Seattle – September 12, 2026 -- Just – Evotec Biologics has initiated a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial for JST-018, a monoclonal antibody cocktail targeting orthopoxviruses, developed under a U.S. Department of War contract.
Just – Evotec Biologics advanced JST-018 from sequence selection to clinical trial under a 2023 Department of War contract
The biologics CDMO, a wholly owned subsidiary of Evotec SE (NASDAQ: EVO; Frankfurt: EVT), executed the full development chain — preclinical work, process development, regulatory submission and cGMP manufacturing of clinical trial material — at its J.POD® facility in Redmond, Washington, using its continuous bioprocessing platform.
JST-018 targets orthopoxviruses including variola and mpox as a prophylactic for warfighters
Orthopoxviruses, the family responsible for smallpox and mpox, remain a high-priority biological threat for biodefense planning. JST-018 is designed as a prophylactic countermeasure to protect military personnel facing elevated exposure risk.
Linda Zuckerman, EVP Global Head of Just – Evotec Biologics, said the program demonstrates the company's continuous manufacturing platform's ability to move from sequence optimization directly to clinical evaluation in close collaboration with the Department of War.
The orthopoxvirus program is the company's second under the Accelerated Antibodies Program, following a 2022 plague antibody award
Combined, the two contracts carry a potential value of up to $123.9 million. The orthopoxvirus award was granted in 2023 by the Department of War's Capability Program Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, working with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority through the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium Other Transaction Authority, under contract number MCDC2203-001.
Trial details are listed on ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT07595458.