Just - Evotec Biologics to collaborate with Ology Bioservices on antibodies against Coronavirus

• PARTNERSHIP IS PART OF A CONTRACT AWARDED TO OLOGY BIOSERVICES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO DEVELOP AND MANUFACTURE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES FOR TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF INFECTION WITH SARS-COV-2
• JUST – EVOTEC BIOLOGICS TO SUPPLY ANTIBODY SCREENING AND ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISATION OF ANTI-COVID-19 ANTIBODIES

Hamburg, Germany, 30 April 2020:
Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) today announced that its Seattle-based subsidiary Just – Evotec Biologics, Inc. has entered into a partnership with Ology Bioservices, Inc. (“Ology Bio”) for the evaluation and analytical characterisation of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This work falls under a contract awarded to Ology Bio by the Department of Defense Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Enabling Biotechnologies (“JPEO-CBRND-EB”) to develop, and manufacture monoclonal antibodies for treatment and prevention of infections with SARS-CoV-2.

This work is supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs with funding from the Defense Health Agency.

Under the terms of the agreement, Just – Evotec Biologics will act as a subcontractor to Ology Bio and utilise its in silico toolset to screen a panel of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies provided by Ology Bio that were generated from convalescing COVID-19 patients. Just – Evotec Biologics’ Abacus™ and analytical toolsets will help to filter these antibodies into a smaller set with predicted desirable characteristics for manufacturing and long term storage. Once the final antibody panel has been selected and produced at a small scale by Ology Bio, material will be sent to Just – Evotec Biologics for evaluation of biophysical properties and potential post-translational modifications.

Rapid evaluation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody candidates will improve the quality of antibody therapeutics selected through this contract and provide confidence to proceed with large-scale manufacturing. 

Dr Craig Johnstone, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec, comments: “Antibodies generated from convalescing patients do not necessarily translate into stable, manufacturable biotherapeutics. Applying our in silico approach Abacus™ to narrow down a large set of antibodies to the few candidates with the most preferable development characteristics significantly improves the likelihood of rapidly manufacturing high-quality biotherapeutics.”

“We are pleased to work with the highly innovative and professional scientific staff at Just – Evotec Biologics in our efforts to rapidly produce anti-COVID-19 antibody therapeutics,” says Ron Cobb, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Ology Bio.

No financial details of the agreement were disclosed.

ABOUT OLOGY BIOSERVICES, INC.

Ology Bioservices is a privately held, full-service Contract Development Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) serving both government and commercial clients, specializing in biologic drug substance manufacturing from early stage through commercial product. The company has 183,000 square feet of manufacturing, process development and QA/QC space in its state-of-the-art, Department of Defense Advanced Development and Manufacturing Facility in Florida. The company’s infrastructure provides unique services to its clients, including full regulatory support from preclinical through licensure, clinical trial operational support and bioanalytical testing, as well as CGMP manufacturing up to Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3). Ology Bioservices has 20 years of experience developing and manufacturing drugs and biologics for the U.S. Government, with over $500M in government contracts awarded. The team at Ology Bioservices has decades of experience manufacturing, developing and licensing vaccines and protein/antibody therapeutics. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ologybio.com.

ABOUT THE JPEO-CBRND

The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense is the Joint Service's lead for development, acquisition, fielding and life-cycle support of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense equipment and medical countermeasures. As an effective acquisition program, we put capable and supportable systems in the hands of the service members and first responders, when and where it is needed, at an affordable price. Our vision is a resilient Joint Force enabled to fight and win unencumbered by a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear environment; championed by innovative and state-of-the-art solutions. JPEO Enabling Biotechnologies (EB) is an organization established for the purpose of providing medical solutions, during a crisis, against future threats.

ABOUT JUST – EVOTEC BIOLOGICS

Just – Evotec Biologics wholly owned by Evotec SE is a unique platform company that integrates the design, engineering, development, and manufacture of biologics. With deep experience in the fields of protein, process and manufacturing sciences, the Just team came together to solve the scientific and technical hurdles that block access to life-changing protein therapeutics; from the design of therapeutic molecules to the design of the manufacturing plants used to produce them. Our focus is to create access and value for a global market through scientific and technological innovation. Learn more at www.just.bio.

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.