XtalPi Inc. (XtalPi Holdings-P, XTALPI-P, 2228.HK) announced on February 10, 2025, a strategic investment in Alternative Bio and the establishment of a deep R&D collaboration. The partnership leverages Alternative Bio’s discovery of first-in-class (FIC) drug targets addressing unmet clinical needs to jointly advance innovative drug development. As a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI) drug discovery, XtalPi’s AI and robotics platform, with its robust molecular innovation capabilities and extensive track record, will support Alternative Bio’s pipeline development, accelerating its path to clinical stages.
Founded by three scientists with global academic influence and successful entrepreneurial experience, Alternative Bio focuses on regulating cell states through ribosome and kinase methylation switches to develop small-molecule targeted therapies for major diseases like cancer and inflammation. The founding team, hailing from Fudan University, Oxford University, and Stanford University, has collectively published over 400 papers, including dozens of high-impact studies significant to human health and disease. Established in late 2022, Alternative Bio secured seed funding from Sequoia China Seed Fund and Eight Roads Ventures. This strategic investment and technical collaboration with XtalPi will further expedite its pipeline development.
XtalPi’s industry-leading AI and robotics drug discovery platform integrates high-precision quantum physics, computational chemistry algorithms, and over 300 AI models to efficiently explore vast chemical spaces, designing and optimizing molecules with both innovation and drug-like properties to accelerate clinical translation of novel targets. Having successfully supported multiple breakthroughs for global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, XtalPi’s one-stop drug discovery platform will provide a powerful innovation engine for Alternative Bio’s high-value drug pipelines.
Yang Bin, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Alternative Bio, stated: “We are thrilled to form a strategic partnership with XtalPi as a drug discovery collaborator. Alternative Bio aims to uncover potential targets in protein translation regulation to address the most challenging diseases. XtalPi’s unique AI technology excels in tackling novel targets, and our close collaboration will significantly accelerate the development of first-in-class drug targets and pipelines. With XtalPi’s AI drug discovery platform, we aim to develop highly specific, low-toxicity small-molecule inhibitors with significant clinical value, bringing effective therapies to patients worldwide faster.”
Dr. Zhang Peiyu, Chief Scientific Officer of XtalPi, added: “Alternative Bio’s groundbreaking advancements in protein translation regulation and disease mechanism elucidation open new possibilities for transformative target discovery. We look forward to collaborating closely with world-class scientists, leveraging XtalPi’s AI and robotics platform’s proven success in overcoming traditional R&D bottlenecks to drive rapid innovation. Together, we will empower clinical translation and develop breakthrough therapies for unmet clinical needs.”
Alternative Bio’s pipeline includes several first-in-class drug candidates with promising experimental data. The first collaborative project with XtalPi targets the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway, specifically a pan-cancer small-molecule inhibitor for RAS mutations. This candidate reverses drug resistance in mouse models for KRAS therapies and, when combined with KRAS drugs, significantly outperforms standard treatments in suppressing tumor growth, extending survival, and reducing mortality. It holds broad market and application potential. Another project focuses on a novel small-molecule inhibitor for acute pancreatitis, with preclinical data showing favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, efficacy, and a promising safety window, offering potential for improved treatment options.
