Hamburg, Germany, 04 December 2025: Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, SDAX/TecDAX, Prime Standard, ISIN: DE0005664809, WKN 566480; NASDAQ: EVO) today announced that its partner Bayer AG has initiated a Phase 2 clinical study of a kidney disease program originating from the multi-target research collaboration between Evotec and Bayer in kidney diseases. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Evotec is eligible to receive a milestone payment upon first patient dosing, which is expected in early 2026. The study drug, BAY 3401016, a monoclonal antibody (“mAb”) targeting the protein Semaphorin-3A (“Sema3A”) is being developed as a potential treatment for Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disease.
Bayer’s ASSESS study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group Phase 2a study with an extension phase to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BAY 3401016 in participants aged 18 to 45 with Alport syndrome. The program originates from a strategic collaboration, which Evotec and Bayer entered in August 2016. Under the terms of the agreement, Evotec is eligible to receive further development and sales milestones as well as tiered royalties of net sales contingent upon the future progress during clinical development and potential commercialization of a drug in the future.
Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, commented, “We are very pleased that our jointly developed antibody, BAY 3401016, for the treatment of Alport syndrome has advanced into Phase 2 of clinical development. Alport syndrome primarily damages the kidney, often starting at childhood and worsening through life. This debilitating disease significantly impacts patient’s quality of life through both the symptoms and disease management, especially in later stages of kidney disease. New therapeutic options that enable better quality of life are urgently needed for individuals and families affected by this disease. The initiation of this study represents an important and hopeful step forward. We congratulate Bayer on the Phase 2 launch and are proud to support the advancement of this program.”
About Semaphorin-3A
Semaphorin-3A (“Sema3A”) is an extracellular guidance protein and a well-known regulator of the actin cytoskeleton. Alterations of the actin cytoskeleton, particularly of podocytes, are a key pathophysiological feature of Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disease with progressive loss of filtration capacity, leading to end stage renal disease, progressive hearing loss and variable vision impairment. Sema3A is upregulated in injured human kidneys and implicated in the development and progression of acute and chronic kidney diseases. The monoclonal antibody (“mAb”) developed by Bayer in partnership with Evotec blocks Sema3A activity and is currently investigated as a potential treatment of Alport syndrome, aiming to delay disease progression and onset of end-stage renal disease.
About Alport Syndrome
Alport syndrome is a genetic condition characterized by kidney disease, hearing loss, and eye abnormalities. Most affected individuals experience progressive loss of kidney function, which may lead to end-stage kidney disease. People with Alport syndrome also frequently develop sensorineural hearing loss in late childhood or early adolescence. The eye abnormalities characteristic of this condition seldom lead to vision loss. In 80% of cases, Alport syndrome is inherited in an X-linked manner and is caused by genetic changes in the COL4A5 gene. In the remaining cases, it may be inherited in either an autosomal recessive, or rarely in an autosomal dominant manner. In these cases, the condition is caused by genetic changes in the COL4A3 or COL4A4 genes. Diagnosis of the condition is based on family history of the condition, clinical signs, and specific testing such as a kidney biopsy. The diagnosis can be confirmed by genetic testing.
