Companies will provide their new partners with expertise for multiple projects.

German firm Evotec and U.K.-based Argenta Discovery separately reported signing drug discovery agreements with new partners. Evotec is teaming up with Shionogi to identify small molecule modulators of various protein-protein interaction targets. The Galapagos subsidiary, Argenta, inked a cancer-focused drug discovery services agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica.

The deal between Shionogi and Evotec will see the latter apply its EVOlution™ fragment-based discovery platform to investigate protein-protein interactions on targets selected by Shionogi. The initially five-year deal between Argenta and Janssen could be worth over €33.5 million (about $45 million) to parent firm Galapagos. Under the terms of this deal, Argenta will provide medicinal chemistry and biology services for a number of Janssen’s oncology targets, along with hit-to-lead and lead-optimization activities and additional drug discovery work up to preclinical candidate selection. Janssen also retains the option to extend the partnership up to a total of 15 targets.

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