- STORM’S LEAD PROGRAMME IS THE FIRST RNA METHYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR TO ENTER CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT
- STC-15 WAS IDENTIFIED WITH SUPPORT FROM EVOTEC’S DRUG DISCOVERY PLATFORM
Hamburg, Germany, and Cambridge, UK, 09 August 2023:
Evotec (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) today announced that its partner STORM Therapeutics Ltd. (“STORM”), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule therapies targeting RNA modifying enzymes (RMEs) for oncology and other diseases, will be presenting the discovery of its lead clinical candidate, STC-15, at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2023 Conference. STC-15, an orally bioavailable and highly selective METTL3 inhibitor, was co-designed and developed through a collaboration between STORM and Evotec.
The presentation entitled “Discovery of STC-15, an orally bioavailable, highly selective METTL3 inhibitor for the treatment of AML and solid tumours: The first molecule specifically targeting an RNA methyltransferase enzyme to enter clinical development” will detail the company’s discovery efforts in optimising novel chemistries and the identification of STC-15 for evaluation in clinical studies.
The first-in-class clinical candidate was discovered with the support from Evotec’s fully integrated small molecule drug discovery and development platform including biomarker support enabling the rapid development of STC-15 from high-throughput screening to candidate nomination in less than three years. Evotec and STORM originally entered a strategic partnership in 2016 which was extended into an integrated drug discovery and development alliance in 2017, with the focus on new small molecule RNA epigenetic drugs for oncology and other diseases. Following the selection of STC-15 as a first-in-class development candidate in 2020, the seamlessintegration from project initiation to IND, using Evotec’s INDiGO platform, led to the entry of STC-15 into clinical development in 2022.
Dr Craig Johnstone, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec, commented: “We are delighted to have been partners in the successful discovery and development of STC-15. Our ongoing drug discovery collaboration with STORM, focused on the exploration of a novel class of RNA modulating enzymes, stands as a testament to the effectiveness of our joint efforts. By supporting STORM with our industry-leading drug discovery science and expertise, we are confident in our collective ability to pave the way for delivering high quality, innovative and transformative drug candidates to patients in need.”
For further information, please follow this link to the press release from STORM.
About STC-15
STORM’s lead clinical program STC-15 is a first-in-class inhibitor of RNA modification and is the first ever RNA methyltransferase inhibitor to enter clinical development. STC-15 is an oral small molecule that inhibits METTL3, an RNA methyltransferase implicated in oncology and other diseases. Certain RNA methyltransferases are important regulators of RNA sensing and innate immune activation and represent novel immune-regulatory targets.
STC-15 has also been shown preclinically to inhibit tumour growth through mechanisms involving anti-cancer immune responses, such as changes in interferon signalling and synergy with T cell checkpoint blockade.
STORM commenced the dosing of the first patient in a Phase I clinical study of STC-15 in patients living with solid tumours in November 2022 and anticipates presenting first results from its study in 2024. Details of the study can be found on clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT05584111.
ABOUT STORM THERAPEUTICS
STORM Therapeutics (STORM) is a clinical stage biotechnology company creating novel therapies that inhibit RNA modifying enzymes (RME) for use in oncology and other diseases. There are more than 150 RNA modifications reported and approximately 300 RNA modifying enzymes which represent novel therapeutic targets.
STORM has leveraged its first-mover advantage to establish a novel drug discovery and RNA analytics platform leading to the identification of novel targets and a proprietary pipeline of first-in-class small-molecule drug candidates for potential use in oncology, inflammation, viral infection and CNS diseases.
The pipeline is exemplified by STORM’s METTL3 inhibitor, STC-15, which has received IND approval and commenced its Phase I clinical study in cancer patients in November 2022. STC-15 represents the first ever RNA modifying enzyme inhibitor to enter clinical evaluation in humans. Additional programs are planned for advancement into IND-track activities in 2023.
Fierce Biotech named STORM as one of its 2022 “Fierce 15”, designating it as one of the most innovative, exciting biotechnology companies in the industry, pioneering novel drug targets.
STORM investors include M Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, Taiho Ventures LLC, Seroba Life Sciences, Cambridge Innovation Capital I Limited, IP Group plc, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. (UTokyo IPC) and the Fast Track Initiative (FTI).
For more information, please visit www.stormtherapeutics.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning future events, including the proposed offering and listing of Evotec’s securities. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “should,” “target,” “would” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include comments regarding Evotec’s expectations for revenues, Group EBITDA and unpartnered R&D expenses. These forward-looking statements are based on the information available to, and the expectations and assumptions deemed reasonable by Evotec at the time these statements were made. No assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of Evotec. Evotec expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Evotec’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circ*mstances on which any statement is based.
