- Evotec will receive a $10 million milestone payment following Bristol Myers Squibb’s initiation of a Phase 1 trial for BMS-986506.
- The study evaluates a molecular glue candidate for clear cell renal cell carcinoma under a long-term collaboration.
Evotec announced that its partner Bristol Myers Squibb has initiated a Phase 1 clinical study evaluating BMS-986506, a cereblon E3 ligase modulator, in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The trial marks the first clinical milestone in the companies’ strategic protein degradation collaboration.
The candidate was developed through the collaboration between Evotec and Bristol Myers Squibb, combining Evotec’s multi-omics screening and AI-enabled drug discovery platforms with Bristol Myers Squibb’s CELMoD agent library. As a result of the clinical progression, Evotec will receive a $10 million milestone payment.
The collaboration, initiated in 2018 and expanded in 2022, focuses on identifying molecular glue degraders targeting high-value proteins in oncology and other therapeutic areas. These compounds work by inducing degradation of disease-causing proteins, expanding the range of druggable targets beyond conventional small molecule approaches.
“In this unique collaboration, we follow a systematic approach to discovering molecular glues with tremendous therapeutic potential.”
Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec
The initiation of the Phase 1 study reflects progress in translating early-stage discovery work into clinical development. The companies stated that the partnership continues to advance a portfolio of molecular glue candidates aimed at addressing unmet medical needs in oncology and beyond.
