Evotec Announces TargetAD Collaboration With Johnson & Johnson Innovation to Identify and Develop Novel Alzheimer's Disease T...
November 08 2013 - 12:28AM
- Collaborative effort will explore genes dysregulated in
Alzheimer's disease patients to identify new targets for drug
discovery and development
Evotec AG (Frankfurt:EVT) (TecDAX) (ISIN:DE0005664809) today
announced a collaboration with the Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Center in California to identify new targets for Alzheimer's
disease drug discovery and development. Under the terms of the
agreement, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Janssen"), a member of
the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, and Evotec will work
together to discover and develop novel treatments for Alzheimer's
disease.
Termed TargetAD (Alzheimer's disease),the collaboration will
seek to identify new drug targets for discovery of novel treatment
approaches to Alzheimer's disease ("AD"). Janssen will fund target
discovery research via a combination of defined research payments
and progress-related milestones over the next three years.
Janssen will have the opportunity to internalise selected
targets and therapeutic candidates from the TargetAD database and
progress them into pre-clinical and clinical development. Janssen
will reimburse up to $ 10 million in FTE-based research costs
and make pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial payments
up to a maximum of between approximately $ 125 million to
$ 145 million per programme upon achieving agreed-upon
milestones. In addition, Evotec will receive royalties on future
sales of any products that may result from the alliance.
Evotec's proprietary TargetAD database provides a unique source
of potentially novel Alzheimer's disease drug targets derived from
the analysis of dysregulated genes in high-quality and
well-characterised human brain tissues representing all stages of
disease progression as well as control tissues from non-demented
subjects. Identifying new targets for drug development based on
disease pathology may have the potential to impact the disease at
its earliest stages, resulting in greater therapeutic benefit to
patients.
Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec,
added: "The TargetAD alliance provides a systematic and
comprehensive approach to the discovery of novel drug AD targets
which leverages Evotec's strength in neuroscience discovery with
Janssen's pre-clinical and clinical drug development capabilities
for the discovery of novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease."
ABOUT EVOTEC'S TARGETAD DATABASE
The TargetAD database is a customised system providing
unique information on the link
between molecular and cellular changes in brain
tissue with AD progression. This database was set
up in a multi-year research programme, applying
histological, cellular and in vivo target
validation procedures. The database provides a
strong foundation for systematic collaborative target validation
and compound discovery programmes.
ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain
disease. It slowly destroys brain cells and nerves and thus
disrupts the transmitters which carry messages in the brain,
particularly those responsible for storing memories. The disease is
named after the German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois
Alzheimer who described the first case of presenile dementia. The
cause and progression of AD are still not completely understood.
Conducted research indicates that the disease is associated with
plaques and tangles in the brain. In the course of AD, the brain
shrinks as gaps develop in the temporal lobe and hippocampus, which
are responsible for storing and retrieving new information. Like
other chronic conditions, scientists believe that AD doesn't have
one predominant cause but is rather a complex result of various
factors. At the moment, there is no cure available for AD and most
other causes for dementia. Current treatments only tackle the
symptoms of the disease. According to the World Alzheimer Report
2012 published by Alzheimer's Disease International, there were 36
million people diagnosed with dementia in 2010 worldwide.
Approximately 7.7 million new cases of dementia are diagnosed each
year. Concerning the dementia market volume, $ 604 bn
were spent on the treatment of dementia in 2010. All in all, these
costs equal about 1% of the world's GDP (average of GDP from
countries worldwide).
ABOUT EVOTEC AG
Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership
company focused on rapidly progressing innovative product
approaches with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
We operate worldwide providing the highest quality stand-alone and
integrated drug discovery solutions, covering all activities from
target-to-clinic. The Company has established a unique position by
assembling top-class scientific experts and integrating
state-of-the-art technologies as well as substantial experience and
expertise in key therapeutic areas including neuroscience, pain,
metabolic diseases as well as oncology and inflammation. Evotec has
long-term discovery alliances with partners including Bayer,
Boehringer Ingelheim, CHDI, Genentech, Janssen Pharmaceuticals,
MedImmune/AstraZeneca and Ono Pharmaceutical. In addition, the
Company has existing development partnerships and product
candidates both in clinical and pre-clinical development. These
include partnerships with Boehringer Ingelheim, MedImmune and
Andromeda (Teva) in the field of diabetes, with Janssen
Pharmaceuticals in the field of depression and with Roche in the
field of Alzheimer's disease. For additional information please go
to www.evotec.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS — Information set
forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements,
which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The
forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgement
of Evotec as of the date of this report. Such forward-looking
statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to
a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our
control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially
from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We
expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release
publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect
any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions
or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
CONTACT: Gabriele Hansen
Head of Corporate Communications
+49.(0)40.560 81-255
+49.(0)40.560 81-222 Fax
gabriele.hansen@evotec.com
Evotec AG
Manfred Eigen Campus
Essener Bogen 7
22419 Hamburg (Germany)
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