Eli Lilly and XtalPi have entered an AI drug discovery collaboration of up to $250 million in upfront and milestone payments.
XtalPi is a pharmaceutical technology company with operations in China and the US.
The collaboration will use XtalPi’s integrated AI and robotics platform ID4Inno to de novo design and deliver drug candidates for an undisclosed target.
XtalPi combines AI ‘dry lab’ algorithms with large-scale ‘wet lab’ robotics. The company will work closely with the Lilly team to deliver a novel compound, which Lilly will pursue in clinical and commercial development. Groups of synthesised molecules will be tested using generative AI models until a candidate with optimal drug properties emerges.
Dr Jian Ma, CEO of XtalPi, said: “We are honoured that Lilly has chosen XtalPi’s AI and robotics drug R&D platform as a partner in achieving more fruitful pharmaceutical innovation and bringing much-needed treatments to patients worldwide.”
