XtalPi Holdings Limited (2228.HK), the AI and robotics-driven R&D platform, today announced a global strategic collaboration and platform licensing agreement with Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (603087.SH), a leader in China’s metabolic disease treatment sector, for the research and development of innovative AI-powered peptide drugs. This partnership is a key commercial milestone for XtalPi’s AI peptide R&D capabilities, validating its technology platform with a top-tier pharmaceutical company.
Key Collaboration Details
- Focus: Gan & Lee will leverage XtalPi’s proprietary AI peptide R&D platform, PepiX™, to accelerate the discovery and development of novel peptide drugs targeting core therapeutic needs in metabolic diseases.
- XtalPi’s Role: XtalPi will apply its end-to-end “AI + Wet Lab” technology—including AI generative design, stability optimization, modification strategy, and developability prediction—to precisely design, efficiently screen, and optimize drug candidates from molecular design through preclinical candidate selection.
- Financial Terms: XtalPi is eligible to receive platform licensing fees, upfront payments, clinical and commercial milestone payments, and future sublicensing revenue sharing based on pipeline progression.
- Synergy: The collaboration deeply integrates Gan & Lee’s nearly 30 years of expertise and commercial network in metabolic diseases with XtalPi’s AI peptide platform, aiming to define the next generation of peptide therapies for global patients.
XtalPi’s PepiX™ Platform Advantage
PepiX™ is XtalPi’s integrated peptide R&D platform, which utilizes the deep fusion of AI, automated synthesis, and high-throughput screening to drastically enhance key drug attributes such as stability, half-life, and oral bioavailability in a shorter timeframe.
Dr. Lipeng Lai, Chief Innovation Officer of XtalPi, stated, “This collaboration with Gan & Lee marks the full transition of XtalPi’s AI peptide R&D platform into an industrial-scale empowerment stage. By creating an efficient, end-to-end development closed-loop, we look forward to PepiX™ helping more groundbreaking peptide therapies reach global patients.”
Dr. Wei Chen, Chairman and CEO of Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals, added, “The integration of AI technology is vital to our innovation strategy. We anticipate this partnership will significantly enhance our R&D efficiency, accelerate the development of high-quality peptide drugs, and address the unmet clinical needs in metabolic disease treatment globally.”
The strategic partnership enhances XtalPi’s position as a leading platform with multi-modal AI capabilities covering peptides, antibodies, small molecules, ADCs, and molecular glues, accelerating the commercialization of its advanced technological barriers.
About Gan & Lee
Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals developed the first Chinese domestic insulin analog. Currently, Gan & Lee has six core insulin products, including five insulin analog varieties: long-acting glargine injection (Basalin®), fast-acting lispro injection (Prandilin™), fast-acting aspart injection (Rapilin®), mixed protamine zinc lispro injection (25R) (Prandilin™25), aspart 30 injection (Rapilin®30), and one human insulin injection – mixed protamine human insulin injection (30R) (Similin®30). The company has two approved medical devices in China, namely reusable insulin injection pen (GanleePen), and disposable pen needle (GanleeFine®).
In China’s 2024 National Insulin-Specific Centralized Procurement, Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals ranked first among all selected companies in terms of procurement demand for insulin analogs. The company is also making strides in international markets, with the disposable pen needle (GanleeFine®) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020 and received GMP inspection approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2024. These achievements significantly boost Gan & Lee’s competitiveness in both international and domestic markets.
In the future, Gan & Lee will strive for comprehensive coverage in diabetes treatment. Moving forward with its mission to become a world-class pharmaceutical company, Gan & Lee will also actively develop new chemical entities and biological drugs, focusing on treatments for metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and other therapeutic areas.
