Peptone Establishes Strategic Partnership with Evotec to Selectively Target Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) and Advance Small-Molecule Therapeutics at Scale

• The partnership will focus on high-value IDP targets, including transcription factors, kinases and other disordered proteins with strong biological and clinical therapeutic hypotheses
• Evotec's depth of assay expertise, well-curated medicinal chemistry-ready libraries, and drug discovery capability will enable rapid engagement of several high value targets
• The collaboration will accelerate Peptone's IDP target selection and validation processes for the development of novel therapeutic solutions

LONDON and BELLINZONA, Switzerland, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Peptone, a biotech company developing novel therapeutics targeting intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) to treat diseases, today announced a partnership with Evotec to accelerate and scale the creation of small molecule IDP-targeted treatments across diverse therapeutic areas. Through the collaboration, Peptone will harness Evotec's drug discovery toolbox — encompassing deep domain expertise in oncology and immunology, extensive assay development know-how, and state-of-the-art screening capabilities — to seamlessly integrate with its pioneering, physics-based approach to understanding IDP structural dynamics.

"Our novel strategy to industrialize Peptone's proprietary ultra-fast Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX-MS) platform and Evotec's cutting-edge medicinal chemistry expertise is crucial for transforming our unique structural insights into viable therapeutic approaches," said Dr. Kamil Tamiola, physicist and Chief Executive Officer of Peptone. "Evotec's commitment to innovation positions them as an optimal partner in addressing the intricacies of drug design for IDPs and facilitating the introduction of effective therapies to the market."

While traditional drug design is limited to fixed protein structures, Peptone's bespoke HDX-MS platform reveals novel structural insights for dynamic, disordered proteins regardless of protein size or complexity, identifying IDP pockets for targeting that have remained undetectable to traditional structural biochemistry methodologies and AI approaches. By integrating breakthrough science with AI-powered platforms and advanced technologies, Evotec possesses the capabilities to create life-changing medicines at speed and with precision. The collaboration seeks to eliminate the traditional bottleneck in early target selection and allows for the rapid, scalable generation of tractable chemical matter, designed to target a range of IDPs with Peptone-identified pockets. Selection of programs will focus on pockets that have been successfully drugged based on in vitro evidence of target modulation.

"We are thrilled to enter this partnership with Peptone as it unlocks the opportunity to advance novel therapies against previously intractable targets that are known to play important role(s) in cancer, autoimmunity, and beyond," said Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec. "We believe the integration of Evotec's comprehensive drug discovery platform with Peptone's technology for mapping intrinsically disordered proteins as druggable targets will enable development of viable drug candidates with unprecedented speed and efficiency, at scale, without sacrificing quality."

About Peptone

Peptone is a biotechnology company developing novel first-in-class small molecule therapeutics targeting intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) to treat diseases through a pioneering experimental approach that starts with studying the structural dynamics of IDPs. Peptone's technology accurately translates bespoke experimental data into dynamic models of disordered proteins regardless of protein size or complexity with the necessary speed and insights to design therapeutics capable of affecting IDP function. The company's initial focus is on oncology targets areas of highly unmet need with strong disease hypotheses and biological validation. For more information about Peptone, visit https://peptone.io.

About Evotec

Evotec is a life science company that is pioneering the future of drug discovery and development. By integrating breakthrough science with AI-powered platforms and advanced technologies, we accelerate the creation of life-changing medicines — faster, smarter, and with greater precision. Our expertise spans small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies, supported by proprietary platforms such as Molecular Patient Databases, PanOmics and iPSC-based disease modeling.

With flexible partnering models tailored to our customers' needs, we work with all Top 20 Pharma companies, over 800 biotechs, academic institutions, and healthcare stakeholders. Our offerings range from standalone services to fully integrated R&D programs and long-term strategic partnerships, combining scientific excellence with operational agility.

Through Just – Evotec Biologics, we redefine biologics development and manufacturing to improve accessibility and affordability.

With a strong portfolio of over 100 co-owned and proprietary R&D projects, we focus on key therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurology, and immunology.

Evotec's global team of more than 4,800 experts operates from sites in Europe and the U.S., offering complementary technologies and services as synergistic centers of excellence. Learn more at www.evotec.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X/Twitter @Evotec.

Media Contact:
Peg Rusconi
Deerfield Group
Email: peg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com

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SOURCE Peptone