Bio Screening Industry News

Biomarkers will be accepted as predicted tools, but their clinical usefulness needs to be understood
first, according to personalized medicine expert.

Coordinating personalized medicine on an international level, Dr Edward Abrahams, Executive
Director of the Personalized Medicine Coalition believes that biomarkers will eventually impact all
disease areas.

“When they were validated, and when it can be understood how clinically useful they are, biomarkers will be the easier method to understand the etiology of disease and human wellness,” commented Abrahams.

While the science of personalized medicine is fairly new, it is already being demonstrated in successful approaches to treating breast cancer and HIV. In cancer research in particular, industry is realising the potential of a separate diagnostic readout for every patient to allow for more targeted therapeutics. Abrahams sees biomarkers as “the scalpel that opens the patient,” but despite current success there are also serious issues for the uptake of personalized medicine, such as barriers to market.

The Personalized Medicine Coalition has been set-up to deal with such barriers in all levels of
research across the various industries involved. Evolving business models, demonstrating clinical
utility, and improving training at the bedside are just a few of the barriers that have affected “a clear regulatory pathway to co-develop personalized products,” commented Abrahams.

Despite warning of the serious issue of probability when using biomarkers as predictive tools, Abraham’s view of the future is bright: “I and many foresee a day when we’ll have predictive
biomarkers across all of healthcare.” With successful validation and clinical usefulness, advancing the use of biomarkers in industry will be a key stepping stone towards a personalized approach and the success of the healthcare system in the future.

Reducing healthcare costs will be a vital step to ensuring an effective system is in place for our aging populations; “personalized targeted therapies” may be one way to improve outcomes, with products tailored to each patient group. Highlighting this is one of the goals of the Personalized Medicine Coalition.

“Even if the individual products might cost more money, the system might save money by getting the approach right the first time.”

Hear more from Dr Edward Abrahams during his plenary lecture at the upcoming Informa Life
Sciences’ conference on ‘Advancing Biomarkers for Industry.’ Running alongside a Molecular
Diagnostics meeting, this takes place on 24-25 June 2008 in Brussels, Belgium. Find out more at
www.informa-ls.com/biomarkers

Conference Returns to Location of its Inaugural Event on March 16-19, 2009

Carlsbad, USA and Madrid, Spain, April 9, 2008 – Coming on the heels of BIO-Europe Spring 2008 in Madrid where delegates engaged in an incredible 5800 one-to-one meetings, EBD Group today announced that the third annual BIO-Europe Spring 2009 partnering conference will be returning to Milan, Italy, the site of its highly successful inaugural event. BIO-Europe Spring 2009 will open its doors at the Milano Convention Center (MIC), March 16-18, 2009

BIO-Europe Spring in only its second year has become the second largest dedicated partnering event in the biotechnology industry.  Biotechnology companies from around the world participate in BIO-Europe Spring to identify and meet with companies across the life science value-chain, from large biotech and pharma companies to financiers and innovative start-ups.

Commenting on the return of BIO-Europe Spring to Milan, Professor Rossi Bernardi, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Human Capital, The City of Milan, stated: “The City of Milan, which has been recently chosen by BIE as host of the world exhibition EXPO 2015, is looking forward to host the 2009 edition of BIO-Europe Spring.”

“We are excited that BIO-Europe Spring is returning to Italy. The conference is a unique opportunity for leaders of the global biotech and pharma community to meet in a setting conducive to doing business,” said  Edoardo Richter, Director International Division, Angelini Group. “As an Italian pharmaceutical company, the BIO-Europe Spring event helps to shine more light on the rapid progress of our industry, the exceptional quality of our scientific programs and the great potential for partnering with Italian firms.

“We look forward to bringing BIO-Europe Spring back to the city of Milan and another highly productive and dynamic conference,” said Carola Schropp, President of EBD Group. “Partnering has become the life blood of our industry. This is a phenomenon readily apparent to anyone attending the currently in-session BIO-Europe Spring 2008 in Madrid, where 1400 delegates from 838 companies are engaging in over 5800 partnering meetings.

About EBD Group:

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global biotechnology industry. Since 1993, firms in the life sciences have leveraged EBD Group’s partnering conferences, technology and services to identify opportunities and to develop strategic relationships that drive their business.

EBD Group’s conferences (run in collaboration with leading industry partners and international trade associations) include BIO-Europe, the world’s largest stand-alone life science partnering conference (organized with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIO); BIO-Europe Spring(R); BioPharm America(TM) (EBD’s new North American partnering event); and BioEquity Europe (co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO).

EBD’s sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE(TM), is also used at numerous third-party events around the world. Outside of the conference format, EBD’s consultants can provide hands-on assistance for firms seeking to in- or out-license products and technologies. EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe.

For more information visit www.ebdgroup.com

Rockville, MD, April 23, 2008: Seegene today announced that its Seeplex(R) multi-pathogen tests are now optimized for Lab 901’s ScreenTape(R)  and Caliper LifeSciences’ LC90(R)  automated detection systems. Compatibility with these two leading detection systems opens the way for Seeplex tests to be used throughout a wide spectrum of labs, from small to mid-sized labs to large commercial reference labs.

Seeplex tests are based on a breakthrough multiplexing PCR technology capable of detecting multiple pathogens in a single tube. Seeplex-based tests deliver maximum specificity, reproducibility and sensitivity and can be applied to a broad range of molecular diagnostics, including human, animal, plant and microorganism. Currently, Seegene’s Seeplex multi-pathogen detection tests offer labs worldwide simple, cost-effective and comprehensive screening for STDs, respiratory viruses, human papillomaviruses, sepsis and pneumonia.

“Our broad portfolio of multi-pathogen detection tests being optimized for ScreenTape and the Caliper LC90 systems will make it easier for clinical and research labs of all sizes to take advantage of our technology,” said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Seegene. “Both the Lab901 and Caliper LifeSciences systems represent the cutting edge of automated detection. Working in combination with these leading systems provides a powerful high-throughput method for analyzing test results.”

The ScreenTape system is the first fully automated, walk-away solution for gel electrophoresis. ScreenTape will automate the simultaneous analysis of eight or sixteen Seeplex PCR samples. Processing speed for 8 samples is completed within 10 minutes;  16 samples within 15 minutes. ScreenTape displays results using easy to interpret color codes. The ScreenTape system comprises the TapeStation (that carries out liquid handling, electrophoresis and imaging), ScreenTape (a consumable that contains the pre-cast, pre-packaged gel and running buffer) and bespoke software. With no gel or buffer preparation and no system priming, even untrained operators can rapidly generate accurate and reproducible test data.

The LabChip 90 System performs fast, automated, 1-D electrophoretic separations of protein, DNA, and RNA samples directly from a 96 or 384 well plate. The LC90 can load and read 96 Seeplex samples within 45 minutes or 384 Seeplex samples in 4 hours in easy-to-interpret reports.

Seegene is currently working to optimize Seeplex tests for other automated capillary electrophoresis systems. Seeplex’s compatibility with a wide range of automated detection systems will provide end-users with the flexibility to use the platform best suited for their purposes.

About Seeplex(R) System: Frontier of Multi-pathogen Detection

Seeplex(R) is a breakthrough multiplexing PCR technology that enables a new standard in simultaneous multi-pathogen detection. Seeplex works in combination with automatic detection systems such as Capillary Electrophoresis and delivers a benchmark in testing accuracy, efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

About Seegene

Seegene, Inc. is pioneering the field of multi-pathogen testing. Seegene applies its novel and proprietary Seeplex system utilizing “DPO (Dual Priming Oligo)” and “ACP (Annealing Control Primer)” to create multi-pathogen tests delivering maximum specificity, reproducibility and sensitivity. With over 260 citations and several patents and patents pending, Seegene has been offering advanced molecular diagnostics services to over 1,000 major global institutes in more than 25 countries. Seegene is actively working with both the scientific and OEM business community. Seegene’s mission is to integrate Seeplex with disease diagnostics to provide a new guideline for effectively treating patients. Seegene was founded in 2000 and is based in Rockville, MD and Seoul, Korea. For more information please visit www.seegene.com.

Boston, USA — April 29, 2008 — Today at the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo in Boston, USA, CLC bio announced collaboration with Microsoft Corp. on integrating CLC bio’s extensive bioinformatics solutions with Microsoft’s software platform, for the benefit of companies, corporations, and institutions in the biotech, pharmaceutical, and life science sectors. CLC bio has already added support for Microsoft SQL Server in its database solution, CLC Bioinformatics Database, as well as support for Microsoft’s high-performance computing solutions, Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 and Windows HPC Server 2008.

Dr. Rudy Potenzone, worldwide pharmaceutical industry technology strategist at Microsoft Corp. and director of the Bio IT Alliance, states,
‘We are delighted to work together with CLC bio, a member of the Bio IT Alliance and one of the world’s leading bioinformatics solution providers. This collaboration will ultimately help life sciences firms transition to the Microsoft platform throughout their research and development departments. CLC bio’s tools, fully integrated with the Microsoft Office System, increase ease of use and expand the number of potential users, while reducing administrative overhead and creating a lean workflow. Furthermore, CLC bio’s internationally renowned experts are available for consulting and customized development.’

Jan Lomholdt, Vice President at CLC bio, continues,
‘With our support for Microsoft’s server solutions, the first step in the process has already been taken. The second step is to further advance our collaboration in areas such as Next Generation Sequencing and high-performance computing, which ultimately can help realize the potential of personalized medicine. As a former member of Microsoft’s World Wide Advisory Council, I have first hand experience of the strength and potential Microsoft brings to the table with a collaboration like this, which of course is interesting for a company like ours.’

Windows HPC Server 2008, the successor to Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003, includes a common set of High Performance Computing productivity tools that reaches across desktop and clusters, including a new Parallel Computing Initiative for multicore development. CLC bio’s high-performance computing solution for servers and clusters, CLC Bioinformatics Cell, supports Microsoft’s Message Passing Interface (MPI) in order to run bioinformatics algorithms such as HMMER, ClustalW, and Smith-Waterman on Windows HPC Server 2008 installations.

All CLC bio’s solutions are cross-platform, running on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, as well as Mac OS X and Linux

About CLC bio
CLC bio is the world’s leading full-service bioinformatics solution provider, solely focusing on the development of bioinformatics: software, hardware, data analysis, and custom-designed bioinformatics algorithms.

CLC bio’s mission is to be among the most innovative bioinformatics companies in the 21st century. This is realized through:

Development of bioinformatics software and hardware based on the latest scientific findings
User-friendly, integrated and intuitive cross-platform software solutions
Continuous focus on customer needs and superior customer service
Frequent product updates including the latest IT technologies and bioinformatics algorithms
A flexible IT architecture, enabling customers to buy or develop individualized solutions at a reasonable price

Though Mumie has been used in folk medicine of different countries for almost two thousand years, there are still many legends regarding its mysterious origin. In Russia serious research has been conducted on Mumie since 1910. This research became even more intense during the past twenty years Government financing supported research that was conducted at major laboratories within the national science and medicine academies of the republics from Mumie’s origin (Middle Asia region of the former USSR (Kirgysia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).

Health organizations aren’t the only groups interested in Mumie. In Russia and many of the former USSR republics, Mumie is considered a strategic material and is used extensively as a performance enhancer within the armed forces (Spetnaz and other elite fighting groups) to help prepare cosmonauts before and during space travel, and as an important part in the restoration programs of national and Olympic-level athletes. It was surprising to me that Mumie was unknown to American athletes until recently when it was introduced by a Russian/American company in 1991.

To locate the origin for the word Mumie, one would have to go back 2,500 years to the time of the ancient philosopher and scientist Aristotle. He proposed the first procedures for testing the compound as well as its initial preparation in grape juice, honey and milk. Mumie is often used by ordinary persons to treat bone fractures and strains of muscles and ligaments, stomach disorders, nervous and cardiovascular problems, the inflammation of joints, and impotence. It is a good bio-stimulator, serves to elevate the immune system and neuro-hormonal regulation, controls oxidation-reduction processes, and has a positive influence on mineral metabolism. The most recent survey of the practical applications of Mumie have come from Moscow through the efforts of Drs. A.A. Altamyshev and B.K. Kortshubelkov and supported by the Russian Committee of Cosmonautics. To date, several hundreds research investigations have been conducted on Mumie which clearly point to its mechanisms of action and its usefulness.

Article about Mumie

Boston, USA — April 25, 2008 — On Monday, April 28, CLC bio will officially unveil their new Next Generation Sequencing solution, CLC Genomics Workbench, the first comprehensive analysis package which can analyze and visualize data from all the major Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms, such as SOLiD from Applied Biosystems, 454 GS flx from Roche Applied Science, Solexa from Illumina, and HeliScope from Helicos. The World Premiere is at the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo,April 28 - April 30, at the World Trade Center in Boston, USA.

Vice President of CLC bio, Jan Lomholdt, states, Having experienced massive pre-release interest from people within the Next Generation Sequencing segment, we’re confident that our cross-platform NGS solution which includes an intuitive graphical interface, numerous downstream analyses, and support for all the major NGS platforms, will become a hit. Especially when taking into consideration that we have assembled half a million 454 reads against the full E.coli reference genome, in around 2 minutes on a Dual-core laptop with 1 gigabyte RAM. In other words: This is FAST!”

“There is an explosion of interest in the next generation sequencing field right now, and I’m confident that CLC Genomics Workbench will become a valuable tool for the rapidly growing number of users in academia and industry who are using these new instruments for an amazing range of applications,” said Bio-IT World Editor-in-Chief Kevin Davies, PhD. “We’re also delighted that CLC bio has choosen this year’s Bio-IT World Expo in Boston to announce and introduce this product to the scientific and informatics communities.”

CLC Genomics Workbench includes accelerated assembly of Next Generation Sequencing data through use of High Performance Computing technology, making the assembly process very fast. The genomes to be assembled can be of any size, only limited by the number of gigabytes of RAM available on the computer running the assembly.

CLC Genomics Workbench takes full advantage of “paired end” data, and supports a number of features and work-tasks, such as reference assembly of genomes, De Novo assembly of genomes, SNP detection using advanced statistical models, Digital Gene Expression, metagenomics, clustering and assembly of EST and cDNA sequences, large amounts of genomics and transcriptomics downstream analyses, and workflow support. Some of the mentioned features will be implemented in future releases.

CLC Genomics Workbench has already been chosen as Next Generation Sequencing platform for all Danish universities. CLC bio will release CLC Genomics Workbench to the public in late May. To read more about CLC Genomics Workbench go to: www.clcbio.com/genomics

About CLC bio
CLC bio is the world’s leading full-service bioinformatics solution provider, solely focusing on the development of bioinformatics: software, hardware, data analysis, and custom-designed bioinformatics algorithms.

CLC bio’s mission is to be among the most innovative bioinformatics companies in the 21st century. This is realized through:

Development of bioinformatics software and hardware based on the latest scientific findings
User-friendly, integrated and intuitive cross-platform software solutions
Continuous focus on customer needs and superior customer service
Frequent product updates including the latest IT technologies and bioinformatics algorithms
A flexible IT architecture, enabling customers to buy or develop individualized solutions at a reasonable price

By extracting information from a freely-available chemical database, Italian forensic scientists have come up with a simple but highly effective method for identifying unknown toxicological compounds in biological samples.

A central component of forensic analysis and drug testing, toxicological analyses of biological samples have traditionally been conducted using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), with compounds identified by comparing the resultant mass spectra with reference mass spectra in spectral databases.

Although effective at identifying toxicological compounds, this approach has certain limitations, such as the fact that GC/MS is not very good at detecting polar and non-volatile compounds. Liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with MS offers a more flexible alternative, able to identify both polar and non-volatile compounds. However, it suffers from an inability to produce as detailed mass spectra as GC/MS, which has prevented the construction of large spectral databases for LC/MS. According to Aldo Polettini of the University of Verona, LC/MS databases generally contain spectra for only around 1200 compounds, compared to spectra for tens of thousands of compounds in GC/MS databases.

In recent years, however, a type of MS known as time-of-flight (TOF) has opened up another way of identifying toxicological compounds with LC/MS. TOF-MS measures the masses of charged molecules based on the time they take to travel along a chamber to a detector under the influence of an electric field, with smaller molecules travelling faster than larger molecules. This allows it to make measurements of molecular mass that are so accurate that they can be used to determine a compound’s chemical formula, and thereby also its identity.

The problem is that there aren’t any major databases containing information on molecular mass and chemical formulae specifically for toxicological compounds, so Polettini decided to create one. The easiest way to do this is to extract data for toxicological compounds from an existing chemical database and Polettini chose to do this with the US National Institutes of Health’s PubChem Compound. This is freely-available on the internet and comprises around 10 million entries, each of which contains information on a compound’s molecular mass and chemical formula.

Together with colleagues, Polettini created a subset of these entries by extracting all the compounds that could be classified as toxicological and then screening them based on their molecular mass and whether they contain elements such as hydrogen, nitrogen or fluorine. This resulted in a subset database containing entries for 50,500 toxicological compounds, including many drug molecules, both pharmaceutical and recreational, pesticides and poisons, as well as metabolites.

‘It contains a large number of metabolites,’ explains Polettini, ‘including glucuronides, which are very important in general unknown screening, especially when metabolite-rich biological matrices are used (e.g. urine).’

Once the database was up and running, all Polettini and his team needed to do to determine the chemical formula of an unknown toxicological compound was to match the molecular mass revealed by TOF-MS with the matching mass in their database. Testing this approach on hair, blood and urine samples from subjects that had taken pharmaceutical or recreational drugs, they found that they were able to identify a whole host of relevant toxicological compounds.

Predictably, the only problem they found was that a specific molecular mass can match more than one chemical formula and a specific chemical formula can match more than one toxicological compound. But the correct compound could usually be pinpointed by simply taking other available information into account, such as some of the spectral data produced by TOF-MS.

A molecule’s retention time in LC can also offer a way to chose between competing identities. To this end, Polettini is now attempting to enhance the database by incorporating an algorithm for estimating the retention time for proposed compounds. These estimates can then be compared with the actual retention time of the detected compound to help reveal the correct identity.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 8, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHTP) announced that it has acquired full global rights to the I-3D portfolio of orally active, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibiting compounds for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection.

Following a decision to focus its resources on its immunomodulatory compounds, Active Biotech AB has discontinued its participation in the I-3D co-development program and granted Chelsea exclusive global rights to the portfolio in exchange for royalties on future sales. The I-3D portfolio, originally developed by Active Biotech and under joint development by both companies since 2006, consists of an extensive library of therapeutic compounds that have demonstrated, during preclinical testing, potent inhibition of DHODH activity while maintaining PK and safety properties superior to the marketed DHODH inhibitor. Inhibition of DHODH is the rate-limiting step in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, which is required for the proliferation of T-cells during clonal expansion. Potential indications for drug candidates in this library include transplant rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

“We have greatly enjoyed our collaboration with Active Biotech and respect their decision to focus on their unique quinoline based therapeutic platform,” commented Dr. Simon Pedder, President and CEO of Chelsea. “We continue to believe that the I-3D portfolio of DHODH inhibitors may have value and have identified a cost-effective process for screening molecules in this portfolio which will require only a minimal investment of time and money. The results of this screening will permit us to make more informed decisions regarding our investment in the program for 2009 and beyond.”

About Chelsea Therapeutics

Chelsea Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical development company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. The Company is currently developing a library of metabolically inert antifolate compounds engineered to have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity to treat a range of immunological disorders. Early clinical data suggests that Chelsea’s lead antifolate compound, CH-1504, is a safe and effective treatment alternative to methotrexate for RA and may have further applications for psoriasis, IBD and certain cancers. Chelsea’s antifolate program is complemented by a strategic partnership with Active Biotech AB for the joint development of a portfolio of therapeutics targeting immune-mediated inflammatory disorders and transplantation. In addition to its autoimmune pipeline, Chelsea is developing Droxidopa, an orally active synthetic precursor of norepinephrine, for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. Currently approved and marketed in Japan, Droxidopa has accumulated over 15 years of proven safety and efficacy, historically generating annual revenues of approximately $50 million in Japan.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events. These statements are just predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include reliance on collaborations and licenses, risks and costs of drug development, regulatory approvals, intellectual property risks, our reliance on our lead drug candidate CH-1504, our history of losses and need to raise more money, competition, market acceptance for our products if any are approved for marketing, reliance on key personnel including specifically Dr. Pedder, management of rapid growth, and the need to acquire or develop additional products.

Hamburg, Germany | Oxford, UK - Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT) announced today that the Company and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) signed a new drug discovery agreement targeting a protease chosen by Ono.

The collaboration applies Evotec’s proprietary fragment-based drug discovery platform, EVOlutionTM to identify novel, small molecular weight compounds active against a protease target. The platform integrates, among other things, protein X-ray crystallography, computational chemistry, structural biology, biochemical, and NMR based fragment screening in combination with its high-quality fragment libraries. In the collaboration it is combined with Evotec’s expertise in medicinal chemistry and ADMET to further characterize active compounds identified and optimize their potency and selectivity to generate molecules for subsequent progression into clinical trials.

Under the agreement, Ono will pay to Evotec initial payments (technology access fee) for access to Evotec’s fragment-based drug discovery platform, EVOlutionTM, research funding as well as success-based milestones based on the research progress.

Dr Mark Ashton, Executive Vice President Business Development Services at Evotec, said: “We are extremely pleased that Evotec’s capabilities in drug discovery and, in particular, our proprietary EVOlutionTM platform for fragment-based drug discovery, have been so highly regarded by Ono and that they have chosen us as their partner for this collaboration.  We are confident that Evotec will contribute to Ono’s drug discovery program.”

“We have the highest regards for the wide range of drug discovery technologies Evotec possesses and highly anticipate the collaboration will result in identifying a novel drug having high potentials” said Daikichi Fukushima, Ph.D., Managing Director, Research Headquarters at Ono.

Forward looking statements
Information set forth in this report contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the anticipated benefits of Evotec’s products and services, the payments that Evotec may receive under its collaboration agreement with Ono, the anticipated timing and results of Evotec’s clinical and pre-clinical programs, and other statements that are not historical facts. Evotec cautions readers that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information as a result of risks and uncertainties. These include risks and uncertainties relating to: Evotec’s ability to satisfy the research-based milestones under the agreement with Ono, Evotec’s ability to complete the merger because conditions to the closing of the merger may not be satisfied; the failure to successfully integrate the businesses of Evotec and Renovis; unexpected costs or liabilities resulting from the merger; the risk that synergies from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; disruption from the merger making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; competition and its effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; the need to develop new products and adapt to significant technological change; implementation of strategies for improving internal growth; development, use and protection of intellectual property; general worldwide economic conditions and related uncertainties; future legislative, regulatory, or tax changes as well as other economic, business and/or competitive factors; and the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on international operations.

The risks included above are not exhaustive. The Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed by Evotec with the Securities and Exchange Commission contains additional factors that could impact the combined company’s businesses and financial performance. The parties expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in the parties’ expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Hamburg, Germany | Oxford, UK | Oslo, Norway - Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT) announced today that Spermatech A/S has chosen them as a partner to identify small molecule therapeutics for their pharmaceutical discovery project.

Through the study of the physiology of sperm motility, more specifically of “rapid swimmers” that cause fertilisation, Spermatech have identified bio-logical targets that could be exploited in the development of non-hormonal reversible male contraceptives. On this basis, Evotec and Spermatech have defined a strategy for a tailored drug discovery project. Evotec will apply its expertise and proprietary technologies in assay development, high throughput screening and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) screening to identify inhibitors of the sperm specific target protein. The screening will be performed with Evotec’s screening library of 250,000 drug-like compounds. Compounds will be identified that reduce sperm motility and will be used in the development of non-hormonal reversible male contraceptives at Spermatech. In addition, compounds that promote target activity may be evaluated as supporters of male fertility.

Dr Mark Ashton, Executive Vice President Business Development Services at Evotec, said: “We are extremely pleased that Spermatech has selected Evotec for this interesting project. It will allow us to use our com-bined technologies in assay development, high-throughput screening and NMR screening to identify the most promising candidates in the therapeutic field. Evotec’s highly diverse compound library is a good starting point to identify such active molecules and the additional results from NMR investi-gations of the hits with the target protein will provide the medicinal chemists with useful information to support subsequent drug design.”

“We were impressed by Evotec’s highly specialized and integrated capabili-ties. The collaboration will provide us with access to state-of-the-art assay development and screening technology and expertise together with a high quality library of small molecules. We are confident that this will provide an excellent starting point and valuable information to progress the molecules into more advanced stages. We really appreciated that during the initial scientific discussions of the project Evotec clearly demonstrated a results-oriented spirit in support of our project:” commented Eirik Næss-Ulseth, Chief Executive Officer, Spermatech.

Forward looking statements
Information set forth in this report contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the anticipated benefits of Evotec’s products and services, the payments that Evotec may receive under its collaboration agreement with Spermatech, the anticipated timing and results of Evotec’s clinical and pre-clinical programs, and other statements that are not historical facts. Evotec cautions readers that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information as a result of risks and uncertainties. These include risks and uncertainties relating to: Evotec’s ability to complete the merger because conditions to the closing of the merger may not be satisfied; the failure to successfully integrate the businesses of Evotec and Renovis; unexpected costs or liabilities resulting from the merger; the risk that synergies from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; disruption from the merger making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; competition and its effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; the need to develop new products and adapt to significant technological change; implementation of strategies for improving internal growth; development, use and protection of intellectual property; general worldwide economic conditions and related uncertainties; future legislative, regulatory, or tax changes as well as other economic, business and/or competitive factors; and the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on international operations.

The risks included above are not exhaustive. The Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed by Evotec with the Securities and Exchange Commission contains additional factors that could impact the combined company’s businesses and financial performance. The parties expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in the parties’ expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.