Evotec inks AI drug discovery deal with Odyssey Therapeutics for inflammatory diseases

GERMANY— Evotec and Odyssey Therapeutics have entered into a strategic research and development (R&D) partnership that will use artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced screening technologies to discover new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Under the collaboration, Evotec will combine its 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.

The companies will combine Evotec’s 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.

He added that 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,” Dohrmann said.

Milestone-based payments

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.

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.

The company also supports its research activities with Molecular Patient Databases, PanOmics technologies and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based disease modelling platforms.

Evotec expands drug development 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.

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.