Evotec and Crohn´s & Colitis Foundation collaborate on novel IBD therapies

US non-profit organization the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has joined forces with German biotech company Evotec (EVT: Xetra), to help advance drug discovery for two innovative drug targets stemming from cutting-edge academic research for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The agreement will help translate the academic findings into drug discovery activities to identify novel therapies addressing the unmet needs of IBD patients through the IBD Therapeutics Incubator. The Incubator is part of the Foundation’s IBD Ventures program and is a ground-breaking initiative intended to revolutionize the landscape of drug discovery for IBD.

While potential new drug targets can be discovered in academic labs, most of them never advance since academic researchers typically lack the resources and expertise to create a drug around an identified target. Thanks to the Incubator, that’s changing.