insitro and Lilly Forge Partnerships to Advance AI-Powered siRNA Drugs for Metabolic Diseases
Insitro, a leading AI-driven drug discovery and development company, has entered into three strategic agreements with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) aimed at advancing new treatments for metabolic diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
These collaborations will focus on the development of therapies based on targets identified using insitro’s AI/ML-based platform, which combines multimodal data, computational power and genetics to accelerate drug discovery.
Daphne Koller, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of insitro, said:
“We are innovating not only in our biology discovery, but also how we partner with industry leaders like Lilly to accelerate our therapeutic programs toward the clinic. Our proprietary AI/ML platform, leveraging multimodal data at scale, computational power, and genetics, has identified several high-value targets with extensive support in human genetics and translatable models. These could help provide transformative impact for patients with metabolic disease by addressing it at its root, and bringing together the best of biotech and pharma skill sets accelerates our impact.”
AI and siRNA Technology to Drive Drug Discovery
Under two of the agreements, insitro has the option to license Lilly’s N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) delivery technology to pair with two of the small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules discovered and developed by insitro. Each molecule is designed to target a different gene in the liver.
The third agreement involves the joint discovery and development of an antibody for a novel metabolic disease target. As part of the collaboration, the companies will work together on the early preclinical development activities until development candidate nomination, when insitro will be responsible for all remaining development and commercialisation. Lilly is eligible for milestone payments and royalties, while insitro retains global rights to its programs.
Leveraging Lilly’s Catalyze360-ExploR&D
The partnership will be supported by Lilly’s Catalyze360TM-ExploR&D initiative, which accelerates external innovation. The collaboration highlights insitro’s leadership in early-stage drug development and its commitment to advancing innovative programs toward clinical trials.
Revolutionising Metabolic Disease Treatment
The collaboration aims to address the root causes of complex metabolic diseases, which currently have limited treatment options. By combining insitro’s machine learning-powered target discovery with Lilly’s drug development capabilities, the partnership seeks to move beyond symptom management to create transformative therapies.
About Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)
MASLD is a liver condition caused by excess fat buildup, often linked to diabetes and obesity. Affecting an estimated 100 million people in the U.S., the disease is typically asymptomatic and can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. Currently, there are no approved treatments, and management relies on lifestyle changes.
About insitro
Insitro integrates human and cellular data with AI-driven analysis to uncover new therapeutic targets. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, the company is building a “pipeline through platform” approach, focusing on metabolic diseases, neurodegeneration, and oncology. With over $700 million in capital raised, insitro is transforming drug discovery by using AI to run smaller, better-targeted clinical trials.
For more information, visit insitro.com.
Recommended Companies
More Headlines