EQS-News

Evotec receives grant from Open Philanthropy for discovery of RNA-targeting Henipavirus therapeutics

EQS-News: Evotec SE / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Evotec receives grant from Open Philanthropy for discovery of RNA-targeting Henipavirus therapeutics 02.06.2023 / 07:30 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. $ 1.7 M-GRANT FROM OPEN PHILANTHROPY WILL SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL MOLECULE ANTIVIRALS THAT TARGET VIRAL RNA IN HENIPAVIRUSES EVOTEC LEVERAGES ITS PROPRIETARY SMALL MOLECULE RNA TARGETING PLATFORM HENIPAVIRAL AGENTS ARE PRIORITY PATHOGENS LISTED ON THE WHO’S R&D BLUEPRINT LIST OF EPIDEMIC THREATS NEEDING URGENT R&D ACTION

Hamburg, Germany, 02 June 2023:
Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) today announced that the Company has received a $ 1.7 m grant from Open Philanthropy, a philanthropic funder prioritising global health and wellbeing. Under the grant, Evotec aims to discover and develop RNA-targeting small molecules as potential first-in-class therapeutics against Henipaviruses.

Henipavirus is a genus of zoonotic viruses that can cause fatal encephalitis in humans. The genus comprises six different established species including Hendra virus and Nipah virus, from which it receives its name. The World Health Organization lists henipaviral agents as R&D Blueprint Priority Pathogens, indicating their pandemic potential. Currently there are no approved drugs or vaccines for neither Hendra nor Nipah virus infections available underlining an urgent need for accelerated research and development.

Under the grant, Evotec will leverage its RNA-targeting small molecules (“rSM”) platform to identify promising RNA sequences to target with small molecule ligands that can be developed into potentially first-in-class therapeutics.

Dr Werner Lanthaler, Chief Executive Officer of Evotec, commented: “Mission-driven foundations are key for our long-term strategy. This is the first time that we have been supported by Open Philanthropy and we are very excited about this opportunity. The grant will enable us to pursue an innovative RNA-targeting approach to address the pandemic challenges posed by Henipaviruses. Through PRROTECT, we strive to make a meaningful contribution to achieve targets set under the UN Sustainable Development Goal (“SDG”) No 3 and make new, safe and effective treatment options available for these pandemic threats.”