Superluminal Medicines, Eli Lilly forge USD 1.3 billion alliance to advance Small Molecule Therapeutics
Boston: Superluminal Medicines, a drug discovery company integrating AI/ML, protein dynamics, and structural biology to rapidly unlock the most challenging G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), has announced a collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to advance small molecule therapeutics targeting undisclosed GPCR targets relevant to cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.
The collaboration will leverage Superluminal's cutting-edge, structure-based drug discovery platform, combined with Lilly's small molecule development and commercialization expertise, to rapidly advance potentially life-changing therapeutics.
"Our collaboration with Lilly is a defining moment for Superluminal, and a testament to the power of our platform to deliver high-quality development candidates against historically intractable GPCR targets," said Cony D'Cruz, CEO of Superluminal. "Together, we aim to develop next-generation medicines that address the urgent and growing global burden of cardiometabolic disease. We are very excited to be embarking on this collaboration just as we begin to advance our internal drug candidate targeting rare genetic forms of obesity and hypothalamic obesity, and we are committed to bringing safe, efficacious, novel treatments to patients affected by these challenging conditions."
Under the terms of the agreement with Lilly, Superluminal will apply its proprietary platform to discover and optimize small-molecule therapeutics for undisclosed GPCR targets relevant to cardiometabolic diseases and obesity. Lilly will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize compounds arising from the collaboration after Superluminal delivers development candidates that meet predefined criteria. Superluminal is eligible to receive up to $1.3 billion, which includes upfront and near-term payments, an equity investment, development and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.
Superluminal's platform integrates deep structural biology, machine learning, and proprietary pharmacokinetic and toxicology prediction tools to accelerate the discovery of candidate-ready small molecules.
Superluminal is headquartered in Lilly Gateway Labs, Boston, and is backed by a strong network of investors, including RA Capital Management, Insight Partners, NVentures (NVIDIA's venture capital arm), Catalio Capital Management, Eli Lilly and Company, Gaingels, and Cooley.
