Evotec, Yonsei, & Zymedi Land $4.5M KIAT Grant for Lung Disease Therapies

Evotec SE, together with Yonsei University and the Korean biotech company Zymedi, will receive a $4.5 million grant from the Korea Institute of Advanced Technology (KIAT) to fund the development of first-in-class biologic therapies to treat lung diseases, including asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

The project will focus on the preclinical development of novel anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic antibodies directed against tRNA synthetases, an emerging therapeutic target class to treat diseases with a high unmet medical need.

“We are excited to work together with Prof. Sunghoon Kim and our colleagues at Zymedi and Yonsei University to cooperatively advance a particularly promising approach to develop novel antibody-based treatments for asthma and IPF,” said Dr Thomas Hanke, EVP & Head of Academic Partnerships at Evotec. “The synergies between the three parties supported by the KIAT grant showcase how international collaborations can help accelerate the development of novel therapies for diseases with a high unmet medical need.”

The project aims to advance first-in-class antibodies targeting a novel mechanism-of-action in the area of tRNA synthetase biology to treat IPF and non-type 2 asthma. Both disease entities are characterized by a high need to develop novel therapies that will improve future standard of care.