Evotec SE today announced that the Company entered a partnership with Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, Lille University Hospital and Inserm Transfert (the private subsidiary of Inserm) to identify novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic and prognostic markers in obesity and metabolic diseases.   Lille University Hospital is the sponsor of the clinical study entitled ABOS / DIABOMICS (Biological Atlas of Severe Obesity). In the framework of this study, started in 2012, Lille University Hospital develops and maintains the ABOS Biobank composed of a biobank and different associated databases dedicated to the study of obesity and its comorbidities.  Obesity, a medical condition characterised by an excess accumulation of fat cells and uncontrolled ectopic fat deposition in the body, is currently recognised as one of the most important public health problems. It is estimated that over one billion adults globally will be affected by 2030. The strategic partnership between Evotec, Inserm, Lille University Hospital and Inserm Transfert aims at identifying novel multi-modality therapeutic targets. Evotec will gain access to a large patient cohort with severe obesity for the longitudinal assessment of metabolic outcomes after bariatric surgery-induced weight loss. The cohort consists of more than 8,000 human samples. Evotec will support the recruitment of 200 additional subjects within the next 2 years.