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Evotec Receives Grant From Korean Government To Develop Novel Antibody-Based Treatments for Lung Diseases

Antibodies.
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Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) announced that, together with Yonsei University and the Korean biotech company Zymedi, it will receive a US$ 4.5m grant from the Korea Institute of Advanced Technology (KIAT). The KIAT grant will fund the development of first-in-class biologic therapies to treat lung diseases, including asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The project will focus on the preclinical development of novel anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic antibodies directed against tRNA synthetases, an emerging therapeutic target class to treat diseases with a high unmet medical need.


“We are excited to work together with Prof. Sunghoon Kim and our colleagues at Zymedi and Yonsei University to cooperatively advance a particularly promising approach to develop novel antibody-based treatments for asthma and IPF,” said Dr Thomas Hanke, EVP & Head of Academic Partnerships at Evotec. “The synergies between the three parties supported by the KIAT grant showcase how international collaborations can help accelerate the development of novel therapies for diseases with a high unmet medical need: Dr. Kim’s laboratory at Yonsei University has been recognized as a global leader in the field of tRNA synthetases by uncovering their diverse regulatory activities for body homeostasis. Zymedi is an aspiring Korean company translating the pathologic association of tRNA synthetases to new medicine. Evotec will bring to bear its world-class antibody development, engineering and manufacturing technologies together with its integrated preclinical R&D platforms for drug discovery and development of fibrosis and lung diseases. We are grateful to the Korean government and honored to be part of this outstanding consortium”

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“The previously untapped biology of tRNA synthetases provides a versatile route for new drug development. I am very excited to launch the project with Evotec to develop novel therapeutic antibodies targeting a disease-causing activities by these enzymes” said Sunghoon Kim, Professor and Director, Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Biomedical Research at Yonsei University.


The project aims to advance first-in-class antibodies targeting a novel mechanism-of-action in the area of tRNA synthetase biology to treat IPF and non-type 2 asthma. Both disease entities are characterized by a high need to develop novel therapies that will improve future standard-of-care.