Evotec AG Enters Licence Agreement For Access To CRISPR-CAS9 Gene Editing Technology

HAMBURG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) announced today that the Company has entered into a non-exclusive licence agreement with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology.

“Alongside Evotec’s comprehensive stem cell capabilities, the ability to offer CRISPR-Cas9 research tools emphasises the Company’s continuing approach to establishing cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of our partners and growing R&D pipeline.”

Under the terms of this research tool licence, Evotec gains access to IP related to CRISPR-Cas9 and will apply the technology to its drug discovery offerings and R&D activities, especially for the development of research tools and in target identification, and to further strengthen its post phenotypical screening target deconvolution platform.

With this agreement, Evotec obtains non-exclusive access to the leading technology on the market for gene editing.

Dr Mario Polywka, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec, commented: “Alongside Evotec’s comprehensive stem cell capabilities, the ability to offer CRISPR-Cas9 research tools emphasises the Company’s continuing approach to establishing cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of our partners and growing R&D pipeline.”

ABOUT THE CRISPR-CAS9 SYSTEM

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a naturally-occurring bacterial immune system. Researchers have harnessed this system as a genome editing tool for mammalian cells. The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system allows researchers to target specific genes, to mutate these and achieve knock out or enhance the expression of these in living cells. Through application of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, valuable insights into the functions of these genes in disease establishment and progression can be gained.

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, academics, patient advocacy groups and venture capitalists. We operate worldwide providing the highest quality stand-alone and integrated drug discovery solutions, covering all activities from target-to-clinic to meet the industry’s need for innovation and efficiency in drug discovery (EVT Execute). 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, diabetes and complications of diabetes, pain and inflammation, oncology and infectious diseases. On this basis, Evotec has built a broad and deep pipeline of more than 70 partnered product opportunities at clinical, pre-clinical and discovery stages (EVT Innovate). Evotec has established multiple long-term discovery alliances with partners including Bayer, CHDI, Sanofi or UCB and development partnerships with e.g. Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, with Sanofi in the field of diabetes and with Pfizer in the field of tissue fibrosis. 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 press release. 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.