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Evotec and MaRS Innovation teamed up to launch Fibrocor Therapeutics LO, a Toronto-based company that aims to develop first class therapeutics to battle fibrotic diseases.

The company launched with $2.1 million financing, including cash from MaRs, the commercialization arm for 15 of Ontario, Canada's academic institutions. It will work with Evotec to develop a pipeline of first-in-class therapeutics against the most promising targets.

"Fibrosis continues to be an area of huge unmet medical need," Mario Polywka, COO of Evotec, said as reported by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News.

"Fibrocor's ability to identify novel disease-relevant targets and Evotec's industry-leading drug discovery platform should greatly increase the probability of delivering effective medicines for patients. We are delighted to be a part of the launch of Fibrocor together with MaRS Innovation and look forward to working with our new partners in this exciting venture," he added.

Evotec's involvement could mean it has a growing interest in using its drug discovery platform to help academics turn their early-stage research into biotech pipelines. This time, it aims to help develop drugs to treat fibrosis.

What Is Fibrosis?

The term fibrosis means the development of fibrous connective tissue as a reparative response to damage or injury. There are many types of fibrosis and one of the most common is Pulmonary fibrosis, which refers to a number of conditions that cause lung damage.

At first, the condition is characterized by interstitial lung damage, followed by fibrosis an eventually, loss of lung elasticity.

The common symptoms of this condition include a persistent cough, chest pain, difficulty of breathing and fatigue, News Medical reports.

Another type of fibrosis is liver cirrhosis, wherein there is scar tissue and nodules that replace liver tissue. Thus, they disrupt liver function. The main causes of this condition are alcoholism, hepatitis B infection, hepatitis C infection and fatty liver disease.

Meanwhile, some areas of the heart that have become damage due to myocardial infarction or heart attack may undergo cardiac fibrosis. This condition can affect the valves in the heart and they become stiff, leading to a condition called heart failure.