Why Natural Products Matter
Natural products (NPs) have been the foundation of modern medicine for centuries. Nearly 45% of all approved drugs are natural products or NP-inspired. They offer:
- Unmatched chemical diversity for novel drug scaffolds
- Success on complex targets where synthetic small molecules fail
- Lower toxicity and higher clinical success rates
- Solutions for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Despite a decline in NP approvals over the last decade, interest is resurging thanks to AI/ML-powered discovery, omics integration, and advanced screening technologies.
Therapeutic Areas Where Natural Products Shine
Natural products have demonstrated success across:
- Oncology – tackling complex cancer targets
- Infectious diseases – addressing AMR challenges
- Immunology – modulating immune pathways
- Neurology – targeting CNS disorders
- Rare diseases – offering novel mechanisms of action
- And many more including cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases, muscloskeletal diseases, metabolic diseases, skin diseases, respiratory diseases and hematological diseases.
Natural products are increasingly being used as payloads in Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs), combining the targeting precision of antibodies with the potent activity of NP-derived compounds. This synergy is opening new frontiers in oncology and beyond.
Expertise & Innovation in Natural Product Research
Evotec offers an end-to-end platform for NP-based drug discovery and development:
- Full Support from Experienced NP Team
- From early discovery to clinical development
- Diverse NP Libraries
- ~4,500 natural compounds
- ~24,000 NP derivatives
- ~2,100 macrocycles
- ~25,000 NPs in extract fractions
- Access to rare microbial sources and untapped bioresources
- Advanced Screening Technologies
- High-throughput robotic systems
- Large variety of biochemical, cellular and microorganism-based assays
- Droplet microfluidics for soil-derived NP producers
- AI/ML-Guided Panomics
- Deep insights into efficacy, safety, and mechanism of action
- Patient omics database for translational relevance
- Medicinal Chemistry Expertise
- Hit nomination and prioritization through NPChemRev
- Design and synthetic modification of natural product derivatives
Evotec combines cutting-edge technology, unique compound diversity, and deep therapeutic expertise to accelerate NP-based drug discovery and development.
Accessing Diverse Natural Product Libraries
Evotec has access to extensive natural product libraries which maximize chemical and biological diversity:
- AnalyticCon
- NATx – Semi-synthetic NP scaffolds
- MEGx – Purified NPs from plants & microorganisms
- MACROx – Synthetic NP-mimicking compounds
- Myxotech
- Unique microbial producers - using OSMAC (One Strain Many Compounds) approach
- ChemBridge
- Macrocycles
All libraries align with the Nagoya Protocol for benefit sharing.
Evotec is continually exploring new sources of chemical and biological diversity and is planning to expand its current available resources.
Why are natural products important in drug discovery?
Natural products offer unique chemical diversity and proven success across multiple therapeutic areas, often outperforming synthetic molecules on complex targets.
What makes Evotec different as a CRO?
Our integrated platform combines vast knowledge with advanced screening, AI-driven analytics, and extensive NP libraries - enabling faster and more successful NP-based drug development.
How do you ensure scalability and IP protection?
We leverage semi-synthetic approaches, modern drug delivery systems, and untapped bioresources to create unique IP and scalable solutions.
Which therapeutic areas benefit most from NPs?
Oncology, infectious diseases (including AMR), immunology, neurology, and rare diseases.
