Evotec AG has entered a strategic alliance with Forge Therapeutics to advance its Gram-negative antibiotic program targeting ‘LpxC’ for the treatment of bacterial infections including drug resistant ‘superbugs’. LpxC, an attractive antibacterial target however, a lack of suitable chemical starting points has impeded its progress. Forge has been applying its metal-binding pharmacophores (“MBP”) library and processes and has been able to identify potent drugable inhibitors of LpxC.

The alliance will focus on lead optimization of these inhibitors with the goal of identifying a development candidate in the next couple of years Evotec will contribute biochemistry, microbiology, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, computational chemistry, ADME/PK/analytical, and program management.

“Antibacterials that act via novel mechanisms of action are desperately needed to address untreatable infections that arise from drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria,” said Zachary A. Zimmerman, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Forge Therapeutics. “Our LpxC inhibitors have proven to be stable, potent in vitro, and have shown preliminary efficacy in vivo. We are thrilled to partner with Evotec during lead optimization as they provide significant pre-clinical expertise and added horsepower to rapidly advance our novel antibiotic to address this growing unmet global issue.”

“The antibiotic field has been suffering from an innovation void over the last 30 years and requires significant intellectual and financial stimulus to address the issues of resistance,” said Dr. Mario Polywka, chief operating officer of Evotec. “Importantly, Forge’s novel LpxC program coupled with Evotec’s unrivalled drug discovery platform and expertise offers significant promise in addressing this issue. We look forward to working with our new partners at Forge.”