• EVOTEC RECEIVES NON-EXCLUSIVE LICENCE TO DERIVE AND UTILISE CELLS FROM IPSCS CREATED WITH ID PHARMA’S VIRUS VECTOR TECHNOLOGY
• THE LICENCE ENHANCES EVOTEC’S PATIENT-DERIVED IPSC CAPABILITIES FOR TREATMENTS OF NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES AND DIABETES

Hamburg, Germany, 23 May 2018 - Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) today announced that it has expanded its iPSC platform through a licence agreement with ID Pharma. The non-exclusive licence enables Evotec to both work with and differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells (“iPSC”) produced with ID Pharma’s Sendai virus (“SeV”) vector technology.

The new licence is an important addition to Evotec’s iPSC platform, one of the most comprehensive in the industry. It further enhances Evotec’s broad iPSC capabilities in early drug discovery for treatments of a variety of conditions including nervous system diseases and diabetes.

About Evotec’s iPSC platform 

Evotec has built an industrialised iPSC infrastructure that represents one of the largest and most sophisticated iPSC platforms in the industry. Evotec has developed this platform, which is part of Evotec’s EVT Innovate business segment, to industrialise iPSC-based drug screening in terms of throughput, reproducibility and robustness to reach the highest industrial standards. This effort was initially enabled by a research collaboration and licence agreement with Harvard University involving world-leading scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Since then, Evotec’s efforts have grown, and due to its expertise, Evotec has established collaborations with Celgene, Sanofi, DFG Research Centre for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Censo Biotechnologies and Fraunhofer IME-SP to advance its broad iPSC platform. In addition, Evotec is working closely with academic institutions to further broaden and strengthen Evotec’s efforts and investment in iPSC applications. 

ABOUT ID PHARMA

ID Pharma is a Japanese bio-venture company, which handles the advanced medical treatment business of the I’rom Group (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 2372). ID Pharma possesses world-class technologies for developing and producing vectors and is highly regarded by the biotechnology sector. In particular, the Sendai virus (“SeV”) vector, an original fundamental technology of ID Pharma, has an excellent safety profile and gene transfer efficiency and is expected to become a leading vector. The company also operates a cGMP facility and cell processing centre (CPC) in Ibaraki, Japan, and offers contract manufacturing services utilising SeV for clinical use. In addition, ID Pharma is exploiting its gene transfer capabilities through enhancement of its vector platform and by promoting the development of medical technologies e.g. gene therapy for critical limb ischemia.

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.