- Collaboration will Leverage Access to the NURTuRE Patient Biobank and Evotec’s PanHunter Multi-Omics Platform to Characterize Molecular Drivers, Identify and Validate Novel Targets and Drive Patient Stratification Strategies in Kidney Disease
- Collaboration Will Focus on Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), Lupus Nephritis, IgA Nephropathy and Other Primary Glomerular Diseases
Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KDNY) and Evotec SE just announced a strategic collaboration focused on the discovery and development of novel precision medicine therapies for patients with chronic kidney diseases. Based on Evotec’s proprietary comprehensive molecular datasets from thousands of patients across chronic kidney diseases of multiple underlying etiologies, Chinook and Evotec will jointly identify, characterize and validate novel mechanisms and discover precision medicines for PKD, lupus nephritis, IgA nephropathy and other primary glomerular diseases. The collaboration will also involve further characterization of pathways and patient stratification strategies for programs currently in Chinook’s clinical and preclinical pipeline.
“We are excited to embark on this strategic collaboration with Evotec, the leading drug discovery alliance and development partner in nephrology. Gaining access to the NURTuRE cohort study and other proprietary patient biobanks, along with Evotec’s multi-omics integration platform, will enable us to define the molecular drivers of kidney diseases, identify novel targets for drug development in selected patient sub-populations and continue to build the foundation for our precision medicine approach. With a focus on comprehensive molecular disease classification, combined with prospective clinical outcomes, Chinook has the opportunity to potentially deliver targeted therapies to the right patient populations.” – Andrew King, D.V.M., Ph.D., Head of Renal Discovery and Translational Medicine at Chinook.
The National Unified Renal Translational Research Enterprise (NURTuRE) is the first biobank for chronic kidney diseases and nephrotic syndrome (NS), covering England, Scotland and Wales. Biological samples, including plasma, serum, urine, DNA and kidney biopsies, from 3,000 patients with chronic kidney diseases and over 800 patients with NS from 18 NHS Trusts, are being collected and stored under strict standards for academic and industrial research globally. NURTuRE also has the advantage of containing anonymized linked clinical data through the U.K. Renal Registry, which will enable the development of new prognostic and predictive biomarkers. This will potentially allow Chinook and Evotec to identify patients who will benefit from better, earlier diagnosis and individualized new treatments, resulting in improved health outcomes.
The collaboration also leverages Evotec’s proprietary PanOmics platform, which combines enhanced throughput proteomics, high throughput transcriptomics and cell imaging with PanHunter, Evotec’s unique data analysis platform.
“We are glad to enter into a discovery and development partnership with Chinook Therapeutics, a company specializing in overcoming kidney diseases. CKD is a collective term for a variety of diseases that cause a gradual loss of kidney function. The diversity in the underlying causes makes this area especially favorable for data-driven and systematically personalized approaches. By leveraging our complementary platforms, Evotec and Chinook have the best possible starting position to tackle particular rare forms of CKD with the goal to develop disease-modifying therapeutics for underserved patient populations.” – Cord Dohrmann, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec.
Under the terms of the agreement, Chinook and Evotec will share drug discovery and preclinical development responsibilities. Chinook will be responsible for clinical development and commercialization of product candidates developed under the collaboration. Evotec will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, research funding, progress-dependent milestone payments and tiered royalties on net sales for targets identified through the collaboration.
