Eli Lilly Collaborates with XtalPi to Harness AI in Drug Discovery

XtalPi Inc., a company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in pharmaceutical technology, is set to collaborate with Eli Lilly and Company on a project in the AI drug discovery domain. With a deal potentially amounting to $250 million, the companies will combine their resources to design new drug candidates for a target that has yet to be publicly announced.

XtalPi's expertise lies in merging AI algorithms with extensive robotics to drive pharmaceutical innovation, a niche that has solidified their industry leadership. In this collaboration, XtalPi will utilize its AI drug discovery solutions to generate a novel compound, which Eli Lilly plans to further develop and commercialize.

Leveraging a unique combination of AI, autonomous labs, and specialized knowledge, XtalPi's ID4Inno™ small-molecule drug discovery platform generates and examines a vast chemical space to rapidly identify the most promising lead series. XtalPi's internal assay capabilities facilitate the testing of these synthesized molecules, providing real-world data to improve AI models in a continuous process until a drug candidate with optimal properties is produced.

The role of autonomous robotic workstations is crucial in XtalPi's operations. These workstations enable round-the-clock parallel chemical synthesis and assays, producing high-quality data swiftly and at scale. Combined with over 500 AI models and quantum physics algorithms, XtalPi's AI drug discovery capabilities are continuously improved, resulting in an expedited process of identifying new drug candidates and reducing experimental costs.

The AI and robotics-centric approach adopted by XtalPi is redefining the pharmaceutical R&D landscape. Instead of labor-intensive research, the focus is on computation and automation, enabling researchers to achieve more with fewer resources. Already serving over 200 pharmaceutical clients and research institutions globally, XtalPi plans to establish its proprietary autonomous lab in Cambridge, MA, to accommodate the growth in its drug discovery business.

Topics: Emerging Technologies