datasets from thousands of patients across chronic kidney diseases of multiple underlying etiologies, Chinook and Evotec will jointly identify, characterise and validate novel mechanisms and discover and develop precision medicines. 

The collaboration leverages Evotec’s proprietary PanOmics platform, which combines enhanced throughput proteomics, high throughput transcriptomics and cell imaging with PanHunter, Evotec’s unique integrated data analysis platform. In addition, Chinook will contribute drug discovery and development programmes to the collaboration targeting rare kidney diseases such as IgA nephropathy and glomerular diseases.

“We are excited to embark on this strategic collaboration with Evotec, the leading drug discovery alliance and development partner in nephrology,” said Andrew King, Ph.D., Head of Renal Discovery and Translational Medicine at Chinook. “Gaining access to the NURTuRE cohort study and other proprietary patient biobanks, along with Evotec’s multi-omics integration platform, will enable us to define the molecular drivers of kidney diseases, identify novel targets for drug development in selected patient sub-populations and continue to build the foundation for our precision medicine approach. With a focus on comprehensive molecular disease classification, combined with prospective clinical outcomes, Chinook has the opportunity to potentially deliver targeted therapies to the right patient populations.”

Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, commented: “We are glad to enter into a discovery and development partnership with Chinook Therapeutics, a company specialising in overcoming kidney diseases. CKD is collective term for a variety of diseases that cause a gradual loss of kidney function. The diversity in the underlying causes makes this area especially favourable for data-driven and systematically personalised approaches. By leveraging our complementary platforms, Evotec and Chinook have the best possible starting position to tackle in particular rare forms of CKD with the goal to develop disease-modifying therapeutics for underserved patient populations.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Chinook and Evotec will share drug discovery and pre-clinical development responsibilities. Chinook will be responsible for clinical development and commercialisation of product candidates developed under the collaboration. Evotec will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, research funding, and will be eligible to receive progress-dependent milestone payments and tiered royalties on net sales for targets identified through the collaboration.

ABOUT CHINOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicines for kidney diseases. Chinook’s product candidates are being investigated in rare, severe chronic kidney disorders with opportunities for well-defined clinical pathways. Chinook’s lead program is atrasentan, an investigational phase 3 endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of IgA nephropathy and other primary glomerular diseases. BION-1301, an investigational anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody is being evaluated in a phase 1b trial for IgA nephropathy. In addition, Chinook is advancing CHK-336, an investigational oral small molecule LDHA inhibitor for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, as well as research programs for other rare, severe chronic kidney diseases, including polycystic kidney disease. Chinook is building its pipeline by leveraging insights in kidney single cell RNA sequencing, human-derived organoids and new translational models, to discover and develop therapeutics with differentiating mechanisms of action against key kidney disease pathways. To learn more, visit www.chinooktx.com.

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.