Eli Lilly and Creyon Bio Enter $1B+ Strategic Collaboration for AI-Driven RNA-Targeted Oligonucleotide Therapies

On April 29, Santiago — Creyon Bio announced a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with Eli Lilly, focusing on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel RNA-targeting oligonucleotide (oligo) drugs for the treatment of various diseases. As part of the collaboration, Creyon will leverage its industry-first AI-driven Oligo Engineering engine to design and optimize new drug candidates for targets nominated by Eli Lilly on time scales previously unattainable in nucleic acid drug development. In March 2022,Creyon Bio Announces Over $40 Million in Seed and Series A Financing Led by DCVC Bio and Lux Capital. Other Investors Include Casdin Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, and BioBrit.

According to the terms of the agreement, Creyon Bio will receive an upfront payment of $13 million, which includes cash and the purchase of Creyon Bio equity. If certain milestones are achieved, Creyon Bio is also eligible to receive over $1 billion in development and commercialization payments. Eli Lilly and Company has been granted an exclusive license to lead the candidate pipeline for each target, and if Eli Lilly decides to proceed after achieving certain milestones, it will be responsible for further research, development, and commercialization.

Serge Messerlian, Chairman and CEO of Creyon Bio, stated:"We are thrilled to partner with Eli Lilly to advance our AI-designed oligonucleotides, making treatments safer and more effective for patients. This collaboration marks an important milestone for Creyon Bio as we work to move our RNA-targeting oligonucleotide therapeutic pipeline into clinical trials for both rare and common diseases."

Swagatam Mukhopadhyay, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Creyon Bio, said:"Creyon Bio has built the industry's first and only oligonucleotide engineering engine, which can effectively design RNA-targeting oligonucleotide therapies using quantum chemistry principles, rather than relying on traditional trial-and-error screening processes, significantly accelerating development."