Evotec SE

Aptadir Therapeutics has closed a EUR 40M Seed round to advance a novel class of RNA inhibitor-based therapeutics for intractable genetic conditions. The round was led by 4BIO Capital, with follow-on participation from the company's original pre-seed investor EXTEND, Italy's National Technology Transfer Hub launched by CDP Venture Capital SGR and jointly funded by Angelini Ventures and Evotec SE. Additional support came from CDP Venture Capital through the Digital Transition Fund, Indaco Venture Partners, XGEN Venture, CE-Ventures, Angelini Ventures through a direct investment, Kerna Ventures, Italian Angels for Biotech, and Club degli Investitori. The funds will advance the company's pipeline of disease-modifying investigational RNA therapeutics, including its lead candidate CAP1-FMR1 for Fragile X Syndrome, based on a new class of RNAs called DNMTs Interacting RNAs that block aberrant DNA methylation at a single gene level to reactivate silenced gene expression. The science originates from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Italian Research National Council, and the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore.

Evotec SE announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial for JST-018, a cocktail of investigational monoclonal antibodies targeting orthopoxviruses, developed by its biologics CDMO subsidiary Just – Evotec Biologics under the U.S. Department of War's Accelerated Antibodies Program. The program advanced from antibody sequence selection through preclinical development, process development, regulatory submission, and cGMP manufacture, with manufacturing completed at the J.POD® facility in Redmond, Washington. This milestone fulfills the scope of a 2023 contract with the U.S. Department of War, which is the second such award under the Accelerated Antibodies Program, following an initial 2022 award for plague antibodies; together, the two contracts have a combined potential value of up to $123.9 million. JST-018 is being developed as a prophylactic therapy to protect warfighters from orthopoxvirus threats, which include smallpox and mpox viruses.

Evotec SE and Plectonic Biotech announced a research collaboration to explore a novel immunotherapy approach for solid tumors, combining Plectonic's logic-gated LOGIBODY® technology with Evotec's proprietary BiTco costimulatory CD2 bispecifics platform. The partnership aims to validate the BiTco platform in combination with LOGIBODY®, which is designed to enhance precision of T cell activation based on a multispecific antigen signature, while BiTco boosts T cell activation by engaging a costimulatory signaling pathway. The collaboration will generate preclinical proof-of-concept data to evaluate the potential of this new generation of T-cell-engaging approaches, addressing key challenges that have limited traditional T cell engager therapies in solid tumors, which represent approximately 90 percent of all cancers. Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, and Dr. Klaus Wagenbauer, CEO and Founder of Plectonic Biotech, both expressed optimism about the combined technologies' potential to improve treatment precision and safety.

Evotec SE and Odyssey Therapeutics have entered a strategic R&D collaboration to discover potential new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Under the agreement, Odyssey will leverage Evotec's integrated data-driven discovery platform, advanced screening capabilities, and AI-enabled data science technologies to discover and validate differentiated small molecule drug candidates across multiple high-value disease targets. The collaboration combines Odyssey's disease biology expertise with Evotec's proprietary compound libraries and discovery infrastructure to accelerate early-stage research. Evotec is eligible to receive milestone payments based on the successful delivery of validated hit series for each target, though detailed financials were not disclosed.

The global cell-based assay services for preclinical use only market reached approximately $4.47 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $12.93 billion by 2035, according to a new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com. The market recorded a compound annual growth rate of 12.3% from 2020 and is forecast to expand at 11.5% through 2030 before reaching the 2035 figure. Cytotoxicity assays were the largest segment in 2025, accounting for 30.8% of the market, while phenotypic and morphological assays are expected to be the fastest-growing category through 2030. North America led regional revenue with a 40.1% share in 2025, but Asia-Pacific is forecast to be the fastest-growing region with a 15.2% CAGR through 2030. Leading companies profiled include Charles River Laboratories, Labcorp Drug Development, Eurofins Scientific, and Evotec, with the top 10 competitors holding 19.17% of the market in 2024.

Evotec has introduced J.TRAIN, a turnkey solution that lets biopharmaceutical companies deploy its proprietary continuous manufacturing technology in their own facilities. The offering combines modular cleanrooms, industry-standard equipment, and cGMP-compliant process automation to deliver faster, more cost-effective biologics production than traditional fed-batch methods. Partners can establish on-site manufacturing capacity in as little as 18 months, with embedded automation, digital validation, and training protocols to streamline implementation and ensure regulatory readiness. Evotec says the model represents a shift toward a capital-lighter, technology-focused business, validated by its December 2025 transaction with Sandoz that included a facility and a license to the technology. The platform was unveiled at the INTERPHEX conference in New York in April 2026.