Evotec SE and Odyssey Therapeutics are joining forces to use artificial intelligence, advanced screening and disease-biology expertise to discover potential new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

 

Under the strategic R&D collaboration, Odyssey will tap Evotec’s data-driven drug discovery platform, AI-enabled technologies, screening capabilities and proprietary compound libraries to identify and validate small-molecule drug candidates across multiple high-value targets.

 

The companies aim to combine high-throughput experimentation with machine learning to rapidly identify validated “hit series” — early chemical starting points that can be developed into potential medicines.

 

The partnership brings together Odyssey’s expertise in autoimmune and inflammatory disease biology with Evotec’s drug discovery infrastructure and computational capabilities, with the companies targeting diseases where significant unmet medical needs remain.

 

“Drug discovery increasingly depends on the ability to integrate deep disease biology with advanced experimental and computational approaches to drug discovery. This collaboration with Odyssey illustrates well Evotec's strategy in applying integrated discovery platform technologies to complex disease areas where new approaches are urgently needed. 

 

"Together, we aim to generate differentiated and validated starting points for Odyssey to develop into new therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases," said Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec.

 

Under the agreement, Evotec is eligible for milestone payments tied to the successful delivery of validated hit series for each target. The companies did not disclose financial terms.

 

The deal comes as pharmaceutical companies increasingly turn to AI and data-intensive approaches to speed up early-stage drug discovery, potentially shortening the time needed to identify promising therapeutic candidates.

 

For Evotec, the collaboration adds another partnership focused on leveraging its integrated discovery platform and AI capabilities to tackle complex diseases. For Odyssey, it provides access to additional screening, computational and compound-library resources as it advances its autoimmune and inflammatory disease programs.