Insilico Medicine and SK Biopharmaceuticals will use generative AI to develop novel therapies for unspecified neuroimmune disorders.
Insilico Medicine has picked up another partner. This time, the AI-forward biotech has attracted attention from Asia, entering a global R&D collaboration with Korea’s SK Biopharmaceuticals to advance novel treatments for neuroimmune disorders.
Under the terms of the agreement, Massachusetts-based Insilico will get an $18 million upfront payment, and be eligible for more than $2.5 billion in total if it meets certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones, according to a Monday morning release. SK Bio will also be on the hook for single-digit royalties on net sales of products that arise from the alliance.
In exchange, SK Bio will be able to use Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform, an end-to-end suite that leverages generative AI models and automation programs to “improve the quality and productivity” of drug development, according to the company’s website.
Pharma.AI covers various critical steps of the drug development process, including target validation, molecule optimization and candidate optimization, Insilico said on Monday. SK Bio will leverage this AI-driven approach to “accelerate the discovery of innovative [central nervous system therapies],” CEO Donghoon Lee said in a prepared statement.
The Korean company, which under the terms of Monday’s agreement will take charge of late-stage development and commercialization, has yet to specify the indications it plans to work on. SK Bio disclosed only that the partnership will focus on neuroimmune disorders, including neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.
SK Bio also hasn’t revealed how many programs it plans to use Insilico’s platform for. The Seongnam-based company appears open to a continuous engagement with Insilico.
“We see this collaboration as a scalable and repeatable growth platform that can be leveraged for future target discovery and development opportunities,” Lee said.
Insilico has become an attractive ally for many biopharma companies. In March, Eli Lilly put down $115 million upfront to leverage the biotech’s AI engine, gaining the exclusive worldwide right to develop and commercialize a clutch of oral drugs for a variety of indications, though the pharma at the time likewise kept specifics under wraps. If all milestones are met, the total deal value could hit $2.75 billion.
Other recent deals with Insilico include a cardiometabolic collab with Qilu Pharmaceutical, an oncology tie-up with Servier and neuro partnerships with Tenacia Biotechnology and Hytiga Therapeutics.
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