Infectious Disease

Our Infectious Diseases division (ID) is built on the pillars of innovation, integration, and efficiency, led by a team of approximately 200 highly skilled scientists with extensive expertise in the field. By seamlessly integrating our ID specialists with Evotec's comprehensive research and development continuum, we are well-equipped to tackle the ever-changing challenges related to the discovery, optimization, and development of new therapies for infectious diseases such as antibacterial, antifungal, antituberculosis, and antiviral treatments, as well as infection management.

Benefitting from our long-standing experience, our team of expert Project Leaders works closely with Evotec's partners, encountering similar challenges along the drug discovery journey. They provide support throughout the entire process, from target validation to the Investigational New Drug (IND) stage and clinical Phase I trials. This collaborative approach ensures efficient and effective progress in advancing promising drug candidates. Through our commitment to innovation, seamless integration, and operational excellence, the Infectious Diseases division of Evotec strives to make significant contributions to combating infectious diseases and improving global health.

Our virologists and immune-virologists have extensive expertise in the biology of a range of viruses as well as experience in integrated drug discovery from target validation to preclinical development, supporting multi-modality approaches for direct antivirals or for host targeting drugs. Our main focus is on respiratory viruses (including coronaviruses) as well as the hepatic viruses HBV and HDV and viruses with pandemic potential.

We have extensive experience in virus screening campaigns, e.g., using fluorescent viruses in BSL-2 and BSL-3 as well as RT-qPCR endpoints in BSL-2. Targeted as well as cell-based assays support SAR chemistry and elucidate molecular mechanisms of action (MOA) of antivirals, which can be further refined by selection of resistant viruses followed by sequencing.

In our in vivo facilities under BSL-2 and BSL-3 containment we develop disease relevant animal models and perform cutting-edge efficacy studies, including mouse and hamster Covid models, for the evaluation of antiviral vaccines and therapeutics. In addition, our integrated discovery teams make full use of Evotec’s platforms to progress our partners’ projects rapidly into preclinical development.

Our state-of-the-art laboratories, combined with the comprehensive EvostrAIn™ strain collection and cutting-edge technologies, enable us to design target product profile (TPP)-driven strategies and screening cascades for the development of drug candidates across various therapeutic modalities, including small molecules and biologics. We have also developed innovative screening approaches, such as high-throughput screening (HTS) and medium-throughput screening (MTS) using our Vivo Mimetic Media platform, to identify hits with novel modes of action.

To mitigate risks and support projects from early discovery to lead optimization, we perform de-risking activities such as mode of action (MOA) identification and characterization, resistance mechanism characterization, intra-bacterial cells accumulation assay, and compound profiling to support structure-activity relationships (SAR) determination. Our capabilities are further enhanced by extensive next-generation sequencing with bioinformatics support and expert analysis.

We have developed models for studying "bacterial persisters" and biofilm formation, along with advanced pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) assays both in vitro and in vivo (including Hollow Fiber models). These models, along with comprehensive modeling tools, contribute to a deeper understanding of drug efficacy and dosing. In vivo, we utilize diverse disease models representing varied pathological conditions, providing clinically relevant read-outs including biomarkers of interest in addition to bacterial burden.

Our full integration with other platforms within the company allows for seamless collaboration between expert AMR scientists and specialists in medicinal chemistry, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-based modeling, structural biology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), immunology, toxicology and more. This integrated approach accelerates the progression of lead molecules towards pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) stages.

Evotec is dedicated to addressing the critical healthcare needs of patients worldwide through our advanced platform and innovation in Global Health. With a particular focus on tuberculosis (TB) our mission is to drive the discovery and development of modality-agnostic therapeutics and tools to combat these diseases. Our unique integrated platforms for BSL3 mycobacteria offer comprehensive in vitro and in vivo capabilities, including high-throughput screening, detailed in vitro characterizations, and innovative in vivo models for evaluating novel TB vaccines, therapeutics, and treatment regimens.

With decades of experience and a proven track record in TB and malaria research, our Global Health team provides tailored research solutions and fully integrated programs to our partners. We leverage Evotec's cutting-edge capabilities and specialist expertise across the entire research and development continuum. Our deep understanding and expertise in TB and Global Health research, combined with our specialized integrated TB platform, enable us to effectively support a wide range of organizations working in this vital field.

Through our collaborative efforts, we aim to improve the lives of patients affected by TB and malaria and contribute to the global fight against infectious diseases.