Evotec and Odyssey Therapeutics have entered into a strategic research and development (R&D) partnership to discover new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced screening technologies.
The collaboration will combine Evotec’s data-driven drug discovery platform with AI-enabled data science capabilities and advanced screening technologies to identify and validate potential small molecule drug candidates against multiple disease targets.
Combining Expertise
Evotec will combine its screening technologies, compound libraries, and AI-enabled discovery platform with Odyssey’s expertise in the biology of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Through this approach, the partners aim to identify validated hit series that could provide starting points for new therapeutic programmes.
Evotec chief scientific officer Dr Cord Dohrmann said modern drug discovery increasingly relies on integrating detailed disease biology with advanced experimental and computational methods.
The integration of these methods allows for a more full understanding of complex diseases, enabling the development of more effective treatments.
Addressing Complex Diseases
The collaboration with Odyssey demonstrates Evotec’s strategy of combining different discovery technologies to address complex diseases where new therapeutic approaches are needed.
“Together, we aim to generate differentiated and validated starting points for Odyssey to develop into new therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,” Dr Dohrmann said.
The partnership will focus on early-stage research, with the companies leveraging their complementary scientific capabilities to advance potential treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
Under the agreement, Evotec may receive milestone payments linked to the delivery of validated hit series that meet the requirements for the targeted diseases.
Related: Chugai Pharmaceutical Taps AI for Drug Discovery
However, the companies have not disclosed the financial terms of the collaboration.
Evotec’s discovery capabilities span biologics, small molecules, cell therapies, and other therapeutic modalities.
In addition to these capabilities, the company also utilizes Molecular Patient Databases, PanOmics technologies, and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based disease modelling platforms to support its research activities.
Expanding Collaborations
The new partnership with Odyssey follows a separate collaboration with Niagen Bioscience, which selected Evotec to support the development of NB4168, an orally administered small molecule being investigated for pharmaceutical development.
Evotec will carry out the work in collaboration with NAD Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Niagen Bioscience.
The subsidiary focuses on developing therapies for accelerated ageing and rare genetic diseases.
In the context of similar collaborations, it’s worth considering how the integration of AI and advanced screening technologies can accelerate the discovery of new treatments for complex diseases, potentially leading to more effective therapies.
The agreement with Niagen adds to Evotec’s work across early-stage drug discovery and development, while the partnership with Odyssey will apply its AI, screening, and data science capabilities to the search for new treatments in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
The use of AI-enabled data science capabilities and advanced screening technologies in these collaborations enables the rapid analysis of large amounts of data, facilitating the identification of potential drug candidates and the development of personalized therapies.
Furthermore, the combination of Evotec’s discovery platform with Odyssey’s expertise in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases allows for a more subtle understanding of the underlying biology of these conditions, ultimately leading to the development of more targeted and effective treatments.
