Evotec & Variant Bio Ink Pact To Discover Fibrosis Treatments

Evotec SE and Variant Bio, Inc. have agreed to work together to find the best treatment for fibrosis-related diseases. In organs like the liver and lungs, fibrosis is characterized by a marked and pathogenic accumulation of the tissue matrix and this causes tissue degeneration. Fibrotic diseases substantially influence global mortality and morbidity. There is currently no cure for fibrotic conditions despite their chronic nature, widespread impact on various organs, and significant disease burden.

The strategic agreement utilizes Evotec's extensive knowledge of antifibrotic drug discovery and Variant Bio's cutting-edge genomic discovery capabilities. Using Evotec's integrated end-to-end R&D platform, Evotec will find best-in-class small molecules targeting a key fibrotic pathway with the strong genetic support that Variant Bio identified and move the program toward selecting clinical development candidates.  

Under the risk-sharing partnership, the firm will receive undisclosed research funding and, depending on the program's success, pre-clinical and clinical milestones and royalties. In exchange for a portion of the future upside, Variant Bio can offset the initial costs of drug development with this strategic framework.

Dr Matthias Evers, chief business officer of Evotec, said: “We are excited to enter this collaboration with Variant Bio. Variant’s genomics-focused model which identifies novel drug targets perfectly aligns with Evotec’s data-driven approach to redefine diseases at the molecular level and enhance probability of success. We look forward to combining our complementary drug discovery platforms in a capital efficient partnership and drive new, best-in-class fibrosis treatments together.”