Evotec and Novo Nordisk’s LAB eN² Selects First Projects for Translational Drug Discovery

• LAB eN², a translational drug discovery program by Evotec and Novo Nordisk, has selected its first three projects, focusing on cardiometabolic diseases.

• The program is expanding to include five additional academic institutions, strengthening its collaborative research network.

Evotec and Novo Nordisk’s joint translational drug discovery initiative, LAB eN², has announced the selection of its first three research projects and an expansion to include five more leading academic institutions. LAB eN², launched in September 2023, aims to bridge the gap between early academic research and therapeutic development for unmet medical needs.

The three inaugural projects, supported by Discovery Awards, focus on novel treatments for cardiometabolic conditions, at Boston University, Drs. Victoria Herrera and Nelson Ruiz-Opazo, alongside collaborators, are exploring the role of inflammation in chronic kidney disease and obesity to identify pharmacological interventions. Meanwhile, a team led by Dr. Sloan Devlin at Harvard Medical School and Dr. Eric Sheu at Mass General Brigham is investigating molecular mechanisms associated with bariatric surgery to develop therapies for metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The third project, led by Dr. Peng Yi at the Joslin Diabetes Center, targets autoimmune response modulation for type 1 diabetes.

Each project receives initial funding to achieve key preclinical milestones, with the potential for further investment up to the IND application stage. Novo Nordisk holds the option to develop and license successful programs.

The LAB eN² initiative is also expanding its network by welcoming five additional academic partners: Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Joslin Diabetes Center, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This growth strengthens LAB eN²’s commitment to fostering innovative research across multiple therapeutic modalities.

Commenting on the initiative, a spokesperson from Evotec noted, “We are confident that LAB eN² will accelerate promising and innovative therapeutic concepts from bench to bedside in disease areas with significant unmet need.” Novo Nordisk’s Uli Stilz added, “The first selected projects offer novel approaches to address chronic cardiometabolic conditions, and we look forward to advancing these important efforts.”