XtalPi Holdings Limited (2228.HK) today announced that its wholly-owned, AI-driven biologics research and development innovator, Ailux, has entered into a multi-target strategic collaboration and platform licensing agreement with global pharmaceutical leader Eli Lilly and Company.
The total value of the agreement could reach up to $345 million, including an upfront payment and near-term milestones in the tens of millions of dollars.
- Focus: Lilly will leverage Ailux’s proprietary platform to accelerate the discovery and development of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) across multiple therapeutic areas, and utilize its AI antibody platform to expedite internal pipeline research.
- Strategic Expansion: This marks the second high-value collaboration between XtalPi and Lilly, following their $250 million AI small molecule drug partnership in 2023. XtalPi is now one of the few AI drug discovery companies globally to establish major collaborations with a leading international pharmaceutical company in both AI-driven small molecule and large molecule (biologics) drug development.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly can nominate multiple target pairs for Ailux to design and optimize bispecific antibody candidates. Ailux is eligible to receive upfront and near-term milestone payments, in addition to subsequent R&D, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments. Furthermore, Lilly gains the right to use Ailux’s proprietary AI bispecific antibody design platform.
This partnership is a significant milestone for XtalPi, validating the international recognition of its intelligent R&D platform in AI antibody drug discovery, particularly for novel modalities like bispecific antibodies. By integrating AI and high-throughput experimental technologies, XtalPi has built a competitive advantage across next-generation drug formats, including BsAbs, ADCs, and molecular glues.
Jian Ma, CEO of XtalPi, stated, “Lilly is a key long-term partner for us. We are thrilled to extend this deeply trusted relationship into the large molecule R&D space, which recognizes the power of XtalPi’s AI platform to create transformative therapies.”
Yi Li, CEO of Ailux and Senior Vice President of XtalPi, commented, “Bispecific antibodies are one of the most promising directions in today’s therapeutic landscape. Ailux’s AI solutions can rapidly transform monospecific antibodies into superior bispecific candidates with excellent efficacy and developability. We look forward to working with Lilly to advance new-generation molecules into the clinic.”
