During the initial phase of this collaboration, Apeiron Biologics and Evotec will jointly develop tailored biochemical and cellular assays, and Evotec will apply its skills in utilising such assays for ultra-high-throughput screening to identify promising hit molecules.
At a later stage, both companies aim to advance a selected lead compound into preclinical development up to proof-of-concept in patients. Commercialization rights which are shared equally may be out-licensed or assigned to a pharmaceutical partner.
“The top-level research provided by Apeiron and its scientific founder in this area, paired with Evotec’s substantial track record in the rapid identification of drug candidates and its expertise in field of central nervous system disorders is an excellent basis for successfully identifying novel pain therapeutics. This could become an attractive addition to our growing CNS pipeline,” said Dr Erich Greiner, executive vice president of science at Evotec.