Artificial intelligence is increasingly being leveraged by major pharmaceutical companies to enhance various aspects of drug development. AI is used to discover new drugs, identify suitable patients for clinical trials, and streamline testing processes, reducing the overall need for human participants.
Eli Lilly's recent collaboration with Genetic Leap follows its June partnership with AI startup OpenAI to create antimicrobials for drug-resistant bacteria. Additionally, French drugmaker Sanofi announced in May a collaboration with OpenAI to develop AI models for drug development, highlighting a broader trend of AI integration in the pharmaceutical industry.
Under the new agreement, Eli Lilly will gain access to Genetic Leap’s advanced AI platform to develop RNA-based medicines. Genetic medicines, which aim to address the genetic origins of diseases, represent a significant portion of Eli Lilly’s drug development pipeline, accounting for more than 25% of their current drug candidates.
Genetic Leap's proprietary technology focuses on manipulating RNA, a crucial genetic messenger, to inhibit genes that produce disease-causing proteins. This approach is gaining traction among biotechnology firms as a method to target genetic causes of diseases more precisely.
The partnership agreement includes upfront and milestone payments totaling up to $409 million, along with tiered royalties for Genetic Leap. This financial arrangement reflects the high stakes and potential impact of integrating AI technologies into the development of genetic medicines.
