Evogene Ltd. issued a press release on October 28, 2026, announcing acute graft-versus-host disease as the target indication for its internal drug discovery program, built on the company's ChemPass AI platform and guided by two named clinical experts.

Key Highlights

  • New indication: Evogene has named acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) as the target for its internal drug discovery program, focused on steroid-refractory patients.
  • Platform scale: Using ChemPass AI, the company reports exploring a virtual chemical space of more than 110 billion molecules to generate novel small-molecule candidates.
  • Candidate profile: According to the filing, candidates demonstrate high potency at nanomolar concentrations, target selectivity, and favorable ADME and toxicology profiles.
  • Expert guidance: The program is guided by Dr. Corey Cutler of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Prof. Dr. Robert Zeiser of University Medical Center Freiburg.
  • Limited competition: The filing notes ruxolitinib is currently the only approved second-line therapy for aGVHD.
  • Next step: The company states it is advancing its lead series toward IND-enabling studies.

Evogene's aGVHD Drug Discovery Program: Scope and Scientific Basis

Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ:EVGN), listed on both NASDAQ and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the same ticker, disclosed on October 28, 2026, that it is formally targeting aGVHD with an internally developed small-molecule therapeutic program. According to the filing, aGVHD affects approximately 30% to 40% of hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, and mortality among steroid-refractory patients "can reach 50%." The company characterized this as a significant unmet medical need representing a multi-billion-dollar market opportunity for a novel, targeted therapy.

The filing states that Evogene generated a diverse series of novel, patentable small-molecule candidates with new chemical scaffolds within "just several months," using its proprietary ChemPass AI platform to explore more than 110 billion molecules in virtual chemical space. The company reported that candidates show high potency at nanomolar concentrations and favorable ADME and toxicology profiles. According to the filing, this approach "is designed to accelerate discovery and identify promising candidates beyond conventional screening of existing compound libraries."

The program is guided by Prof. Dr. Robert Zeiser, Head of Tumor Immunology at University Medical Center Freiburg, and Dr. Corey Cutler, MD, MPH, Director of the Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Gabi Tarcic, Chief Development Officer of Evogene, stated in the filing that "by applying our ChemPass AI platform to this challenging target biology, we generated novel molecular candidates with optimized properties in just months." The filing contains forward-looking statements, which the company noted are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks including those related to regional conflict involving Israel.

What Was Disclosed

Evogene disclosed the launch of an internal aGVHD drug discovery program targeting a specific signaling pathway implicated in steroid-refractory inflammation, reporting early-stage small-molecule candidates and naming two clinical advisors guiding the program toward IND-enabling studies.