Science Pool

About the Webinar

This exciting collaboration between Evotec and Professor Dirk Grimm from the University of Heidelberg will review the current challenges facing the field of gene therapy.

The webinar includes:

• A short introduction to AAV gene therapy
• Recent clinical findings
• Lessons we have already learned regarding improving AAV-based gene therapies
• Strategies for next generation canidates
• Efficacy and safety evaluation in preclinical models and their translatability into humans

About the Speakers

	Werner Höllriegl VP, Head of In Vivo Gene Therapy | Evotec Werner Höllriegl is heading In Vivo Gene Therapy at Evotec GT in Orth an der Donau, Austria. He received his degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria. After spending a couple of years as Assistant Professor at the Department of Anesthesiology, he moved into industrial research spending more than 15 years in different Pharma Companies (Baxter, AstraZeneca, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Baxalta, Shire, Takeda) in Research and Nonclinical Development, focussing on biologics and in vivo gene therapy.
	Hanspeter Rottensteiner VP, Head of In Vitro Gene Therapy | Evotec Hanspeter Rottensteiner is heading In Vitro Gene Therapy at Evotec GT in Austria. Biochemist by training, Hanspeter has more than 10 years in academia, and 15 years of experience in Pharma (Baxter, Takeda) in senior positions. He brings significant expertise in drug development of biologics and gene therapies, with a strong focus on rare diseases. He received his degree in Biochemistry from the University of Vienna, Austria.
	Rüdiger Fritsch Principle Scientist, Metabolic Disease | Evotec Rüdiger Fritsch is heading a transcriptomics team at Evotec. He has recieved his PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry. With over 15 years of experience as a biologist, Rüdiger has a strong expertise in omics.
	Dirk Grimm Professor of Viral Vector Technologies Medical Faculty and the Department of Infectious Diseases/Virology | Heidelberg University Dirk Grimm is heading the "Virus-host interactions" research group within the Department of Infectious Diseases/Virology. He has over 25 years of experience in AAV capsid and genome engineering as well as  in human gene therapy. Dirk has trained under AAV experts Jürgen Kleinschmidt (German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg) and Mark Kay (Stanford University School of Medicine).

Watch the webinar to learn more!

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Date: 9-13 June 2022

Location: Marriott Marquis Washington D.C., US

Attending: Nelly Dubarry, Eric Bacque, Cedric Couturier

ASM Microbe is back, and scheduled to take place in-person, June 9-13 in Washington, D.C. Mark your calendar now to join us!
ASM is the oldest and largest single life science membership organization in the world and hosts the most famous congress in Bacteriology in US, ASM Microbe which aims to drive discovery, innovation and collaboration across the full spectrum of microbiology.

Connect with our scientific specialists and don’t forget to include our poster presentation in your ASM itinerary!

Our scientific program

Oral Presentation - Presented by Cedric Couturier, Project Leader

Abstract #3382: Corramycin: A Novel Class Antibacterial from Myxobacteria That Hijacks The Inner Membrane Transporters of Escherichia Coli 

Saturday, 11 June, 2022 | 3:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Collaborative poster presentations

Abstract #3417 - Corramycin: Enlarging the Antibacterial Spectrum and Optimizing the Developability Profile of Corramycin, a Novel Class Natural Product Antibacteria

Abstract #3472 - Corramycin : Biosynthetic Clusters of a Promising Antibacterial Scaffold from Myxobacteria Including the Biosynthetic Pathway for a Previously Undescribed Hydroxyl-n-Methyl-Histidine

Abstract #5431 - Coramycin2 : A New Class Potent Antibacterial Candidate With A Novel Mode Of Penetration Into Bacteria, A novel Mechanism Of Action And Compelling Activities In Animal Models Of Infection 

Abstract #3382 - Corramycin2 : A New Class Potent Antibacterial Candidate With A Novel Mode Of Penetration Into Bacteria, A Novel Mechanism Of Action & Compelling Activities In Animal Models Of Infection

If you wish to meet with us in Washington or virtually outside of the event, get in touch via the form below, we will be happy to arrange a personalised meeting.

Learn more about ASM Microbe.

Chemoprophylaxis is a well-known strategy to prevent infectious diseases in populations at risk, e.g., in malaria, tuberculosis, or Neisseria meningitidis. Therefore, it is also being discussed for other diseases, such as Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. This disease is spread by Aedes mosquitoes and leads to acute febrile illness, as well as to inflammation and disabling pain in the joints. While the acute fever often resolves within days, musculoskeletal, arthritis-like symptoms can persist for months and years, leading to a substantial burden of disease in tropical and subtropical areas.

There is a need not only for therapeutic, but also prophylactic treatments against Chikungunya disease – like those available for malaria. However, the design of clinical trials is complex as Chikungunya outbreaks are challenging for studying interventions: They are unpredictable in time and place, spreading rapidly, but with usually short life-spans and differential diagnosis is complex, so that there is a high risk that the outbreak is over before a trial can be conducted.

However, there is a potential solution, following evidence on the risk of secondary household infections in chikungunya outbreaks. Household transmission is well-known from respiratory viruses transmitted via aerosols. At first glance the transmission via a mosquito seems not comparable to the transmission mode of airborne viruses, but it is known that the main vector, Aedes mosquitos, has a very limited flying range, resulting in spatial microclustering of CHIKV outbreaks: household members and near neighbors have the highest risk of secondary infections. Therefore, enrolling such a high-risk population could allow for a more feasible, smaller, shorter and conclusive trial.

Evotec teamed up with scientists from Aarhus University (Denmark), the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (Phnom Penh, Cambodia), the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, (Salvador, Bahia, Brazil), and the Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas-Fiocruz (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) to develop an innovative chemoprophylaxis trial design for CHIKV.

As a first step, such a trial requires a surveillance study design to determine household secondary attack rate. For this study, index cases need to be identified by RT-PCR to confirm a CHIKV infection, followed by serosurveillance of household members. There is a caveat as household secondary attack rates may not be accurately predicted from one chikungunya outbreak to another. Therefore, estimates of household secondary attack rates from different countries and cultural environments are needed.

The objective of such a study will be first to establish a range of estimates around which the feasibility of prophylaxis trials can be evaluated and a sample size calculated. Subsequently, evidence-based prophylaxis trials can be conducted based on the estimated rate of secondary household infections.

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In this poster we focus on:

• Development of robust feeder-free 3D differentiation protocol to reduce iNK cells
• Transnational validation of iNK functionality with freshly isolated CLL patient tumor cells
• Enhances CLL patient tumor cell killing with CAR19 iNK
• EVOcells Oncology programs

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While the public has taken note of RNA-based medicine only with the advent of mRNA-based Corona virus vaccines, biopharmaceutical research and development has been working on mRNA-based medicine for almost two decades. Evotec also expanded the druggable target space to RNA and in the last years added considerable know-how in RNA-based medicine.

RNA is used by cells in multiple ways: mRNA is conveying genetic information from DNA to the ribosomes which also are made from RNA (ribosomal RNA), where another RNA species (tRNA) is transporting amino acids to the ribosomal apparatus so that a protein can be synthesized. In addition to mRNA, there are also shorter RNA molecules being used in the cell for the regulation of genes and entire genetic cascades.

This provides for plenty of potential interventions: antisense (ASO) and short interfering RNA (siRNA) can up or down regulate an RNA target, e.g., to block the translation of an unwanted or diseased protein or to suppress or stimulate the expression of genes. RNA can be targeted with (complementary) RNA, but it is also possible to alter or block the translation, re-locate or initiate RNA, degradation, etc. by small molecules interfering with the three-dimensional structure of RNAs or protein-RNA-complexes.

During our recent Innovation Week, Evotec experts Steffen Grimm, Group Leader, Hit ID & Biophysics, and Hilary Brooks, Senior Research Scientist, In Vitro Pharmacology, hosted a session called "The early bird catches the helix: Expanding the druggable target space to RNA".

In the session, they discussed how to:

• Expand the potential for drugs targeting RNA to offer alternative solutions for diseases with otherwise undrugged targets
• Target RNA providing highly specific solutions for protein removal, alternative splicing or pathway regulation via noncoding RNA
• Use the small molecule RNA targeting platform to contribute to new opportunities for target identification and validation

RNA as Therapeutics
Using RNA as therapeutics is not trivial. Nucleic acids introduced from outside may trigger adverse reactions by the innate immune system. A lot of knowledge is necessary to ensure delivery, avoid degradation and inflammation and to fine-tune the stability and function of the molecules. RNA may also have off-target effects. To ensure efficacy and safety, monitoring these early on needs to be incorporated into the developmental workflow. High quality synthetic RNA is costly to make, therefore a scaleable process and the relevant analytics must be established early in the process to accompany both the discovery and development stages of research with quality test material; Eventually producing GMP grade RNA at a commercial scale (several hundred grams) for human administration.

Evotec already has integrated all capabilities under one roof, allowing for the complete preclinical data set, reduced transition times and efficient communication to the regulators. For antisense oligonucleotide therapy, efficient hit sequences that knock down target expression can be selected in a matter of weeks. Toxicity profiling is a priority to establishing final leads and, subsequently, project-specific dose, duration and delivery will be established using optimized backbone chemistry. Using its in-silico capabilities as well as iPSCs, animal models, transcriptomics, etc. Evotec is able to predict toxicity and efficacy, and de-risk unwanted immune stimulation as well as off-target effects. For manufacturing, Evotec is discovery-capable and already building medium-scale capacity (up to 50g) which will be ready by 2023.

For inhibiting the translational machinery, Evotec has established an RNA small molecule targeting platform and established in various case studies, molecules binding to RNA, and demonstrating a significant effect in vitro without affecting cell viability. Evotec’s capabilities also allow the creation of a representation of the 3-dimensional structure of the target complex and its interaction with the compounds.

Evotec’s experienced team of scientists with proven drug discovery and development expertise already have a track record of driving RNA targeting projects forward. Its integrated medicinal and computational chemistry capabilities, combined with bioinformatics, structural biology, pharmacology, and drug safety expertise allows for the identification and characterization of RNA target species and their modulation by different modalities. Partner projects can be driven all the way from target identification to IND and beyond. Evotec therefore is a low-risk outsourcing partner and a company continually investing in its platform to the benefit of the customer.

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The NADase SARM1 (sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1) is a key executioner of axon degeneration and there is great interest in developing SARM1 enzyme inhibitors as candidate therapies for multiple neurodegenerative diseases.

Through a combined approach of X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM we uncovered the molecular mechanism of SARM1 inhibition by a compound (DSRM-3716), demonstrating that it undergoes a base-exchange reaction with the nicotinamide moiety of NAD+, and that the transferase product is the bona fide inhibitor. Further more we reveal the activated state of SARM1 for the first time.

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Date: 15-18 November 2022

Location: Austria Center Vienna, Austria | Hybrid

Join Evotec at the Tides Europe 2022 in Autria!

If you wish to meet with us in Vienna, get in touch via the form below, we will be happy to arrange a meeting.

Learn more about the Tides Europe.

Date: 9-12 May 2022

Location: Hynes Convention Center, Boston, US | Hybrid

Join Evotec at the Tides USA in Boston!

If you wish to meet with us in Boston, get in touch via the form below, we will be happy to arrange a meeting.

Learn more about the Tides USA.

Date: 5-6 May 2022

Location: Novotel London West, London, UK

Attending: Lynsey Haskayne

If you wish to meet with us in London, get in touch via the form below, we will be happy to arrange a meeting.

Learn more about Oxford Global Formulation & Delivery UK.

Date: 1-3 November, 2022

Venue: Messe Frankfurt, Germany

Evotec will be exhibiting at CPhI Frankfurt at booth # 90J11, Hall 9.0

Our team, including Partnering, Drug Development and Procurement experts, will be happy to meet you in Frankfurt to explain how our fully integrated R&D and all-modalities platform can help advancing your projects seamlessly along the drug discovery and development process. 

Our Partnering experts: Margit Wissenbach, Jim Beaumont, Nick Johnson, David Straight and Nigel Shipston

Our Drug Development experts: Ciriaco Maraschiello, Elisabetta Verardo, Jerome Dauvergne, Paolo Gatti, Emanuela Del Vesco, Pascale Clement and Paola Tocchetti

Our Procurement experts: Alessio Rodari, Claudio Bismara and Sara Trevisan

To request a meeting, get in touch via the form below, we will be happy to arrange a meeting.

Learn more about CPhI 2022.