Evotec SE announced further significant progress in its strategic research collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb for developing molecular glue-based therapeutics, with performance-based and program-based achievements triggering payments totaling $75 million to Evotec. The milestone underscores the advancing potential of protein degradation technologies to address previously untreatable diseases.
Collaboration Delivers on Ambitious Goals
The partnership, initiated in 2018 with Celgene (now Bristol Myers Squibb) and expanded in 2022, combines Evotec's high-performance multi-omics screening and AI-supported data analytics capabilities with Bristol Myers Squibb's industry-leading library of cereblon E3 ligase modulators (CELMoDs™). The collaboration continues to deliver on its goal to identify novel molecular glue degraders for high-value targets in oncology and beyond.
"We are proud to see this continued expansion of our molecular glue degrader pipeline together with Bristol Myers Squibb who is leading the industry in this field emphasizing the value of our systematic and industrialized PanOmics-based approach," said Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec. "Our growing pipeline of molecular degraders addressing a broad panel of high value targets harbors an enormous potential to deliver multiple first-in-class products into the market."
Revolutionary Approach to Drug Development
Molecular glue degraders represent a paradigm shift from conventional small molecule therapeutics. Traditional drugs work through drug-induced interference with protein activity, limiting them to agonistic or antagonistic functions and rendering approximately 90% of proteins "undruggable." Additionally, conventional small molecules only function while actively binding to receptors, typically requiring daily dosing regimens.
In contrast, molecular glue degraders induce interactions between an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a molecular target, resulting in ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the recruited protein. This mechanism massively expands the range of the druggable proteome beyond the limitations of traditional approaches. Importantly, the molecular glue itself remains intact during the process and can trigger multiple degradation cycles, leading to longer-lasting therapeutic effects.
Advanced Technology Platform Integration
The collaboration leverages Evotec's proprietary PanOmics and PanHunter platforms alongside AI and machine learning-based drug discovery capabilities. Evotec applies high-end proteomics and transcriptomics at industrial scale to profile and select promising drug candidates based on comprehensive cell biological profiles.
The company's PanOmics screening capabilities deliver unmatched throughput, while the PanHunter data analysis platform facilitates integration and analysis of complex datasets. This systematic approach enables the selection of the most promising CELMoDs™ for progression into lead optimization phases.
Extended Partnership Timeline
Following the initial collaboration's proven productivity in generating a promising pipeline of molecular glue degraders, Evotec announced in May 2022 that the partnership had been extended and expanded for an additional eight years. Bristol Myers Squibb's leadership position in the field stems from its unique library of cereblon E3 ligase modulators, positioning the collaboration to discover and develop a leading pipeline of molecular glue degraders across multiple therapeutic indications.
